What Causes Deforestation?

This would seem like a simple question, right? Deforestation is caused by people cutting down large numbers of trees. Well, no. Deforestation *is* people cutting down large numbers of trees, but the causes of this destruction are complicated, and vary by location.

Deforestation rates are on the rise, the impact on the climate is growing daily, and one of the best tools we have to combat deforestation is to know what causes it, as the most basic levels.

There are direct and indirect causes of deforestation. An example of a direct cause would be a tribe cutting down trees to build a village. An indirect cause would be a severe storm knocking down a huge swath of trees.

The major direct causes of deforestation are logging, overpopulation, urbanization and dam construction. Not everyone believes that logging is the primary cause of deforestation. Many experts have put forth convincing arguments that forests are cleared for raising cattle and cultivating crops more than for any other reason.

But whether logging is the initial cause, or a byproduct of land being cleared for farming, raising cattle and building housing, all of these things are serious threats to the forests.

The big problem is that it is impossible for people sitting in warm houses with more than enough food for our families to tell people in the Amazon that they “cannot” tear down forests to create room for farming and ranching so that they, too, can sit in warm houses and have more than enough food for their houses.

Some deforestation is simply relentless, just clear-cutting because it’s there. Not all deforestation happens this way, and much of it is related to the economies in these areas, and to the local inhabitants doing what they think is best for them.

That “what they think is best for them” is the primary direct cause of deforestation. When you add severe tropical weather as a primary indirect cause, you can see that there is plenty of cause for deforestation, and you can understand why deforestation seems to be getting worse instead of better.

Many people don’t understand why it’s so hard to stop deforestation. They speak of “holding governments accountable,” when many of the governments are already doing everything they can to stay in power and keep their countries running somewhat smoothly. It’s not that the governments don’t care; It’s that they currently don’t have any good options for controlling deforestation in their countries.

Understanding “what causes deforestation” requires, at bottom, a willingness to really understand and try to change the circumstances that cause the people in these areas to cut the trees, or allow them to be cut. They destroy the forests because they feel they need to. If they saw other options, they would take them.

It’s a difficult situation. In the developed world, we understand the extreme value of those trees. We know that they must be preserved at any cost, but we have not yet found a “cost” that the inhabitants of the area will accept as “payment.” The time will come, and when it does, the problem will be resolved.