Deforestation is cutting down of trees permanently to make space for anything except tree cover. Deforestation is becoming a grave issue day by day. The forests cover over 30% of the Earth’s land surface, according to World Wildlife Fund. Deforestation can be caused either directly or indirectly.
Landslides, floods, hurricanes, fires, and parasites can cause deforestation directly. Direct causes are those causes that cannot be prevented by us. Humans, especially indirectly, cause deforestation. In this post, we will discuss the solution to prevent mainly indirect causes of deforestation.
1. Plant a Tree
Planting a tree is just like taking a step towards saving one life. Planting a tree is one of the best deforestation solutions. Every year for several uses, we cut the trees from especially forest areas. We don’t even think of planting one instead.
We become blind to fulfilling our instant needs and do not think for even a single second that will impact the near future.
A tree means a lot to us. It provides us oxygen, fruits, and so many essential things for a living, not only that it absorbs carbon dioxide. It also prevents soil erosion, and the water cycle is also maintained. It also decreases global warming.
Not only that, but animals also depend on a tree for shelter, they live in forests and depend on food and oxygen. It provides us a vast amount of oxygen for forest areas, and it is also responsible for rain.
Now there are many articles available on the internet which will tell you all these. Still, in this article, I want to provide the readers with the causes of deforestation, but I will also tell all the fellow readers about the solution.
Shortly, may a day come when there is a lack of food, oxygen, and shelter for animals that day, we all will understand the importance of a tree? And for which billion people will suffer. It’s enough now; we should be concerned about this because it is a serious topic, and from today we should start planting a tree instead of cutting it down to fulfill our temporary needs.
2. Reduce Consumption of Paper
Do you know that in a year, a huge number of trees are cut down for commercial uses just, for example, making of paper? Lots of trees are cut down from the forest area and hence causes deforestation. We all know, but still, we go on using papers in a huge amount.
Do you ever imagine that if the trees are cut down in a huge number, then one day, no tree will be left? Think it over and mark my words if we have not become serious and use some alternative instead of papers.
Then, there will take a day soon on Earth when there will be no single tree left. Alternatives like using digital writings in MS Word is a good option. It will save many papers and, hence, save a huge number of trees years after years.
Online examinations should also be a good idea because too much paper must conduct a single examination in schools and colleges. In this way, we should think and implement our ideas in this sector to reduce paper consumption. So reducing the consumption of paper is another and one of the best deforestation solutions.
3. Use Biodegradable Products
Using biodegradable products is the best alternative and one of the best deforestation solutions. Biodegradable products are easily decomposed with the environment and also it can be recycled. Hence using biodegradable products results in less environmental pollution.
After use, Biodegradable products can be easily recycled, and the waste can fill the compost heaps. This compost can further be used as manure or fertilizer for plants. While on the other hand, using non-biodegradable products not only harm Mother Nature but also harms the animals and us too.
Non-biodegrade products like plastics and petroleum are very harmful and don’t get contaminated with the soil. It also spread many diseases later on. We all should know it and stop using plastics.
Instead of plastics, we should use bags that comprise paper or jute. Bags that are made up of paper easily break down and decompose with the soil or be easily recycled. And bags which are made up of jute can be used repeatedly.
Jute bags and paper bags are very nature-friendly. These types of materials can be used repetitively. We should be aware of the shops in our locality and request them to use paper bags instead of plastics bags. And here comes the terms reuse and recycle of products, which we will discuss in our next point.
4. Recycle & Reuse
Recycling & reusing products is a smart way of using that product. Products which are made up of paper or wood, that products should be used in a repetitive manner or it can be used differently. We all should think differently but conclude that we all have to recycle or reuse the products as much as we can.
For example, paper bags can be recycled and can be made other things made up of paper. We all should become more concerned about it and hence start a new recycling method in which every person in your locality should participate and come up with their own innovative ideas.
Educating others is a good solution too. Many people don’t know the harmfulness of plastics and use it and threw it here and there. First, we should give them a basic education about the disadvantages of using plastic and petroleum products and understand the advantages of using paper products that can be easily recycled and reused.
Hence, we can consider recycling & reusing products is also one of the best deforestation solutions.
5. Strict Laws and Regulation
Not everyone will listen to those who are concerned about deforestation and understand how serious it is. For such irresponsible people, we should start some strict laws and regulations. We should start appealing to the higher authorities for making more strict laws.
