Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forest to other land uses (regardless of whether it is human-induced). [14] Deforestation and forest area net change are not the same: the latter is the sum of all forest losses (deforestation) and all forest gains (forest expansion) in a given period. Net change, therefore, can be positive or ...
There are many different reasons why conservation is important. Some of the most important reasons include: To protect biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It includes the variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as the variety of ecosystems.
Land use change, especially in the form of deforestation, is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, after the burning of fossil fuels. [4] [5] Greenhouse gases are emitted from deforestation during the burning of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon.
Because forests are home to the most plant and animal species in any ecosystem, including 68% of mammal species, scientists consider deforestation levels to be a good proxy for nature destruction.
The oceans have heated more slowly than the land, but plants and animals in the ocean have migrated towards the colder poles faster than species on land. [222] Just as on land, heat waves in the ocean occur more frequently due to climate change, harming a wide range of organisms such as corals, kelp, and seabirds. [223]
Habitat size and numbers of species are systematically related. Physically larger species and those living at lower latitudes or in forests or oceans are more sensitive to reduction in habitat area. [23] Conversion to "trivial" standardized ecosystems (e.g., monoculture following deforestation) effectively destroys habitat for the more diverse ...
For now, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest has been the greatest threat to it, and the main reason why, as of 2022, about 20% of it had been deforested and another 6% "highly degraded". [95] Yet, climate change is also a threat as it exacerbates wildfire and interferes with precipitation.
Sea water, in theory, could be used to help a fire. But, its salty components can do more harm than good, which is why firefighters typically avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.