Academic Essay - Final Draft

Deforestation has been pinpointed as a serious environmental problem in Southeast Asia. What are the causes/circumstances that give rise to this problem?

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Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested land for commercial uses such as urban developments and agricultural purposes. According to Juniper (2007), the current rate of rainforest loss around the world is estimated at near two per cent annually which sum up to an approximate of 100,000 square kilometers being destroyed, with another 100,000 square kilometers being degraded. Juniper (2007) also observed that though, there is inevitably huge uncertainty regarding the present rate loss, and no clue of what it will be like in the future, it is quite plausible that tropical forests will be reduced to between 10 and 25 per cent of their original extent by around 2100.Therefore, in order to cope with this phenomenon, we will have to identify the root for the causes of deforestation. There are many causes for deforestation. Deforestation can be the result of deliberate removal of forest cover for urban developments in developed countries such as Singapore or it can be a consequence of intensive farming in developing countries such as Indonesia.

Unsustainable agriculture is undoubtedly one of the major direct causes of deforestation in many developing countries. Farmers clear patches of land in forests to grow subsistence or cash crops. Often, lands are not given enough time to recuperate before the next batch of seeds is sown. To make matters worse, modern machinery, fertilizers and pesticides are introduced to maximize profits. Hence, due to the delicate nature of the soil and the destructive nature of the modern day agricultural practices, the land is exploited beyond any repair.

In addition, logging, both legal and illegal, needs to be answerable for the cause of deforestation in developing countries too. Developing countries have resources that developed countries want. According to Dubay, Tweed, Schoch, and Lapinski (1999), developed countries such as Japan encourage developing countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia to strip their forests of wood, and lumber is being exported to those developed countries.

The clearance of large areas of forest for cattle-raising due to the global demand for beef production has also contributed significantly to deforestation. The beef are often exported to developed countries where there is a huge demand. Hence, this large and profitable market encourages governments from poorer countries to destroy forests and raise cattle for export. This has resulted in the number of forests in these developing countries to decrease at an alarming rate which is absolutely undesirable. As according to Dubay et al. (1999), the destruction of these forests could lead to a total loss of up to 70 percent of the biodiversity on land.

Furthermore, in Indonesia, the rainforests are falling to the march of the palm oil plantation. Presently, palm oil is grown on an ever-increasing scale, providing global commodity markets with huge quantities of cheap vegetable fats. Spincer (2006) has observed that across the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, palm oil plantations have damaged the rainforests to the extent that experts predicted the extinction of Orangutan living in the wild by 2020. Hence, immediate attention must be given to prevent such phenomenon from surfacing.

Urban developments in developed countries also cause deforestation. Many forests are required to be cleared to make way for the development of infrastructures and buildings to house the growing population. In addition, forests are cleared to make way for industries. These are all irreversible deforestation practices in developed countries.

Furthermore, developed countries are actually one of the many causes of deforestation in developing countries. According to Dubay et al. (1999), the advanced deforestation in developed countries during the early days of their urbanization is one of the reasons why they have to depend on developing countries for wood. This statement is further supported by “Save the earth’s future” (n.d), which stated that the rising demand in developing countries such as Japan, Germany and Canada for hardwoods has contributed to the extensive damage of the forests. In addition, with technological advances, modern machineries such as bulldozers and tractors accelerate the process of clearing the rainforest. Hence, this implied that large areas of forests can be cleared rapidly and efficiently in a fairly short period of time.

In conclusion, regardless in developed or developing countries, there is an urgent need to address this serious environmental problem before more destruction is done to it. Such urgent need is to be called for as deforestation has detrimental effects to both human lives and the environment as a whole. I strongly believe that for deforestation to reach a healthy rate, the cooperation between the government and the people is vital. Therefore, both parties should work hand-in-hand to reduce the present rate of deforestation to ensure that the future generation will not have to bear the undesirable consequences of the present generation.

References

Dubay,D., Tweed, A., Schoch.R.M.,&Lapinski,A.H.(1999).Environmental science
(3rd ed). USA: Scottforesman-Addison Wesley.

Juniper,J.(2007). Saving planet earth: What is destroying the earth and what
can you do to help. London: Collins.

Save the earth's future. (n.d.) Retrieved March 10, 2007, from
http://library.thinkquest.org/26993/amazon.htm

Spicer,J.I.(2006). Biodiversity: A beginner's guide. Oxford: Oneworld.