Deforestation in Canada and the World

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the issue of deforestation and what can be done to stop it before it becomes an even more serious problem. The paper focuses upon Canada, but points out that the issue is a global one that requires international collaboration. The paper discusses how deforestation can be overcome, but only if strong governmental action is taken against irresponsible practices by the logging and lumber sectors and if firm penalties are put in place to discourage degradation of fragile ecosystems.

From the Paper:

"The evidence clearly indicates that deforestation in the Amazonian rainforest - and it is Amazonian deforestation rates which are used to determine human effects on the global carbon cycle - has been sped along by widespread logging and surface fires; indeed, logging crews "severely damage" between 10,000 to 15,000 square kilometers of forestland each year in this critical part of the world. Going further, the available information indicates that nearly 20,000 square kilometers of Amazonian rainforest was "deforested" in the period 1993-1995 by logging alone. To make the matter worse, as the 1990s progressed, the rate of deforestation increased; for example, in 1996 the forest area deforested in the aforementioned Brazilian Amazon climbed to more than 18,000 square kilometers (Nepstad et al., 505-506). Simply put, large-scale logging did enormous harm to the rainforest in the 1990s despite the existence of a vigorous environmental movement and this development will invariably mean higher CO2 concentrations (and not just in Central America), the demise of fragile ecosystems dependent upon forestland, the destruction of a way of life for indigenous tribes, and the potential widespread loss of at-risk animal groups."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Butler, Rhett A. "World Deforestation Rates and Forest Cover Statistics, 2000-2005." Mongabay.com. 17 Nov. 2005. Mongabay.com. 18 Jan. 2007 <http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1115-forests.html>
• Connelly, J. "The Big Cut." Sierra, 76.3 (1991): 42-53.
• Dufour, Daniel. "The Lumber Industry: Crucial Contribution to Canada's Prosperity." Manufacturing Overview Research Papers. 2002. Statistics Canada. 18 Jan. 2007 <http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/31F0027M/31F0027MIE2002001.pdf>
• Earth Observatory. "Hidden Impacts of Fires and Logging." From Forest to Fire: How Fire is Transforming the Amazon. N.d. Earth Observatory (NASA). 18 Jan. 2007 <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AmazonFire/amazon_fire3.html>
• Mandel-Campbell, Andrea. "Clear-cutting the Lumber Business." Maclean's 23 Jan. 2006: 35-36.

More papers on Deforestation in Canada and the World:

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