Forests & Deforestation

Table of Contents

Introduction

This page discusses why deforestation is a problem and why trees are important. 

We touch on how much forest has been lost and to which major causes of deforestation, then list the worst human-caused drivers of deforestation along with fairly simple ways we can counteract these problems. The solutions include alternative food choices, forestry and product buying strategies, ways to reduce junk mails, etc.

Then we have some resources including interactive maps of forests, deforestation, including downsizing and de-gazettement of once-protected areas. 

In case anyone is interested, the final part of this page explores historical causes of deforestation in specific regions of the world, including islands where livestock were introduced and allowed to roam.

Why is Deforestation a Problem?

Everyone Deserves Clean Air

Trees are wonderful air-cleaning machines, but as you can see from this video we're currently producing so many emissions that our oceans and forests are no longer able to keep toxic gases in check. This means that emissions including CO2 are blanketing our planet year after year, causing 7 million premature deaths annually, as "almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits"

Biodiversity

"Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat." - The Royal Society 

"Scientists sound the alarm about the poor state of biodiversity. Across the globe, one million species are threatened with imminent extinction. ..."

"... Research shows that a diverse forest absorbs more carbon. Moreover, diverse nature forms a barrier against extreme weather such as storms, wildfires and landslides. Precisely for this goal, the UN, EU and scientists want to grant at least 30% of all ecosystems a protected status. ..."

"... If a species or ecosystem disappears, a chain reaction may follow. Other species may not be able to survive, or they may thrive and cause plagues. Consider, for example, mosquitoes, the oak processionary moth or the Japanese knotweed. Animals may also transfer diseases (such as COVID-19) to each other and humans, especially in situations of close proximity. Increased genetic biodiversity makes species less vulnerable. ..."  - Wageningen University & Research

Forests Are Living Pumps for The Water Cycle

Ranking Deforestation Causes 

For this section we used the info from Union of Concerned Scientists: What's Driving Deforestation? and Other Deforestation Drivers to list the following topics from most problematic, to lesser but still drivers. Each section includes some more detail, as well as some practical thing we can all do to help.

The main cause overall is agriculture, though mining, new roads, fossil fuel extraction, coastal overtopping/sea-level-rise, disease, climate change, weather extremes, and fires also play large rolls in forest loss. 

As you can see from the graph above, grazing livestock use the most land, crops (about 1/3rd of which we feed to livestock) is the next greatest. Urban sprawl gets a bad wrap for habitat destruction, but still plays relatively tiny part in forest lost.

Beef cattle

"Of the four major deforestation drivers, beef has by far the largest impact. Converting forest to pasture for beef cattle, largely in Latin America, is responsible for destroying 2.71 million hectares of tropical forest each year—an area about the size of the state of Massachusetts—in just four countries. This is more than half of tropical deforestation in South America, and more than five times as much as any other commodity in the region." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/whats-driving-deforestation 

At the moment, most livestock are raised on Concentrated Feedlots of CFAOs. 99% of US livestock are factory farm raised, primarily chickens, but around 70.4% of cattle. People are right to worry that factory farms cause significant harm to the planet, while using massive amounts of resources, but Harvard scientists have warned that cattle grazing requires even more space and time, which in turn increases greenhouse gas emissions.

For those who are worried about being sold beef from the Amazon region, it's important to understand that GHGs from the feeding and digestive systems of livestock create 84% of their lifetime emissions, while transport and processing only account for around 6%.

This is why focusing on what we eat is generally more important than where it came from. 

The Video below demonstrates how cheap and simple ingredients like TVP can be for making your own meat alternatives.

Click the Beef Alternatives button for more info about replacing beef products in your diet.

Soybeans

"Growing global demand for meat and dairy products has contributed to the doubling of soybean production in the last 20 years. Soy is primarily used to feed pork, poultry, and dairy cows, though significant amounts are also used to produce vegetable oil and biodiesel. Large soybean fields in the tropics, particularly in Latin America, are often planted on newly deforested land—or they may expand onto former pastureland, pushing cattle to the forest frontier. Every year around 480,000 hectares is deforested for soy in major soy-producing tropical countries." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/whats-driving-deforestation 

"When we think of soybean products, the first things that come to mind may be health food staples like tofu, edamame or soy milk.

But in reality, a typical soybean is more likely to end up in a ham-and-cheese sandwich or a chicken nugget than a block of tofu. Only about 6% of soybeans grown worldwide are turned directly into food products for human consumption. The rest either enter the food chain indirectly as animal feed, or are used to make vegetable oil or non-food products such as biodiesel. 70-75% of the world’s soy ends up as feed for chickens, pigs, cows, and farmed fish." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/soybeans 

Soy-Free Alternatives

Low-Soy Alternatives

The following foods use less (or zero) soy to produce, vs the amount used to feed livestock. The following are listed based according to which industries use the most soy to feed their livestock first.

