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A study highlighted in a 2022 Nature article underscores the broader climate benefits of tropical forests beyond carbon storage. Tropical forests cool the planet by one-third of a degree through biophysical mechanisms such as humidifying the air and releasing cooling chemicals, in addition to their role in extracting carbon dioxide from the air.
The deforestation of tropical forests for fruit production has a number of negative environmental impacts. First, it is leading to the loss of biodiversity. Tropical forests are home to a wide variety of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. When forests are cleared, these species are often displaced or ...
Laos is increasingly suffering from environmental problems, with deforestation a particularly significant issue, [1] as expanding commercial exploitation of the forests, plans for additional hydroelectric facilities, foreign demand for wild animals and nonwood forest products for food and traditional medicines, and a growing population all create increasing pressure.
The typical tropical forest may become a carbon source by the 2060s. [46] Researchers have found that, in terms of environmental services, it is better to avoid deforestation than to allow for deforestation to subsequently reforest, as the latter leads to irreversible effects in terms of biodiversity loss and soil degradation. [47]
The regions with the highest tropical deforestation rate between 2000 and 2005 were Central America—which lost 1.3% of its forests each year—and tropical Asia. [49] In Central America, two-thirds of lowland tropical forests have been turned into pasture since 1950 and 40% of all the rainforests have been lost in the last 40 years. [66]
A Liberian tropical forest. Environmental issues in Liberia include the deforestation of tropical rainforest, the hunting of endangered species for bushmeat, the pollution of rivers and coastal waters from industrial run-off and raw sewage, and the burning and dumping of household waste.
Boreal forests, also known as taiga, are warming at a faster rate than the global average, [14] leading to drier conditions in the Taiga, which leads to a whole host of subsequent impacts. [15] Climate change has a direct impact on the productivity of the boreal forest, as well as its health and regeneration. [15]
Costa Rica's tropical landscape. Deforestation is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in Costa Rica.The country has a rich biodiversity with some 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals, which have been under threat from the effects of deforestation. [1]