Phenomenal Ways To Stop Deforestation and Protect Our Planet PDF

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Project report about Phenomenal Ways To Stop Deforestation and Protect Our Planet...

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EST Micro Project Phenomenal Ways To Stop Deforestation and Protect Our Planet

1. Rationale : The project is about steps to stop deforestation to Protect our Planet. 2. Aims/Benefits of the Micro Project:

Trees are being destroyed at an alarming rate. More and more businessmen are pushing through forests to gain land for industrial or commercial purposes. The environment is being sacrificed for the sake of profit. Deforestation can have serious effects on air and water pollution, climate change, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity. 3. Course Outcomes achieved: We have developed public awareness about environment.Applied techniques to reduce environmental pollution.Conserver Ecosystem and Biodiversity. 4. Literature review: Deforestation is the conversion of forest to an alternative permanent nonforested land use such as agriculture, grazing or urban development (van Kooten and Bulte, 2000). Deforestation is primarily a concern for the developing countries of the tropics (Myers, 1994) as it is shrinking areas of the tropical forests (Barraclough and Ghimire, 2000) causing loss of biodiversity and enhancing the greenhouse effect (Angelsen et al., 1999). References: 1.

https://www.wikipedia.org/

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

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https://www.researchgate.net/ [1]

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Actual methodology followed:

The methodology sets out the project conditions and carbon accounting procedures for activities aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in peat swamp forests and avoiding planned peatland drainage, and therefore falls under the combined AFOLU category of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and Conservation of Undrained or Partially Drained Peatland (CUPP) i.e. REDD+CUPP. Only one other applicable methodology exists for REDD+CUPP projects. The proposed methodology differs in some key aspects which may limit the adoptability of the existing avoided planned peat swamp conversion methodology.

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Resources Required Sr.No. 1

Name of resource / material Computer/Laptop

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Hardware

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Operating System

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Software

Specification

Quantity

(i3-i5 preferable),RA M minimum 12GB or more,HDD Free Space 1-2GB or more Mouse,Keyboar d Windows 7 or Higher version Any Word Processing tool .

Remarks

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1 each 1 Any Office

7. Outputs of the micro projects: Discussed about Deforestation and raise public awareness through social media.

(To be evaluated by the concerned teacher)

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Phenomenal Ways To Stop Deforestation and Protect Our Planet

Group Members and Roll no: 1) Sohail Alekar(3106) 2) Diksha Jha(3107) 3) Devansh Upadhyay(3108)

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Abstract Deforestation is one of the most pressing environmental issues that the world is facing currently. It is the conversion of forested land to non-forested land by humans. Deforestation occurs when a land dominated by naturally occurring trees is converted to provide certain services in response to the human demand. The indiscriminate felling of trees has resulted in a reduction of 3.16% in the global forest cover from 1990 to 2015. Although India has seen an increment in the total forest cover of ca. 1%, still there are certain regions in the country that have sought a decrease in the forest cover. The main reasons attributed to the reduction in forest cover are shifting cultivation, rotational felling, other biotic pressures, diversion of forest lands for developmental activities, etc. Continuous illicit cutting of trees has impacted the microclimatic conditions, hydrological cycle, soil quality, biodiversity, etc. of the country, thereby making the country more vulnerable for any uneventful happening. Sustainable forest management practices, alternatives for shifting cultivation, promotion of plantation outside the forest and the usage of certified forest products, etc. are some of the measures that can be adopted to curb the rate of

deforestation.

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llegal "slash-and-burn " practice in Madagascar, 2010

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1. Introduction: Forests being an indispensable resource play an important role in maintaining the earth's ecological balance. The major contributors of deforestation are logging off of trees (legal or illegal), tree theft, forest fire etc. Large scale deforestation has negative impact on the atmosphere resulting in global warming, flash floods, landslides, drought etc. Due to these adverse effects, forest management department all over the countries have taken steps for monitoring the forest to prevent deforestation. Several surveillance techniques have been employed for monitoring and prevention; they are broadly classified as Ground-based sensing techniques and Remote sensing techniques. Surveillance plays an important role in forest management. It had been used in the past and is still being used for monitoring and information collection. The term deforestation is often misused to describe any activity where all trees in an area are removed.[not in citation given][neutrality is disputed] However in temperate climates, the removal of all trees in an area[not in citation given] in conformance with sustainable forestry practices is correctly described as regeneration harvest. In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands often will not occur in the absence of disturbance, whether natural or anthropogenic. Furthermore, biodiversity after regeneration harvest often mimics that found after natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss after naturally occurring rainforest destruction.

