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Soil
Published in Stanley E. Manahan, Environmental Chemistry, 2022
A related problem is deforestation, the loss of forests. The problem is particularly acute in tropical regions, where the forests contain a large fraction of the world's existing plant and animal species. In addition to extinction of these species, deforestation can cause devastating deterioration of soil through erosion and loss of nutrients.
Ecological and Social Paradigm Towards Sustainability in the African Context
Published in Rohini Prasad, Manoj Kumar Jhariya, Arnab Banerjee, Advances in Sustainable Development and Management of Environmental and Natural Resources, 2021
Kondwani Kapinga, Nalukui Matakala, Kennedy Ouma, Concilia Monde, Paxie C. Chirwa, Stephen Syampungani
About 30% of the land in the biosphere is covered by forests. However, about 13 million hectares, according to the World Bank Group (2016) vanish annually in spite of the efforts to protect them. Forest degradation encompasses transformation in the process that adversely impact on the forest features such that there is deterioration in the forest’s goods and services production value (FAO, 2011). Deforestation, on the other hand, is described as a conversion of forests to non-forestry land uses through human-induced activities (IPCC, 2007). With this definition, not all forms of forest cover loss are to be considered as deforestation. The transformation of forest land into farmland, settlements, grassland, wetlands, and other land uses are examples of deforestation. In Africa, agriculture (especially the slash and burn agriculture), harvesting of medicinal plants, and charcoal production may be the causes of deforestation, and this is especially true for Southern Africa (Chirwa et al., 2014). Forest degradation and deforestation led to habitat loss for all species. It also results in the decrease of freshwater quality, degradation of land, soil erosion increase, and high emissions of atmospheric carbon (UNICEF, 2017).
Causes of Climate Change and Legal Regulations
Published in Dalia Štreimikienė, Asta Mikalauskienė, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, 2021
Dalia Štreimikienė, Asta Mikalauskienė
In 2008, Brazil set a goal to reach zero deforestation by 2015, but the date was later changed to 2030. From 2005 to 2012, the deforestation rate in the Amazon Jungle has decreased by 76%; however, from 2012 to 2017, it increased again by 52%. This latest trend does not meet the objectives of Brazil’s NDC. The government plans to replant a 12-million-hectare area by 2030. Moreover, in 2017, it launched an updated monitoring system to fight illegal logging (Timberley 2018; Eisenhammer 2017).
Cooking energy choices in urban areas and its implications on poverty reduction
Published in International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 2023
Felician Andrew Kitole, Felister Y. Tibamanya, Jennifer Kasanda Sesabo
The burning of solid fuels such as coal and wood releases harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, which can cause respiratory and other health problems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exposure to these pollutants from indoor cooking fires causes around 4 million premature deaths per year, mainly in developing countries (Awan, Bilgili, and Rahut 2022; IEA 2020). This not only has a significant impact on human health but also affects the economic development of these countries, as people who are sick cannot contribute fully to the economy. Furthermore, the use of solid fuels for cooking also contributes to deforestation and climate change. Deforestation leads to a loss of biodiversity, which in turn can impact the food security and livelihoods of people living in affected areas. The burning of solid fuels for cooking also emits greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change.
Modelling areas for sustainable forest management in a mining and human dominated landscape: A Geographical Information System (GIS)- Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach
Published in Annals of GIS, 2022
Xavier Takam Tiamgne, Felix Kanungwe Kalaba, Vincent Raphael Nyirenda, Darius Phiri
Forests are home to vast amounts of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, and they are the most species-rich habitat type on the planet, particularly in humid tropical regions (Lindenmayer 2009; Gibson et al. 2011). Human activities that result in forest loss, fragmentation, and degradation (FAO 2015) have already resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity and homogenization (Lindenmayer and Franklin 2002). The rate of deforestation is expected to increase, particularly in the rich forests of Central and South America, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa (Keenan et al. 2015). These changes in forest cover and condition are a cause for concern because they threaten biodiversity and a wide range of critical ecosystem services such as climate regulation, biomass production, water supply and purification, pollination, and habitat for forest species (Brockerhoff et al. 2013; Mori, Lertzman, and Gustafsson 2017).
Estimating Forest Losses Using Spatio-temporal Pattern-based Sequence Classification Approach
Published in Applied Artificial Intelligence, 2020
Ahmed Toujani, Hammadi Achour, Sami Yassine Turki, Sami Faïz
Deforestation is caused by various drivers and pressures, including infrastructure development, conversion for agricultural uses, wood, and a complex set of natural factors, which can be more influential in certain periods and localities (Campos et al. 2008). In the Mediterranean forests, fires are the biggest natural peril loss drivers to the woodland cover (Turco et al. 2014). They destroy more trees than any other natural calamities such as attacks of parasites, insects and jellies. Each year, more than 50,000 fires occur in the Mediterranean basin, burning an area of 8,000 km2, which corresponds to 1.7% of the total forest cover (FAO 2016). In Tunisia, forest fires yearly affect about 1000 ha between 1996 and 2010 and approximately 3,167 ha from 2011 to 2014 (FAO 2016).