The Amazon is most individuals initial thought when speaking about deforestation and with good reason, The Amazon Rainforest is our planets largest source of oxygen. Even with most of the worlds governments backing deforestation bans, the practice is still widespread. The Amazon alone looses an area the size of Tokyo every single year.
The Deficit
In 2022 the number of Trees felled will be 15 Billion. A vast number of these tree’s will not be used for anything tangible, just felled to clear the way for either Cattle Ranches or Agriculture.
Yes, we are all aware we have a large world population to feed, but at what cost?
The number of Tree’s planted in 2022 amounts to just under 11 Billion, this number also includes natural propagation. This leaves us with a deficit of 4 billion trees in a single year. That’s 600,000,000 Tons of Carbon not captured.
Animals Live in Forests
With the deforestation of our planet well underway, few people talk about the ancillary cost of deforestation. There are countless species in danger of becoming extinct, their habitat cut, or burned to make way for either palm oil plantations or grazing for cattle ranches. Palm oil is the biggest culprit, in Indonesia, palm oil plantations are responsible for the loss of 9 million hectares, which is equivalent to an area the size of the state of Maine.
In Sumatra, the cost to wildlife solely due to the increase in Palm Oil Plantations can be described as nothing less than an extinction event. The Sumatran rhino numbers have shrunk dramatically over the last decade. This is mainly due to the old foe loss of habitat.
The Sumatran Tigers’ numbers have now shrunk to less than 400. This majestic animal simply cannot survive in unison with the growing palm oil plantations. Another endangered species is the Sumatran Elephant. Living mainly in tropical forests in Sumatra and Borneo. The WWF now estimates only 2,400 of these animals have survived deforestation. These elephants when hungry often enter Palm Oil Plantations to feed. This brings them into direct conflict with man and as a result, a small number have been found either Poisoned or Electrocuted.