For more info about soy used as feed and the consequent deforestation for farmed animals the following links touch on this issue.

Palm oil

"Palm oil is used in countless processed foods and personal care products, as well as biofuels and vegetable oil. Produced largely in Southeast Asia, palm oil packs a powerful climate punch, not only because of the amount of land deforested annually (270,000 hectares in three leading countries), but also because much of this area includes the carbon-rich soils known as peatlands. Peatlands contain up to 28 times as much carbon as the forests above them—carbon that's released to the atmosphere when peatlands are drained for oil palm plantations. As a result, palm oil contributes the most global warming emissions of any commodity besides beef." -https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/whats-driving-deforestation 

Benefits of Palm vs Other Oils

The palm industry seems to help reduce deforestation because it reduces the land requirements to produce edible oils, compared to other popular oil-producing plants. 

While some companies are claiming to produce or buy sustainable palm, workers have reported serious health consequences from working with the pesticides used on palm plantations. Not to mention plantations often replace primary forest, peatlands, and other vital habitats. This is speeding the extinction of many species including fireflies and primates.

Consuming alternative oils might create increased demand for land elsewhere, so it worth considering that many humans consume an unhealthy amount of fat. Simply reducing our consumption of palm and other cooking oils, we can protect our health as well as our forests.

Palm in Animal Feed

"Palm oil and its derivatives play a significant role in animal nutrition, and the opportunity to increase usage in this sector is large. Fats and oils are used as energy sources, to supply dietary essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids) that cannot be synthesized by the animal, to aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and to provide specific bio-active fatty acids. The amount of fat or oil that can be used in animal diets varies depending on the species and its digestive physiology. ..."

...

"Worldwide animal production is increasing rapidly. As standards of living increase, more animal products are being consumed in the diet, including meat, milk and eggs. Livestock consume approximately 33% of global cereal grain production, and the animal nutrition industry consumes between 8 and 10 million tonnes of fats and oils per annum. This use will increase significantly in the next 15 years as more animal products are consumed. In addition, there is greater focus on finding ways to replace cereal energy in animal nutrition as cereals are increasingly being diverted to human foods or biofuel production. Fat/oil levels in feed are generally lower than the levels that can be utilized by the animal based on its digestive and metabolic processes. ..."

- https://experts.illinois.edu/en/publications/applications-of-palm-oil-in-animal-nutrition 

How to Avoid Greasy Foods

According to Healthline "There are multiple ways to reduce or avoid the intake of greasy foods. These include not only healthier cooking methods but also lifestyle choices."

Use Healthier Cooking Methods

"Greasy foods are often fried, which means that they’re cooked in a lot of oil. Methods that don’t use as much oil include:

If you don’t want to forego frying entirely, be sure to use a skimmer to let the grease drip off and store the food on a paper towel to soak up the excess fat."

Replace Greasy Foods with Healthier Options

With minimal effort, you can replace fried foods with whole, nutritious options. Here are a few alternatives to common greasy foods:

Wood products

"Perhaps the most iconic symbol of forest destruction, wood production has been shown to cause around 380,000 hectares of deforestation annually in key countries, though the actual number is likely higher. Wood products can be divided into two categories. Pulp is made from tree fibers and used to produce paper and related products. It drives deforestation primarily in Indonesia, where forests are cut down for plantations of fast-growing tree species. Timber, used for construction or high-end products like furniture, is most clearly linked to forest degradation, in which valuable tree species are harvested and the rest remain. Degraded forests are more likely to be targeted for conversion to other land uses." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/whats-driving-deforestation 

Reduce Toilet Paper Use

Buy Second-Hand Wood or Paper Products

Combat Junk Mail

Reclaimed & Sustainably Grown Wood 

Burn Less Wood

Coca/Chocolate

"In Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, growing coca for the production of cocaine has contributed to forest destruction in both the Amazon and the Chocó, forests on the northwestern coast of South America. While there is some legal cultivation of coca in each of these countries, much of it is illegal. Therefore, coca is unlikely to accompany development and roads. To evade detection and eradication, small patches of coca are grown in relatively remote areas. Because of coca's illicit nature, farmers seeking to avoid detection often have to switch locations and clear new land–thereby abandoning arable land and increasing the disturbance footprint of coca agriculture. In Colombia, coca is estimated to have caused 290,000 hectares of deforestation between 2001 and 2014, an area about half the size of Delaware." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers 

It may also help people cut back on chocolate if they understand that many popular brands of chocolate contain extremely high levels of cadmium and lead. Experts caution people to ensure that chocolate is eaten in moderation to avoid serious health consequences including birth defects and lung cancer.

