Introduction and Impacts of Deforestation

Trees are one of the most important aspects of the planet we live in. They play a crucial role in maintaining the climate the Earth, purifying the air and serve as habitats for millions of species. However, despite their important role, man is destroying them through actions like deforestation, which in turn leads to negative impacts on the environment.

In the mid-1800s, forests began to be destroyed at an unprecedented rate. Throughout the earlier part of the medieval age, Europeans used to live amongst vast areas of forested land. But later, they began deforestation at such a high rate that they started to run out of wood for cooking and heating. Also, due to the depletion of their natural habitat, wild game too began disappearing, which the Europeans largely depended upon for their nutritional requirements.

According to research, more than 50 percent of the tree cover has disappeared due to deforestation. The rate of deforestation in Malaysia is the highest in the world. In 1983, Malaysia accounted for 58% of the total global export of tropical logs, with over 90% of the wood going to Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. With primary forests in peninsular Malaysia becoming rapidly depleted, the industry increasingly has turned to Sarawak.

In conclusion, it is thus clear that deforestation has developed negative impacts on the environment and our daily life activities. One example is the disappearing of wild game due to the depletion of natural habitat, and that Europeans in the past run out of wood for their daily usage. This shows that man is suffering from their own doing (deforestation), which cause very serious problems, such as the natural habitat being destroyed, which cause man themselves a lot of inconveniences, like their lifestyles being affected. In addition, deforestation can also lead to a country’s lacking in natural products. For example, Malaysia’s extreme high rate of deforestation leading to depletion of natural resources, which in turn causes the industry to suffer.