Conservation of Plants and Animals

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What is Deforestation?

Clearing up forests for human benefit is called Deforestation. The main causes of deforestation are:

• Agriculture – Clearing land to bring more land under cultivation
• Construction – Building factories, houses and roads

Wood and Fuel

Trees and plants are a part of an ecological chain and they maintain a specific balance. Hence, deforestation gave rise to several consequences. Some of these consequences are:

Global warming

• Trees and plants give out oxygen and use carbon dioxide during
• With the reduction in plants and trees, the level of carbon dioxide on the earth is increasing.
• Carbon dioxide cannot escape into space and like many other harmful gases, it spreads like a blanket of heat around the
• This increasing heat has led to Global Warming.
• This causes an increase in the temperature of the

Droughts and Floods

• High temperatures affect the water
• Glaciers keep melting at an alarming
• Soil cannot hold excess water during rainfall or even rise in sea
• This can cause
• These changes in the water cycle also lead to

Soil Erosion and Desertification

• Trees and plants have roots which hold the soil and allow water to percolate into the
• The absence of trees would cause increased soil erosion, removal of the top layer of soil, and reduced underground water
• When soil is devoid of its top layer, it becomes infertile and gradually open lands become deserts. This process is called Desertification.

Pollution

• The increased release of harmful gases has caused global warming which pollutes the air around

Summary