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2. World deforestation According to Professor Norman Myers, one of the foremost authorities on rates of deforestation in tropical forests, “the annual destruction rates seems set to accelerate further and could well double in another decade” (Myers, 1992). Mostly deforestation has occurred in the temperate and sub-tropical areas. Deforestation is no longer significant in the developed temperate countries now and in fact many temperate countries now are recording increases in forest area (Anon., 1990a; 2010). In most instances developed nations are located in temperate domains and developing nations in tropical domains. However deforestation was significantly less in tropical moist deciduous forest in 1990-2000 than 1980-1990 but using satellite imagery it was found that FAO overestimated deforestation of tropical rainforests by 23 per cent (Anon., 2001a; b). However the definition of what is and what is not forest remains controversial. The tropical rainforests capture most attention but 60 per cent of the deforestation that occurred in tropical forests during 1990-2010 was in moist deciduous and dry forests. However extensive tropical deforestation is a relatively modern event that gained momentum in the 20th century and particularly in the last half of the 20th century. The FAO FRA 2001 and 2010 reports indicate considerable deforestation in the world during 1990-2010 but this was almost entirely confined to tropical regions (Anon., 2001a; 2010). A summary of deforestation during the decades 1990-2010 is given in tables 1 and 2. These tables show there was considerable deforestation in the world during 1990-2010 but this was almost entirely confined to tropical regions. Rowe et al. (1992) estimated that 15 per cent of the world’s forest was converted to other land uses between 1850 and 1980. Deforestation occurred at the rate of 9.2 million hectares per annum from 1980-1990, 16 million hectares per annum from 1990-2000 and decreased to 13 million hectares per 8

annum from 2000-2010. The net change in forest area during the last decade was estimated at -5.2 million hectares per year, the loss area equivalent to the size of Costa Rica or 140 km2 of forest per day, was however lesser than that reported during 1990-2000 which was 8.3 million hectares per year equivalent to a loss of 0.20 per cent of the remaining forest area each year.

3. The Causes of Deforestation As Myers pointed out, “we still have half of all tropical forests that ever existed” (Myers, 1992). The struggle to save the world’s rainforests and other forests continues and there is a growing worldwide concern about the issue. In order to save forests, we need to know why they are being destroyed. Distinguishing between the agents of deforestation and its causes is very important in order to understand the major determinants of deforestation. The agents of deforestation are those slash and burn farmers, commercial farmers, ranchers, loggers, firewood collectors, infra-structure developers and others who are cutting down the forests. Causes of deforestation are the forces that motivate the agents to clear the forests. However, most of the existing literature typically distinguishes between two levels of specific factors: direct and indirect causes of deforestation. Direct agents and causes of deforestation, also typically referred to as sources of deforestation, first level or proximate causes (Panayotou, 1990; Barbier et al., 1994; Caviglia, 1999) are relatively easy to identify but the indirect causes which are usually the main divers of deforestation are the ones that cause most disagreement and the ones that are hardest to quantify (Bhatnagar, 1991; Mather, 1991; Humphreys, 2006; Sands, R. 2005).

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4. Impacts of deforestation The value and functions of forests are immense and diverse. Similarly, the impacts of deforestation are global and commune the whole forest community. One of the major constraints in understanding the true impact of desertification on forests is the inadequacy and imprecise form of data. 4.1. Impacts on global climate:  The effect of large-scale deforestation is global, but it is necessary to assess its impacts on microclimate, regional climate and global climate to form a holistic understanding of mechanism . The association of deforestation with the increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and changes in the mass balances and surface energy can result in climate change at the local and global level .  The change in land use pattern especially the clearing of forest cover affects both hydrometeorological and global CO2 concentrations leading to more warming as CO2 readily absorbs infrared radiation . Clearing tree cover and vegetation leads to increase in albedo of the region as bare soil reflects more solar radiation than vegetation, which again is a factor for altering regional 10

radiation flux. One of the noticeable changes in regional climates occurs when the cloud formation shifts to higher elevations from lowland plains as a result of deforestation in the later area.

 In a global scale, deforestation leads to warmer and drier weather due to the synergistic effect of reduced

evapotranspiration, increased albedo and CO2 concentration that triggers desertification, loss in biodiversity and melting of polar ice caps, ultimately leading to food insecurity. All these effects are successors of extremes in climate variation that are produced by the large-scale reduction in forest cover .  The estimated quantity of CO2 added to the atmosphere due to deforestation in the tropics is roughly two billion tonnes . It is interesting to note that the CO2 emissions due to clearing of forest will almost be equivalent to 25% of what is added to the atmosphere due to anthropogenic emissions . The shift in climate is somehow correlated to reducing forest cover. Further researches can clearly define the mechanisms and pathways by which these shifts are progressing and how they can be mitigated.

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4.2. Impact on hydrology and soil quality:  The global water cycle depends on the amount and distribution of precipitation for which one of the influencing factors is evapotranspiration . There is a direct effect on drinking water on the basis of quality and quantity, fisheries and aquatic habitats, occurrence of flood and drought, life of dams on account of increase siltation and agriculture due to poor quality irrigation and crop yield . It must be recognized that the protective role of forests is operative and has a major impact on urban water resources .  Forests play an important role in maintaining the watersheds . The degraded or degrading watersheds can be recovered by forestation, but once the forest or vegetation cover is lost, the watershed becomes vulnerable to erosion. This erosion leads to siltation in the downstream areas and consequently reduces the depth of river bed increasing the chances of flood.  There are two main effects of deforestation that increase the chances of flooding. One is by reducing the tree fountain effect, i.e. interception and moisture uptake by the trees would cease after deforestation reducing the moisture holding capacity of soil that leads to greater runoff and erosion.  And other is by the process of soil compaction and poor soil structure that will lead to reduced organic matter content of soil devoid of vegetation cover. Deforestation directly increases erosion and siltation

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rates. There is an increased risk of flooding in Yangtze River basin in China and the major river basins in East Asia and the Amazonian basin .

