Global Deforestation

Term Paper # 111138

Agricultural Studies > Forestry
Economics
Environmental Studies > Environmental Problems

A discussion on the causes of and extent of the global deforestation of tropical forests.

4,005 words () | 47 sources | APA | 2005 Canada

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at statistics on the extent of deforestation and identifies the broad and narrow definitions of deforestation. The paper then considers the pros and cons of microeconomic and regional studies and cross-national studies as methods of studying the tropical deforestation process. The paper goes on to explore the causes of deforestation, namely forest size, population growth, economic and debt service growth, agricultural growth, road development and level of democracy. The paper asserts that the solutions for deforestation problems of the global tropical forests must become the responsibility of every nation, since forests impact life on Earth for every single individual.

Outline:
Extent of Tropical Deforestation
Definition of Tropical Deforestation
Level of Tropical Deforestation Study
Causes of Deforestation
Deforestation Solutions and Forestry Management Strategies

From the Paper:

"Tropical forests are valued for the direct economic benefits and for the host of intangible benefits bestowed upon society. These forests have a special role in the conservation of biodiversity. It is well known that tropical forests, which occupy a mere 13.54 percent of total land area (FAO, 1997), contain around 70 percent of all species (WRI, 1996). Many of these species are threatened with extinction (Myers, 1988). Tropical rain forests have as high as 700 tree species per hectares (ha.) compared to 1 to 5 tree species in boreal forests (Botkin & Talbot, 1992). The rich biodiversity of tropical forests is a source of genetic material for genetic engineering. Also, around 500 million people, including 150 million indigenous people, live in or at the edge of the tropical forests (Roper and Roberts, 1999). Most of them are fully dependent on the forests not only for their livelihood, but also for their cultural and spiritual traditions."

Sample of Sources Used:

Allen, J.C., and D.F. Barnes. (1985). The Causes of Deforestation in Developing Countries. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 75 163-184.
Angelson, A. (1999). Agricultural expansion and deforestation: modeling the impact of population, market forces, and property rights. Journal of Development Economics, 58: 185-218.
Barraclough, S.L. & Ghimire, K.B. (1995). Forests and Livelihoods, UNRISD, MacMillian Press Ltd.
Bilsborrow, R, & Geores, M. (1994). Population, land use and the environment in developing countries: what can we learn from cross-sectional data? In The Causes of Tropical Deforestation Ed. By Katrina Brown and David W. Pearce, UCL Press, London: 106-133.
Bilsborrow, R. (1994). Population, environment and deforestation; some recent evidence. Population, Environment and Development, Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, United Nations, New York.