Deforestation makes wildlife easy prey, spurs global warming

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By Baijayanti Rout

Bhubaneswar, January 7: Spate of wildlife losses in Odisha, particularly of the Asian elephants, and Madhya Pradesh of tigers, may be attributed to rapid deforestation to meet the demands of the growing urbanization and migration of the people from the rural areas to cities.

Deforestation, or the conversion of a forest into a landscape with limited vegetation, can result from extensive tree removal. Both oxygen and greenhouse gases are absorbed by plants. Therefore, the removal of trees might accelerate global warming.

Tropical rainforests are home to around 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity. Forests support medicinal conservation in addition to provide habitat for animals. The kinds of creatures that can live in an environment can change as does temperature. Deforestation can have detrimental effects on the environment if it is not controlled appropriately.

Tree cutting may result in the loss of habitat for birds and other animals that depend on trees for food, shelter, or nesting sites. For their nest cavities, owls, for instance, choose older trees with a higher diameter. Since these trees help to anchor the soil in place, logging near stream banks increases the danger of floods and erosion. Additionally, the act of deforestation itself results in erosion.

Large trucks used to move cut trees frequently drive on unimproved roads, which worsens soil erosion. Because of nature’s contribution, trees are damaged when they are taken down, and the fauna keeps dying. Additionally, the tree is a unique addition to nature, and the entire flora depends on it.

Animals cannot survive without trees and water, just as trees are essential for animal survival. But how can a tree live if it is not properly cared for? If a tree is not provided with an appropriate habitat to exist in, it might be killed in a matter of days. Significant biodiversity is lost as a result of deforestation.

Illegal tree cutting is subject to appropriate governmental norms and regulations. However, the government has been heavily felling trees for construction projects. For instance, trees may be taken down for other construction projects, to widen roadways, or to harvest minerals. Global warming and other harmful impacts and climate change have a direct detrimental influence on human beings and the natural environment as a result of deforestation.

The homes of certain animal species, including birds, would be lost. Tree cutting may result in animal species losing their habitat, which might be detrimental to ecosystems. The majority of the terrestrial animals and plants on Earth are found in forests, and many of them are unable to withstand the deforestation that wipes out their habitats.

To keep the balance of our ecosystem, it is necessary to safeguard the environment and to consider the needs of animals and plants. No doubt, we need to progress, but not at the expense of our ecology. Promoting sustainable development is necessary in contrast to development’s harmful character.

(Author is a PhD scholar, Centre for studies in economics and planning School of social sciences, Central University of Gujarat)