Deforestation of China and the Amazon Rainforest - Essay Example

Comparison of deforestation between China and Amazon rain forest Introduction The increasing population has put immense pressure on the limited resources of the earth such as the land, water and other natural resources. Forest is cut down in different parts of the world for agricultural purpose, human settlement and other activities. This has resulted in increased degradation of natural ecosystems and is eroding the life supporting systems that uphold human civilization. Deforestation can be defined as the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below a 10 percent threshold. Deforestation implies the long-term or permanent loss of forest cover and its transformation into another land use. Deforestation has been an ongoing process on this planet from time immoral. The transformation of forested lands by human activities is one of the major reasons for global environmental change and biodiversity loss. There are several reasons for which forest and its natural resources are exploited and overexploited. Forests are cleared, degraded and fragmented by timber harvest, conversion to agriculture, road-building, human-caused fire, and in numerous other ways. Deforestation is a local problem that can have global consequences and is a treat to human civilization. This paper compares the impact of deforestation in China and Amazon. Deforestation in China Economic growth and environmental degradation continues to coexist in China. This has resulted in unsustainable rates of deforestation, high levels of air pollution, and low levels of water quality and quantity (Siciliano, 2006). Deforestation in China has not been a recent issue it had started with the expanding agricultural activities to support human life. Robert Marks in his book entitled Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt examines the correlations between economic and environmental changes in the southern imperial Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (a region historically known as Lingnan, "South of the Mountains") from 1400 to 1850. Marks in-depth analysis show the impact of population growth on land use patterns, the agro-ecology, and deforestation; the commercialization of agriculture and its implications; the impact of climatic change on agriculture; and the ways in which the human population responded to environmental challenges (Marks, 1998). Earliest history of agricultural activities in Lingnan shows that this region was known for the cultivation of sweet potatoes till the end of seventeenth century. Planting sweet potato required no fertilizers and less labor and could be planted in the hilly, sandy and dry soil that had little of no other use. With the increasing demand for sugar, fruits and silk, farmers’ converted rice paddy to those purposes and simultaneously changes also occurred in the cultivation of sweet potato. Peanuts were another cash crop growing in these regions which helped in improving the soil fertility in the marginal soils. Tobacco was another commercial crop cultivated purely for its market value. Its nutrient requirement was high and exhausted the soil of essential nutrients. With the development of irrigation plants, the cultivation activities improved. The construction of new waterworks not only helped cultivation but also helped in cultivation in waste land. All these activities resulted in the opening up of forest cover particularly for the tobacco plantation which increased the dangers of flooding. The growth of population and changes in the land reclamation policies lead to the expansion of cultivation of new world food crop and substantial clearance of land in Lingnan in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Besides cultivation, forest was cut for providing raw materials for furniture, building and shipping industries (Marks, 1998). China has a long history of exploiting the environment for industrial growth and economic gain. Mao rose to power in 1949, and during his tenure created two major reforms: the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Under these reforms, unspeakable crimes against humanity occurred alongside environmental destruction. As Mao attempted to expand the population, he destroyed large swaths of forests, lakes and rivers to enable his grain-planting projects. These huge land reclamations were characterized by intensive farming, deep plowing and improper fertilization. The intense farming methods destroyed the fertile soils, eventually eroding the land down to the bedrock. Once soil is eroded that significantly, it can no longer be used for planting, and as a result, more land reclamations became necessary. Further, this massive deforestation later resulted in severe flooding (Siciliano, 2006). Biodiversity loss was another major problem resulting from deforestation. Historically, most of China was inhabited by tigers. Chinese did expand agriculture in the river valleys of the south. As they cleared forests for fields, they encountered tigers. Although tigers and their forest habitat go together, some expansion of agriculture actually may have increased tiger populations. Tigers prey on deer and wild boar, both of which very much like to graze in farmers fields. Paradoxically, as farmland first spread, the population of deer and