Chocolate-Free Solutions

The items in this section are not currently listed by impact, but alphabetically.

Buy or make alternative treats:

Low-Cocoa Solutions 

As a former chocolate addict, these following steps helped me till I could feel satisfied with the solutions above.

Coffee

"The United States is a huge importer of coffee, consuming more than any other country. Brazil is the world’s leading producer of coffee beans, followed by Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia.

Coffee can be grown as part of system that includes other tree species ("shade-grown coffee"), and can provide habitat for significant levels of biodiversity. For this and other reasons, such as carbon sequestration, many conservationists have promoted shade-grown coffee. In some places, such as El Salvador and Ethiopia, shade-grown coffee has helped to protect tropical forests by making them more valuable. However, more intensive cultivation systems known as “sun-grown” have consistently higher yields than shade-grown coffee but lose the carbon and biodiversity benefits of shade-grown systems. In Vietnam, a country where forests are expanding overall, coffee bean expansion is contributing to forest loss in some areas." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers 

Solutions

Note: Tea can be composted, but many companies use plastic tea bags, so it's important to use a knife, finger, or scissors to empty the contents into the compost, then throw away the plastic bag into your trash since they can't be recycled either. Better yet, don't support companies that produce these and try to buy compostable packaging or "loose leaf" only!

Corn/Maize

"Corn has a variety of uses; it serves as the main ingredient in staple foods in Mexico and as a feedstock for ethanol fuel in the United States. On the global market, however, corn is most often traded for use in animal feed.

Brazil is the #3 corn-producing country and the second largest exporter in the world. In the past decade or so, about 60 percent of Brazil’s corn production increase occurred in Mato Grosso, the Amazon frontier state. Because most producers in this region double-crop soybeans and corn, links between soy and past deforestation involve corn as well. In Brazil, corn and other crops are also responsible for displacing pastures for livestock, pushing pastureland into the Amazon. Furthermore, about 30 percent of Brazil’s corn crop originates in the Cerrado, a savanna rich in both biodiversity and carbon. At least 40 percent of the Cerrado’s natural vegetation has been converted to agriculture thus far, and the region enjoys fewer protections than the nearby Amazon." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers 

Rubber

"Natural rubber is formed by processing latex harvested from rubber trees. Most rubber is turned into tires, but it's also used for a variety of other products, such as tubing, shoes, and insulators. While rubber is grown in tropical regions around the world, as of 2013, around 92% of the world’s rubber was grown in Asia.

For years, rubber has been cultivated in Southeast Asia as part of agroforestry systems, in which small farmers combined many different crops, such as rubber, fruit trees, food crops, medicinal plants, and building materials. While these agroforests contain less carbon and biodiversity than primary forests, more than 50% of birds and plant life have been shown to survive in agroforests. However, agroforestry systems are increasingly being replaced by industrial plantations.

In some of the most desirable lands, rubber cultivation has been replaced by more lucrative oil palm plantations. But with the development of new strains of rubber that can grow in climates unsuitable for oil palm, rubber plantings in mainland Asia proliferated. Between 2005 and 2010 more than 250,000 hectares of natural vegetation with tree cover was converted to rubber in mainland Asia.

Together three countries—the United States, China, and India—consume about 60% of the world’s natural latex rubber. Thus US consumers are intricately linked to deforestation due to rubber. After hitting a peak price in 2011, a recent downturn has led to a slowing of rubber expansion. But if the market turns around, rubber could once again be a threat to forests in Southeast Asia." 

Sugarcane

"The majority of the world’s sugar comes from sugarcane. Sugarcane has a long and storied history of being linked with deforestation in South America and in the Caribbean. Brazil is currently the largest producer of sugarcane in the world, producing about twice as much as its closest competitor, India. Because most cars in Brazil can run on either gasoline or biofuels, a large portion of the country’s sugarcane goes into the production of ethanol. In the 2014/2015 crop year, a slightly larger portion of the sugarcane harvest was used to make biofuel than food sugar.

