One of the many things harvested from the rainforests is pharmaceutical products.  There is a plant called the Madagascar Periwinkle.  This plant is harvested for a chemical it produces, vinca alkaloid.  The chemical is described in the International Journal of preventive Medicine by a few doctors, “Vinca alkaloids are a material of a class of organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen that is often derived from plants is named alkaloid.”   They further explain that there are toxic properties to the chemical as well.

Another highly used item from the rainforest is lumber.  Some of the trees are sought after for their hardness.  Others are requested for the patterns that the wood produces.  One other reason is to clear an area for farming.  The long term effect of lumber harvesting is best described in a national geographic article, “More than half of Earth’s rain forests have already been lost forever to the insatiable human demand for wood and arable land. Rain forests that once grew over 14 percent of the land on Earth now cover only about 6 percent.”  There are acts of illegal lumber harvesting that is done each year.

There are various plants and fruits that are taken from the rainforests to provide food.  With the growing human population, the demand for food also grows.  There is a demand for exotic foods that has also grown, and has caused the harvesting of the plants in high quantities.  These foods include Mango, Vanilla, Ginger, certain types of bananas and avocado.  The desire for tasting fruits and foods that some people would not have available on a daily basis is one cause for this rise in demand.

Exotic pets are a product from the rainforests.  There are animals being trapped and sold each year on an illegal market.  People have wanted various exotic pets just for how they look.  The demand may not be high, but it does exist.  ABC news uncovers startling data about the trafficking of animals from Columbia alone. “An estimated 60,000 animals were trafficked last year alone.” (Schriffen, J. Waterfield, A. May 28, 2013).

Latex sap is one of the few products found in the rainforest that does not require any form of destruction.  This product is farmed from a rubber tree without harming the plant itself.  It is used for various applications, including making rubber.  One of the earliest recorded applications of the sap is provided by tropical rainforest facts.com “Early Aztecs waterproofed their clothing and made their own shoes from this common plant and it is still used in the modern process of making rubber today.” (unknown).  The tires we buy for our car, shoes that we wear and the ability to waterproof are thanks to this plant.

Causes of Deforestation

Logging is a major cause of deforestation.  The trees are cut down to meet the demands of the ever growing human population.  The demand for lumber is something that may never go away.  It is used for a lot of things in our everyday lives.  Lumber is used for various things such as desks, tables, chairs, houses, playground sets, toys, building fire, energy source, boats, and other recreational uses.

This demand has been around for centuries, but has grown with the growth in applications.  Illegal logging adds to the deforestation as well.  This is the harvesting of trees that are protected by law.  People find a way to create a supply from cutting down these trees.  It is similar to poaching, but with trees instead.  A statistic was placed on illegal logging, “According to the WWF, up to 28% of the EU’s timber imports could be illegal.” (Allianz, Mar. 29, 2015)

Another cause of deforestation is commercial agriculture.  Areas of the forests are being cut down to build farmland for crops such as soybean and sugarcane.  The agriculture is being used to supply the demand for food.  Pesticides are used to keep insects from destroying the crop.  The introduction of the pesticide to these areas sometimes kills off the vegetation and plant life around the fields.  This contaminates the ground and keeps things from being able to grow back in that spot.

One growing cause of deforestation is cattle farming.  Just like commercial agriculture, cattle farmers cut out a large area of the forest for grazing.  It can cause overgrazing which will also prevent the growth of new plants in that area.  Cattle will start to graze outside of the already cleared area and eat, or trample down that area.  The human demand for meat is causing farmers to mass herd cattle to keep up.  In order for the farmers to produce high quantities, they need large grazing fields.

Infrastructure building contributes to 10% of the deforestation worldwide.  With the human population growing and expanding, roads are built to improve traveling.  There may be an improvement in travel, but the cost is nature being able to maintain.  Roads are cut through the forests to allow people to expand into other areas to live.  This raises the demand for more areas to be cleared out in order to keep up with the growing population.

Fire is a major cause for deforestation.  Forest fires have destroyed thousands of acres of land around the world.  The logging and agricultural demands leaves the forest more vulnerable to fires breaking out.  A chainsaw cutting down a tree is not maintained properly, the friction from the chain and wood causes the wood to catch fire.  Someone is traveling and starts a campfire, forgetting to make sure the coals are out, or builds the fire too high.  These are all ways that a fire causes deforestation.  The burned area becomes contaminated and vegetation cannot grow back.

Difficult Solution

The human population has become dependent on the products provided by the rainforest.  A daily need has developed and will not go away, and has become a major part of the world’s economy.  There is no way to fully stopped cutting down the trees, or harvesting the plants for medicinal use.  Wood provides warmth, a way of cooking food, a home and other necessities of life.  These needs will continue to be met because we as humans want to sustain certain livelihoods.  This want has also created the issue of overconsumption.  Humans have started demanding a lot of unnecessary items which raises the demand for lumber.  One of the better solutions is regulate the amount of land that can be cleared for agriculture and farming.  Put a regulation in place that requires trees to be planted in place of what was removed.  Only allow certain areas of the forests to be harvested.

The other reason is the global economy.  Countries make money from selling the lumber that is harvested from their rainforests.  It has become an item traded with other countries for needed goods.  As a major contributor to the economy, lumber has become a high commodity item, and as long as there is a supply, there will be a demand.  Cutting off the production of lumber would cause countries to lose one of their main sources of income.  This would prevent some of the newer societies from being able to develop further.

Water and Carbon Cycles

Deforestation takes away necessary steps within both the water and carbon cycles.  With the water cycle, it takes away the transpiration.  The moisture is no longer returned to the atmosphere to later produce rain, or snow.  There is no water held within the ground in that area to create springs.  The ground becomes weak and unstable, which turns into landslides or simply erodes away.  The climate changes because of the lack of moisture, and in turn produces a drought.  The air is no longer purified, making the rain fall less clean.  Too many toxins get left in the atmosphere, causing degradation in the ozone layers.

In the carbon cycle, deforestation increases the weathering of the area it occurred.  There is no way to break down the carbons released into the air.  Less oxygen is added to keep the air breathable.  This loss of steps prevents the wildlife from being able to live in the area, keeping the plants from being regrown.  The seeds that the animals would have dropped on the ground would no longer be there.  The area slowly dies off from