Poverty causes Deforestation

Deforestation accounts for 25-20 percent of green house emissions which is one of the major causes of global warming. Many people may believe that logging may account for the majority of the deforestation of our tropical rainforests; however 90 percent of deforestation is actually caused by unsustainable agricultural practices. Most of unsustainable agricultural practices are the result of migration of the indigent into tropical rainforests. They usually do not have the opportunity to hold a permanent productive land. They have no other choice but to live a migratory life along the roads of tropical rainforests. The poor use the land for farming and for building materials. After a year the soil is too poor to be used, and they move on to another area in the tropical rainforest continuing the cycle. The poor soil may be used for cattle for a couple years, but after the cattle usage the land becomes absolutely destitute and unusable, thus allowing little room for secondary succession.

Other poverty stricken people like in Madagascar are forced by conditions to collect wood for fuel that has cleared all but 10 percent of the country’s forest. What is left after the impecunious are forced to use up the rainforest’s land is bleak. The land becomes vulnerable to flooding and drought. The locals are left with little resources for industry which would give job opportunities; they are deprived of arable land, and lose a good amount of game and rare species. The only thing to be gain is diseases, more poverty, and suffering.
It is a vicious cycle, poverty.