4.3. Impact on biological diversity  Forests are very rich in biodiversity and store a vast gene pool, and the majority of species occur in the tropical forests. It consists of two-thirds of all known species and 65% of 10,000 species that are recognized as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  The biodiversity could be regarded as an important asset that is necessary to conserve for future utilization. The World Health Organization states that the traditional people, almost 80% of them, rely on the local biodiversity for traditional medicines. A loss in the biodiversity may directly affect their health care and well-being . Another most noticeable impact of deforestation is the increasing human-wildlife conflict.  The decreasing forest cover is limiting the habitats of many species due to which is forcing them to intrude with human welfare. There are increasing instances of invasion and animal killing.

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4.4. Impact on economic and social welfare:  Forests contribute to the world economy in terms of timber production and other forest produces. There are different contributions of forest as a means of direct employment in forestry services and other value-added contributions as recreation and aesthetics.  The loss of tropical forest cover annually may account for about 45 billion US dollars . The destruction of forest eliminates the sources of economic gain directly obtained and also eliminates the potential gain from the resources that the forest sustains as biodiversity, soil and water.  Also, the destruction of forest increases the negative externalities in the form of increasing CO2 concentration, risk of flood and human-wildlife conflict . The proximity of settlements to protected areas further intensifies the chances of human-wildlife conflict (HWC).  It is reported that settled households face high risk of HWC due to their close proximity of the Kanha National Park in Central India.  Deforestation has its social influence in the form of long-term effect. Development is a serious concern for indigenous community as it certainly leads to a change or shift of their culture and tradition. The cultural and religious aspects of the community are seldom preserved amid infrastructural advancement that leads to land and social conflict.

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What can we do about deforestation?

1. Plant a tree i. The most straightforward personal strategy to fight against deforestation is to plant a tree. Planting a tree could be considered a lifelong investment into the environment and your good mental health. ii. The cutting down of trees causes billions of tons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) to be released into the air. By planting trees, you are helping to combat global warming because trees absorb carbon dioxide. You are also helping to reduce run off water from the hills. Tree roots prevent landslides and rock slides that sometimes can harm animals, people or damage buildings. Planting and caring for trees is essential for the overall health and quality of life of the community. iii. Trees are known for their mind soothing and healing properties. Just walking through a forest and looking at the trees calms our mind, alleviates worries and helps tired eyes recover from strain.You can start by planting one tree, or two, or you can even plant a whole forest.

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2. Use less paper i. Two million trees are cut every day just to supply the paper demand of the United States. ii. Globally, 40 percent of all timber is used to make

paper products, and the demand for paper increases by two to three percent every year. This means that the paper industry is still consuming more and more trees. iii. Since the industry has

such a high need for wood, it should come as no surprise that some part of the timber originates from illegal logging . More than 30 percent of wood used by paper mills in Indonesia, one of the major paper producers in the world, comes from illegal sources . iv. By printing out every email and wasting paper, you are unwittingly spinning the wheel of illegal forest destruction. Reduce your paper use when you can. This way, you will decrease your contribution to the loss of forests.

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3. Recycle paper and cardboard i.

Did you know that one ton (2,000 pounds) of paper put to recycle prevents the cutting of 17 trees? These 17 trees then sequester around 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every single year.

ii. If just 10 percent of all the paper used by the average American in one year were recycled, 25 million trees would be saved. That makes 367 million pounds of carbon dioxide absorbed by these trees in one year. This means that even by recycling just one paper item out of 10, you are making a difference. iii. Imagine how many trees you can save and how

much good they perform for the quality of our lives by recycling all your paper.

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4. Use recycled products i. You may have noticed a little label “made from recycled paper” on your new notebook. The same label can be found on many other daily use items like books, paper bags, egg packaging and even toilet paper. ii. By choosing items made from recycled paper, you make a conscious effort to lower the demand for more timber. iii. Besides decreasing the need to cut more trees, your purchase is also supporting paper recycling facilities and reducing the amount of waste entering landfills. Therefore, try to purchase your next notebook made from recycled paper and the environment will be very thankful. iv. The same rule goes for furniture shopping. When buying a new piece of furniture, try to look first for already used pieces. You can often find real treasures for almost no cost. All they need is just a little bit of refurbishing. But this way you can obtain truly unique and personalized pieces for your interior.

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5. Buy only sustainable wood products 1. As a consumer, you can help reduce the demand for more logging (especially illegal logging) by ensuring that you only purchase products which are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC is currently the best global standard in forest management, and provides a system for interested parties to work towards responsible forest management.

2. By purchasing FSC certified products, you are doing two important things:  You are ensuring that you aren’t supporting unsustainable or illegal logging,  You are also supporting companies who strive t...