Why in the news?

  • As per recent study deforestation-induced warming caused an extra 28,000 deaths per year in the tropics between 2001 and 2020.

Deforestation in the Tropics

  • Deforestation: The large-scale clearing or degradation of forests, often converted into non-forest uses such as agriculture, pasture, or urban land.
  • Distribution of Tropical Forests: Found mainly in Amazon (South America), Congo Basin (Africa), and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.).
  • Facts: They cover about 7% of Earth’s land area but house >50% of terrestrial biodiversity. Currently losing ~10 million hectares per year (FAO, 2020s).
  • Causes:
    • Agricultural Expansion
      • Shifting cultivation, subsistence farming.
      • Commercial crops: oil palm, soy, sugarcane, rubber.
      • Cattle ranching (notably in Amazon).
    • Logging
      • Legal and illegal timber extraction (mahogany, teak, rosewood).
      • Fuelwood and charcoal demand in Africa and South Asia.
    • Infrastructure Development
      • Dams, highways, urban expansion, mining activities.
    • Plantations & Monocultures
      • Replacement of diverse forests with monoculture plantations.
    • Forest Fires
      • Natural and human-induced fires (Amazon, Indonesia’s peatlands).
    • Weak Governance
      • Corruption, land tenure insecurity, poor enforcement of conservation laws.
  • Consequences of Tropical Deforestation
    • Environmental Impacts
      • Loss of biodiversity & extinction of endemic species.
      • Increased greenhouse gas emissions → ~10–15% of global CO₂ emissions come from deforestation.
      • Soil erosion, nutrient loss, desertification.
      • Altered rainfall patterns, disruption of monsoons and local hydrological cycles.
    • Economic & Social Impacts
      • Short-term economic gains (logging, plantations) vs. long-term ecosystem collapse.
      • Loss of livelihoods of indigenous and forest-dependent communities.
      • Food and water insecurity.
    • Global Climate Impact
      • Reduces carbon sequestration capacity of tropical forests (Amazon = “lungs of the planet”).
      • Intensifies global warming and climate change.
  • Global & Regional Efforts to Curb Deforestation
    • UN-REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) → Incentives for forest conservation.
    • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) & Paris Agreement (2015) → Focus on forests as carbon sinks.
    • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) → Certification for sustainable timber.
    • Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
  • Situation in India
    • India is not part of major tropical deforestation hotspots, but faces forest degradation in North-East, Central India, and Western Ghats.
    • Causes: shifting cultivation (jhum), infrastructure projects, mining, monoculture plantations.
    • Initiatives: Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA), National Afforestation Programme, Green India Mission, and recognition of tribal rights under Forest Rights Act (2006).
  • Way Forward
    • Sustainable agriculture (agroforestry, crop diversification).
    • Strengthening indigenous rights and community forest management.
    • Strict regulation of logging, mining, and land conversion.
    • Financial incentives through REDD+, carbon markets, and payment for ecosystem services.