We should appeal to pass some laws regarding fines. A huge fine will be charged if anyone cuts the trees, especially in the forest areas, without higher authorities’ permission. If some laws are abiding this deforestation, everyone should respect this important issue.
And if someone breaks the law, they will be punished and charged a huge amount of fine. Now that will make sense and increase the people’s concerns and decrease the rate of deforestation. Introducing strict laws and regulation is one of the ultimate and best deforestation solutions.
6. Avoid Burning of Firewood
Burning firewood is very dangerous, especially if you burn it in forest areas. It can catch fire easily, and for that reason, a forest fire can cause, which will further cause great damage. But besides this one, another reason is that many people worldwide rely only on firewood to cook food and heat their houses in winter.
Do you remember the scene of the recent amazon rainforest? Many tees and animals were affected and even died—millions of people donated to the World Wildlife Fund. The Amazon rainforest is a kind of tropical rainforest known for its biodiversity and many rivers.
Poor people and villagers cut down many trees for firewood for their basic needs. This mismanagement slowly leads to their total disappearance. Avoid burning of firewood is also one of the best deforestation solutions.
7. Raise Awareness Programs
We all should involve ourselves in social awareness programs and spread awareness in our locality. Not only that, we should spread awareness to people by social media posts. Aware more and more people through your post. You can also draw attention to the people by posting pictures and videos regarding deforestation.
If possible, we can arrange some programs in our locality. We can invite some socialist or activists who can explain and make everyone understand the importance of planting more trees instead of cutting them down.
Further, we can arrange a tree plantation program and request to take part in it and plant a tree. We can also make some posters and use them as hoarding on the roadside. We should start distributing leaflets and newspapers daily, which is also a step regarding waking people in a huge number.
In the beginning, the message may be ignored, but when they receive messages regularly, some people may try to understand its purpose. Raising awareness programs is also smart and efficient, and one of the best deforestation solutions among the rest.
8. Practice Eco-Forestry
Eco forestry is the holistic practice that aims to protect and restore ecosystems rather than maximize economic productivity. Eco forestry has many principles.
Some of them are like the riparian zone should not be touched because it is a susceptible area. So there, tree removal should not take place. The lowest impact should be used while removing trees, do not cut the trees clearly, no slash burning is allowed, use pesticides, maintain the beauty and other natural aesthetic qualities, restore and maintain the topsoil quality, etc.
So these are some principles of eco forestry. Before that, we should practice eco forestry; we first need to understand what eco forestry is and its principles. So this solution is also considered as one of the best deforestation solutions.
9. Support Organization
There are many organizations those who are involved in saving the forest areas. Please support them by standing beside them and spreading their message to everyone. Many organizations like Amazon Watch, Conservation International, Forest Stewardship Council Canada (FSC), Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Rainforest Alliance, and Trees for the Future, and so on are some organizations that help prevent deforestation.
We should support them by helping them in restoring forests by planting trees. We can also take a stand when you see an illegal clearing of trees, especially in the forest areas, informing them or the forest department or higher authorities.
We can also write some social media posts regarding those organizations, especially mentioning their aim in the quotation so that those unaware of those organizations will get to know them. So, supporting organizations who are fighting deforestation is also one of the best deforestation solutions.
10. Help to Re-stored Degraded Forest
From my perspective, restoring degraded forests is the most important and one of the best deforestation solutions. There are many forest areas which are already degraded. We should start restoring those forest areas by planting more and more trees.
First, we should start searching for those degraded forest areas; then, we should plan after taking permission from the forest authorities. After planning how much land is fertile and how much is unfertile. We first make the entire land fertile using manures like cow dungs.
After that, we should start planting trees and involving more people from your locality and friends. Then we should water the trees, if possible, regularly at the beginning. So restoring degraded forest is one of the best deforestation solutions.
If deforestation is not stopped immediately and continued at such a high rate, then after 25 years hence, it can be expected that around half of the world’s species of plants and animals will be surely extinct or severely threatened.
While concluding the article, I want to remind again that mother earth has enough for our needs but not for our greed. We must try to understand it.
So in this post is a curated list of the 10 best solutions for deforestation. If you know any better solution, please let us know through comments.
Last Updated on by Saket Kumar