Topic: –Deforestation
Author: –Mohamad Shakeeb Khan, (MMS-B-87), Kohinoor Business School
- Deforestation in India: Consequences and Sustainable Solutions
Rima Kumari, Ayan Banerjee, Rahul Kumar, Amit Kumar, Purabi Saikia and Mohammed Latif Khan (2019) are talking about how cutting down trees is a big problem because it’s happening too fast. They say it’s because more people are living in cities and we’re using up the land for buildings and farms. This is making forests smaller, which is bad for animals and plants that live there. They say we need to be careful and manage the forests better so they don’t disappear. In India, they say the government is trying to protect the forests by making laws and getting local communities involved. They also mention some programs to plant more trees and protect the forests. They think it’s important for everyone, including women, to help take care of the forests.
- A Study of Deforestation in India
According to Dr. Sunita Kalra (2017) forests are essential for a country’s wealth, and India places significant importance on their preservation. The government, through the Forest Department, takes charge of forest preservation. Deforestation, however, has severe effects on both human life and the environment. India is losing approximately 1.3 million hectares of forest each year, with factors such as overpopulation, industrialization, urbanization, and developmental activities contributing to this destruction. The consequences of deforestation include loss of topsoil, food grains, and flood-affected areas, threatening the Himalayan ecosystem and causing droughts and other environmental imbalances. Efforts to address deforestation must focus on tackling its underlying causes, including overgrazing, shifting cultivation, fuelwood consumption, forest fires, industrialization, encroachment on forest land, and population growth. Failure to address these issues poses serious environmental and socio-economic challenges for India.
- Impact of forest governance and enforcement on deforestation and forest degradation at the district level: A study in West Bengal State, India
Aishwarya Basu and Jyotish Prakash Basu (2023) say cutting down trees is bad for the environment and makes the air dirty. In India, things like farming, chopping trees illegally, and towns growing too big are making the problem worse. Poor people not having enough money or education also make it hard to stop. They studied some areas in West Bengal where lots of trees are being cut down. They found that the people in charge of the forests there aren’t doing a good job, and there’s not enough control to stop bad things from happening. They looked at things like how the forests are managed and how well the rules are followed. They found that one area called Purulia is doing better at taking care of the forest compared to others. The study shows that if the people in charge do a better job of protecting the forests, there will be less damage. They also found that having big farms can lead to more trees being cut down. Overall, they say that having good rules and making sure people follow them is really important for saving the forests.
- A study on deforestation in hilly areas of Haryana using Remote Sensing and GIS technique
Jangra A., Airon A., Niwas R. (2019) studied how fast trees are being cut down in the hilly areas of Panchkula and Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. They found that Haryana doesn’t have many trees left, only about 3.59% of the land has forests, which is way less than what’s recommended nationally. They used special tools like satellites and computer programs to look at how the forests changed from 2013 to 2019.Their study showed that the forests are disappearing quickly. In 2013, there were about 50,879 hectares of forest, but by 2019, it decreased to around 44,445 hectares. This is worrying because forests are important for the environment and people. The authors want to highlight the need to take action to stop deforestation in Haryana. They suggest using better methods to manage the forests and making sure everyone follows the rules to protect them. Otherwise, the forests will continue to shrink, which could cause big problems for the environment and the people who depend on them.
- Deforestation effects on soil properties and erosion: a case study in the central Rif, Morocco
M.El Mazi, M.Hmamouchi, E.Saber , S.Bouchantouf and A.Houari (2022)
The study looked at what happens when forests are turned into farmland, especially for growing cannabis, in a part of Morocco. They found that this change damages the soil, making it less fertile and more likely to erode away. The soil loses important stuff like organic matter, which helps plants grow, and becomes less stable, meaning it’s easier for rain to wash it away. They studied the soil in different areas, both forested and cultivated, and found big differences in things like how much organic matter was in the soil and how stable it was. When they simulated rainfall on these areas, they saw that more soil washed away from the cultivated areas, especially those that had been farmed for a long time. Overall, the study shows that turning forests into farmland can really harm the soil, making it important to take care of the land properly to avoid these problems.
- COVID-19, deforestation, and green economy
Vibha Singhal, Dinesh Jinger, Avinash Chandra Rathore, Rama Pal, Ipsita Samal, Tanmaya Kumar Bhoi, Venkatesh Paramesh, Shah Fahad6, Lukasz Jaremko, Nader R. Abdelsalam and Mariusz Jaremko (2024) concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on global deforestation rates, exacerbating forest loss worldwide. Factors such as increased demand for forest products, budget deficits, policy changes, and disruptions to forest management activities have contributed to this spike in deforestation. Lockdown measures and economic recessions have further strained efforts to protect forests, leading to illegal activities such as timber theft and poaching. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of investing in nature-based solutions for sustainable recovery and conservation efforts, but significant challenges remain in ensuring the protection of forests and biodiversity.
- CORRUPTION AND DEFORESTATION IN INDONESIA
Ales Pachmann (2018) looked at how corruption affects deforestation in Indonesia. They found that corruption, especially at the local level, can lead to more illegal cutting down of trees. This happens
because corrupt officials might allow it to happen for personal gain. One reason for this is the high demand for palm oil, which is made from the trees. Even if the price of palm oil drops, cutting down trees might still be profitable because it doesn’t cost much to do it.
The research also showed that when rules for starting a business are too strict, it can make corruption worse. Indonesia has some problems with this, ranking 91st out of 190 countries in a survey about how easy it is to do business there.
