Biodiversity, Conservation and Environmental Issues — BIOLOGY STD 12 Science — Question

I. Deforestation status of the world:

1. Forest area has declined all across the world in the past three decades. But in last decade, it is the reverse trend as the rate of forest loss has declined due to the growth of sustainable management.
2. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020) has given the figures of the rate of forest loss in 2015-2020. It is said to be declined to 10 million hectares (mha), reducing from 12 million hectares (mha) in 2010-2015.
3. The FRA 2020 was released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on May 13, 2020. It has examined the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990-2020.
4. The world lost 178 mha of forest since 1990. However, the rate of net forest loss decreased substantially during 1990-2020 due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in forest area in others through afforestation and the natural expansion of forests.
5. The rate of net forest loss declined from 7.8 mha per year in the decade 1990-2000 to 5.2 mha per year in 2000-2010 and 4.7 mha per year in 2010-2020.
6. Among the world’s regions, Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010-2020, at 3.9 mha, followed by South America, at 2.6 mha.
7. On the other hand, Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010-2020, followed by Oceania and Europe.
8. The world’s total forest area was 4.06 billion hectares (bha), which was 31% of the total land area. This area was equivalent to 0.52 ha per person, the report noted.
9. The largest proportion of the world’s forests were tropical (45%), followed by boreal, temperate and subtropical.
10. More than 54% of the world’s forests were in only five countries – the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China. The area of naturally regenerating forests worldwide decreased since 1990, but the area of planted forests increased by 123 mha.

The rate of increase in the area of planted forest slowed in the last ten years.
(Source : https : //www.downtoearth.org.in/ news/forests/deforestation-rate-globally- declined-between-2015-and-2020-fao- report-71107)

II. The effects of deforestation:

1. Increased concentration of COa in the atmosphere.
2. Trees hold lot of carbon in their biomass which is lost with deforestation.
3. Loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction.
4. Disturbances in hydrologic cycle.
5. Soil erosion and desertification in extreme cases.