Since at least the mid-1990s, sugarcane expansion, primarily in Brazil, has occurred without direct links to deforestation. Instead, sugarcane has expanded mostly into pasture and other crop areas. However, sugarcane may still have an important indirect role in deforestation by contributing to the overall increase in crop area and the possible expansion of pasture in the Amazon and the Cerrado." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers

Solutions

However, what you are left with can and should be saved for use in smoothies. You can also add a bit of the date syrup back in to the pulp to create a sort of jam that won’t be quite as sweet, but will still have a good amount of fiber and nutrients.

Mining

"Metals, minerals, and other resources such as gold, oil, coal, iron ore, and bauxite are extracted from the ground in many tropical regions all over the world. These resources are used to power and build homes, for medical applications, in electronics, for jewelry and myriad other uses contributing to modern life. In South America, only around 0.2% of the deforestation that occurred between 1990 and 2005 (around 115,000 hectares) was directly linked to mining.

However, while mining is not a leading cause of deforestation over large regions, it can have dramatic impacts in specific places. In Madre de Dios, a Peruvian Amazon region, gold mining has been estimated to have caused more than 6,000 hectares of forest loss per year since 2008. In this region, gold mining is a larger contributor to deforestation than ranching, agriculture, and logging combined. In Guyana between 2000 and 2009, 60% of deforestation was linked to mining. In the Congo Basin, mining is a huge part of many countries’ economies. Nearly a quarter of GDP of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is derived from mining.

Mining is done both by large, commercial-scale operations and by small-scale artisanal miners, who lack expensive equipment and generally operate as individuals or small groups. Often artisanal miners are among the poorest and most marginalized people in society, and they use chemicals that have major health impacts. Best-practice mining would include a rehabilitation plan for the land after use, but these small operators have neither the training nor the resources for rehabilitation.

Mining is also linked to road building, hunting, new settlements, unsustainable use of forest resources, fire, and forest fragmentation. Many forests are still at risk from mining: in particular, Latin America and the Congo Basin are likely to undergo growth, putting local people, ecosystems, and species at risk." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers

Solutions: Reduce > Reuse > Recycle

Infrastructure

"A high rate of development is predicted for coming decades, with more than 25 million kilometers of new roads expected by mid-century. Roads are highly correlated with deforestation; a recent study of the Brazilian Amazon found that 95% of deforestation was within either 5 km of a road or 1 km of a waterway.

In addition, hundreds of large dams are planned for environmentally sensitive ecosystems. Not only do dams turn large areas—which may include forests—into reservoirs, but their construction may bring new populations to forest areas, with no income after the dam project is completed.

The inaccessibility of forests is often what allows protected areas to remain relatively intact. As new enterprises fragment a landscape, subsequent development becomes easier, leading to habitat conversion and fragmentation, poaching, illegal activities and fires. This makes infrastructure as notable for the way it functions in a landscape as for the actual area of land deforested." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers

Shifting Cultivation

"Shifting cultivation, or swidden agriculture, is the practice of intermittently clearing small areas of forest for subsistence agriculture, and allowing a period of fallow or regrowth of the natural forest. Shifting cultivation has long been a dominant agricultural practice in the tropical agricultural frontiers, and has been historically cited as a source of forest deforestation and degradation.

However, farmers have recently been transitioning to more permanent and intensive agriculture practices, in part due to government policies and market demand. This transition can have negative implications for forests. Shifting cultivation with long fallow periods can be carbon neutral, particularly when compared to more permanent and intensive monocropped tree plantations—but intensification to maximize short-term agricultural production has been associated with lower long-term agricultural and forest productivity. In regions where shifting agriculture is still practiced, trends toward shorter fallow periods have been identified, possibly signifying more forest degradation and less environmental benefit." - https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/other-deforestation-drivers

Solutions

Tobacco & Cigarettes 

"Every year the tobacco industry costs the world more than 8 million human lives, 600 million trees, 200 000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water and 84 million tonnes of CO2."  - WHO

Solutions

Resources for Tracking Deforestation & Deforesters

Which Companies Are Driving Deforestation?

Forest500: List of Companies Learn which 500 companies care causing the deforestation.

Interactive Maps of Deforestation

Historical Drivers of Deforestation

Africa

Ethiopia

Europe

Scotland

Trees For Life: Deforestation "Early farmers arrived on the scene about 5,900 years ago. (Humans had been around much earlier, but we don’t know what impact they had.) These Neolithic farmers grazed cattle, goats and primitive sheep. They burned areas of heath and pinewoods to encourage fresh growth of heather for their stock. Burning plus grazing was bad news for trees. Woodland couldn’t recolonise denuded areas and went into further retreat. ..."

Oceana

Australia

North America

USA

Hawaii

Africa

Kenya

Uganda

Organizations & Groups

Oceana

New Zealand

South America

Peru

Grants

International