Deforestation across the World: Causes and Alternatives for Mitigating

Abstract

Abstract-We underline the main causes of deforestation and present a framework for mitigating the continual loss of forest habitat around the world. The causes of deforestation are complex and they operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales, yet they are related to societal and political factors. Societal factors consist of human migration within rural settings and poverty. Political factors include ineffective land management and negligence of monitoring and protecting forest commodities. Combined, these factors present arduous challenges to protecting forest habitats. In turn, there are at least three strategies to reduce further forest loss. The first strategy involves the cessation of timber cutting and extraction of other forest products. But just as important is the second strategy of creating and maintaining more Environmental Protected Areas. The third strategy is perhaps the greatest challenge, and it involves the adoption of the "green nudge principle", whereby individuals are educated to modify individual behaviors related to patterns of consumption and to the conservation of remaining forests. This is especially true for the increasingly endangered primary forests. An adoption of these mitigation strategies will help reduce deforestation and will help improve global environments.

Successes and failures reported in a multiscaled framework constituted by biophilic projects engineered toward environmental recovery

“…Global modifications to waterways, forests, and farmlands among others have occurred by the necessity to provide water, food, and housing to billions of people (Oldeman, Hakkeling, & Sombroek, ; Silva & Rodgers, ). Worldwide pastures, agricultural, and urban areas have extended in the last decades, causing a considerable forest fragmentation and losses of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity (Gonzalez et al, ; Tessler, Vörösmarty, Grossberg, Gladkova, & Aizenman, ).…”

“…For landscapes already fragmented, two concrete complementary choices have been considered: (a) protecting the remaining pristine or seminatural forest fragments (Silva & Rodgers, ) and (b) restoring degraded lands (Bortoleto, Figueira, Dunning, Rodgers, & Silva, ). The second option can be conducted by projects that aim to restore or to rehabilitate the degraded environment.…”