boar also rose, and so too did tiger populations which fed on the deer and hogs. The frontier between settled agriculturalists and the wild forests thus maximized human-tiger interaction in South China (Marks, 2003). Besides deforestation, destruction of habitat, and the extinction of species, land clearance for agriculture in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century precipitated other environmental and climatic changes. Ecologists point out that large scale deforestation resulted in increased flooding and drought. Erosion of soil is yet another problem with the loss of canopy cover (Marks, 1998). Deforestation in Amazon Globalization is converting Earth into a single social system. The entire life support system is now threatened by human behavior, and it is extremely essential at a global level to protect and cherish this system. Deforestation in the Brazils Amazon rainforest since 1978, over 530,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. As in the case of forest in china, the Amazon rainforest is being cleared mainly for cattle pasture, colonization and subsequent subsistence agriculture, infrastructure improvements, commercial agriculture and logging (Mongabay.com, 2005). This has resulted in land degradation, loss of biodiversity and several other ecological implications. Agriculture in the Amazon rainforest has shifted from subsistence farming to a commercial farming system. In order to bring about sustainability, it is essential to promote mixed cropping to preserve the biodiversity. Thus the value of income diversification, soil protection, maintenance of forest functions, and preservation of biodiversity could outweigh the negatives of deforestation. The deforestation of the Amazon and forest in China are examples of mismanagement of renewable resource that goes against the idea of sustainable development. The global community and the local community have begun to realize the consequences of continued deforestation in terms of domestic social and economic costs and in terms of global social costs (Lawson, 1999). Hence it becomes essential to conserve the existing forest by rational utilization of already cleared and degraded areas and prevention of further deforestation. Conclusion In conclusion it is good to look at another civilization of Easter Island that suffered a major ecological collapse and resulted in the extinction of one of the greatest and richest ancient civilizations. Both the deforestation in China and Brazil could lead to similar situation if it is not controlled. In fact, the inhabitants of Easter Island exceeded their carrying capacity by over-harvesting trees that covered the island. Forests were cleared for agriculture, construction of canoes, and for the transport and leverage of the huge statues for which the island is renowned. The statues were moved several miles even though they weighed as much as 80 tons and were up to 37 feet tall. Extensive deforestation resulted in reducing the resources to make large canoes that in turn resulted in cutting off access to any marine fishery in deep water which were the major source of food. Besides, soil erosion that resulted from the loss of forests eventually depleted the terrestrial food resources, which led to resource wars and a population collapse. The inhabitants continued unsustainable practices despite evidence they were not sound (Cairns, 2004). Finally, it ended up in a civil war and cannibalism, when food supplies proven to be insufficient. As globalization is catching up, sustainable development needs to be emphasized by the global community. Besides the degradation of the resources such as soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, species extinction, and other problems, deforestation of Brazil’s rainforest and forest in China could lead to increasing global temperate and other global consequences. Hence it becomes essential for the involvement of the global community and the local government in conservation process. In fact the development and enforcement of new conservation policies based on the principles of sustainable development could bring about sustainability in these ecosystems. References Cairns, J. (May 24, 2004). Sustainability ethics: tales of two cultures. Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, 39-43. Lawson, T. (1999) Sustainable Development in Brazil, Retrieved on 4 October 2006 from http://www.andover.edu/aep/papers/410/tlawson98.pdf Marks, R. (1998). People said that extinction was not possible: The ecological consequence of land clearance. In: Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt. Cambridge University Press. 309-345. Marks, R. (2003). Asian Tigers. Paper prepared for the International Symposium on World System History and Global Environmental Change Lund University, Sweden, September 19-22. Retrieved on 4 October 2006 from http://web.whittier.edu/people/webpages/personalwebpages/rmarks/PDF/Asian_Tigers.pdf Mongabay.com (2005) Tropical Rainforests, Deforestation In The Amazon 2004, Retrieved on 4 October 2006 from http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html Siciliano, M. (2006) Policy and Management: Development First, Then Environment. HSR: Spring 2006. Retrieved on 4 October 2006 from http://journal.heinz.cmu.edu/PDF%20Files/Current%20PDFs/China%20Environment.pdf Read More