Deforestation

Forests cover about a third of the Earth's land and are full of life. They give us oxygen, store water and offer a home to countless animals. Yet every year around 10 million hectares of forest are cleared, an area roughly the size of Iceland. One hectare is 10,000 square metres, about one and a half football pitches. This vanishing of the forests is called deforestation. Why does it happen, and why does it concern us all?

Why forests are cleared

Behind deforestation there is almost always the wish for space or resources. Trees are felled to obtain timber and paper. Even more often the forest is cleared to create farmland and pasture, for example for cattle or for crops like soy and palm oil. Forest also has to make way for roads, mines and cities. Much of this happens far away, yet the products end up all over the world, with us too.

Forests and the climate

As they grow, trees take the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the air and lock the carbon away in the wood. A healthy forest is therefore a huge store that keeps the climate cool. When the forest is cut down or burned, this reverses: the stored carbon returns to the air and heats the climate further. About a tenth of the carbon dioxide that people add to the air comes from deforestation. After the burning of coal, oil and gas it is the second largest source.

A home is lost

In the forests, especially in the tropical rainforests, a large part of all the Earth's animal and plant species live. Many of them are found only there. When the forest disappears, they lose their habitat, and whole species can die out forever. Without the protection of the trees the soil also dries out and is washed away by the rain, so that later hardly anything grows back.

Protecting and bringing back forests

The biggest gain comes from not clearing forests in the first place, because an old forest stores far more than a freshly planted one. Protected areas, clear rules and doing without products from destroyed forests all help with that. Where forest is already lost, it can be reforested, meaning new trees are planted. It grows back best on its own, though, if it is given rest and time. When shopping too, you can look out for labels that stand for sustainable wood or palm oil.