To try to stop deforestation, the Indonesian president stopped giving out new permits for palm oil and mining in 2016. This could help protect the forests, but it might also change who has power and could lead to more corruption at the local level.
Overall, corruption and the desire for profit are big challenges for protecting Indonesia’s forests. More research is needed to understand how government policies affect these problems.
- ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE IN KENYA
Benson Njora, Hasan Yilmaz (2022) discusses the article about deforestation in Brazil and Africa, focusing on Kenya, highlighting its causes, impacts, and efforts to address the issue. In Brazil, deforestation driven by government policies and land use changes, particularly for ranching and agriculture, has significantly impacted the Amazon. Efforts to reduce deforestation face challenges due to economic interests. In Kenya, deforestation is caused by various factors including charcoal production, logging, commercial farming, and mining, leading to environmental and agricultural consequences such as desertification, soil erosion, floods, and droughts. Collaborative approaches involving local communities, government agencies, and international organizations are crucial to address deforestation, with recommendations including stricter regulations, sustainable land use practices, and community engagement.
- Impact of Deforestation on Agro-Environmental Variables in Cropland, North Korea
Chul-Hee Lim, Yuyoung Choi, Moonil Kim, Seong Woo Jeon and Woo-Kyun Lee (2017) discusses the impact of deforestation on agriculture in North Korea, highlighting how the conversion of forests to croplands has not improved food security. Researchers used agro-environmental variables and specialized models like EPIC and GEPIC to assess the effects of deforestation on cropland stability and productivity. They found that significant cropland expansion occurred over three decades, with forests being converted to croplands, leading to negative environmental consequences such as increased soil erosion and runoff. Despite limitations, the study emphasizes the need to address the agricultural and environmental implications of deforestation in North Korea to enhance food security.
- Impact of deforestation and temporal land use change on soil organic carbon storage, quality, and lability
Emmanuel Amoakwah, Shawn T. Lucas, Nataliia A. Didenko, Mohammad A. Rahman, Khandakar Rafiq Islam (2022) discusses This article looks at how different ways of using land, like farming or leaving it as forest, affect the stuff in the soil that’s good for plants and the environment. They found that some ways, like a program that conserves land, keep the soil really healthy, while others, like farming, can make it less healthy. They also studied different parts of this stuff in the soil and how they change depending on what we do with the land. They found that some ways of using the land help keep the good stuff in the soil, while others make it go away. They used fancy math to show these differences, and they suggest that if we want to keep the soil healthy and fight climate change, we should think about how we use the land and maybe use practices that don’t disturb the soil too much.
Conclusions:
The authors from various studies on deforestation highlight the urgent need to address this global issue. They emphasize the severe consequences of rapid deforestation, including environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, socio-economic challenges, and climate change impacts. Sustainable solutions, such as effective forest management, conservation efforts, community involvement, and policy interventions, are deemed essential for mitigating deforestation and promoting sustainable land use practices. Collaborative efforts at local, national, and international levels are crucial to combat deforestation and preserve forests for the well-being of present and future generations.
References:
Kumari, Rima & Banerjee, Ayan & Kumar, Rahul & Kumar, Amit & Saikia, Purabi & Khan, Mohammed. (2019). Deforestation in India: Consequences and Sustainable Solutions. 10.5772/intechopen.85804. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332320617_Deforestation_in_India_Consequences_and_Sustainable_Solutions
Dr. Sunita Kalra, A Study of Deforestation in India 2017 IJSRST | Volume 3 | Issue 8 | Print ISSN: 2395-6011 | Online ISSN: 2395-602X.
Aishwarya Basu, Jyotish Prakash Basu, Impact of forest governance and enforcement on deforestation and forest degradation at the district level: A study in West Bengal State, India,
Regional Sustainability,
Volume 4, Issue 4,2023, Pages 441-452, ISSN 2666-660X,
Jangra, Anju & Airon, Anurag & Niwas, Ram. (2020). A study on deforestation in hilly areas of Haryana using Remote Sensing and GIS technique. Environment Conservation Journal. 21. 69-77. 10.36953/ECJ.2020.21308. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347160111_A_study_on_deforestation_in_hilly_areas_of_Haryana_using_Remote_Sensing_and_GIS_technique
Mohamed, El Mazi & Mostafa, Hmamouchi & Saber, Er-Riyahi & Bouchantouf, Soumaya & Houari, Abdelghani. (2022). Deforestation effects on soil properties and erosion: a case study in the central Rif, Morocco. EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE (EJSS). 11. 275-283. 10.18393/ejss.1098600. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359746955_Deforestation_effects_on_soil_properties_and_erosion_a_case_study_in_the_central_Rif_Morocco
Singhal, Vibha & Jaremko, Mariusz & Fahad, Shah & Jinger, Dinesh & Rathore, Avinash & Abdelsalam, Nader. (2024). Covid-19, deforestation, and green Economy. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 6. 1-15. 10.3389/ffgc.2023.1305779. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378182632_Covid-19_deforestation_and_green_Economy
Ales Pachmann, CORRUPTION AND DEFORESTATION I N INDONESIA ISSN 2029-9370. Regional Formation and Development Studies, No. 2 (25). https://e-journals.ku.lt/journal/RFDS/article/579/file/pdf
NJORA, Benson and Hasan YILMAZ. “ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE IN KENYA”. International Journal of Water Management and Diplomacy, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 91-110. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijwmd/issue/68070/1031605#article_cite