Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Essay

According to the International Water Management Institute environmental research organisation global water stress is increasing, and a third of all people face some sort of water scarcity. Where demand exceeds supply and no effective management operates, there will be conflicts between the various players involved.

“People who will not sustain trees, will soon live in a world that cannot sustain people”(Bryce Nelson). Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. Deforestation has overtime become a leading environmental problem in the U.S. It is estimated that at the beginning of the european settlement, in 1630, the area of forest was 423 million hectares. By 1907, the area had declined to 307 million, according to,”U.S forest facts and historical trends”. Deforestation is caused and will affect the human who call the U.S home. Issues with the environment such as global warming, the thinning of the ozone, and deforestation all contribute to critical problems in the U.S. deforestation highly

Deforestation is the destruction of a wide area of forest land into a cleared land that is used for a variety of reasons. The impact on the environment from cutting down, burning and damaging forests is very detrimental and there are severe consequences for the environment and future generations because of deforestation. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization approximately 7.3 million hectares of forests are being destroyed per year in the world (Bradford, 2015). In this essay, I will explore the impact that deforestation on the environment and I will also look at the actions that are being taken to prevent deforestation. There are various reasons why deforestation is occurring despite its negative effects on the environment. Deforestation can cause very serious environmental problems such as climate change, flooding, loss of habitats as well as others.

Deforestation is defined as: “the clearing of virgin forests, or intentional destruction or removal of trees and other vegetation for agricultural, commercial, housing, or firewood use without replanting and without allowing time for the forest to regenerate itself” (SCRIBD). Deforestation has been a problem in Latin America since the early 1900s and the severity of the dilemma is increasing rapidly. Deforestation not only has consequences for the environment, but also, the indigenous people and the national economy. The logging industry in Latin America is often exploited by multinational companies that are not properly regulated. The land that has provided a home and cultivated indigenous development for centuries is being dissipated rapidly. Due to an exponentially growing global population, there is an increased demand for low priced goods--like timber, crops, and meat. Many Latin American countries value revenue from selling these goods over the health of their local ecosystems. The crisis of deforestation and habitat loss is shifting from a local to global problem. As deforestation continues, global warming escalates worldwide, impacting every country and person. About 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from tropical deforestation, which is more than from all the world’s cars, trucks and buses combined (Schwartzman). Puerto Rico and Brazil provide contrasting examples of the impact of deforestation. Puerto Rico had an economic and environmental shift

On a regional scale there are similar concerns, especially in areas experiencing rapid population growth (Sun, et al., 2008). Fresh water itself is considered a provisioning ecosystem service as well as being the precursor to a host of other provisioning services such as supplies of fish, timber, and hydroelectric power (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Thus, it is not only water quantity but also water quality that is of

Catchment areas are monitored to ensure that the water used commercially is of good quality.

Wat, and Great Zimbabwe. I’m also interested in finding out about how our environment has affected

B the island nation of Comoros fared the worst clearing 60 percent of its forests between 1990 and 2005. That is a lot of space that animals could live in. And you may also wonder what do they do with the animals now that they have no home anymore, the answer to that is it depends on what country you are in. In Madagascar, they just kill them so they do not suffer from no home. IT is very sad but that is what they do. I am not so sure in other countries but it is still really sad to see that all those animals are dying from deforestation. You also may think that it just happens in one area but deforestation happens all over the world. It's rare to get deforestation in the United States because we are careful with how many trees we chop down but some places where it occurs a lot in Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Africa and some parts of the eastern side of Europe. But you get the point deforestation happens pretty much everywhere another question you may consider how long does it take for deforestation to recover to actually happen well actually it takes about 4,000 years for the forest to recover depending on how big the forest is that's a lot of time to regrow a forest. And as your reading this

The book includes a clear outline of the history of conservation in Africa, coupled with stories of Africans involved in conservation management. The authors explain the issues around African conservation as well as including their own input and potential solutions. One of the main points presented is that the myth that Africans and wildlife being incompatible must be broken. It is evident that Africans are just as passionate about their wildlife like the rest of the world and the authors try to bring this across to the rest of the world. However, conservationists must make sure that rural people are acknowledged and that they engage in conservation efforts to make sure projects are successful. Due to the age of the book, several issues are more prominent than others, such as habitat loss and overpopulation, and that the solutions to these issues will have changed with the development of technology. Public awareness and the education of issues are now more achievable and effective due to the advancement in communication in the form of social media and the fact many Africans own a mobile phones. The involvement of local communities will always be important in conservation and most of the points brought across in the book about the past will remain relevant. An update or a companion book including discussions of new issues threats

Africa is a place thriving with adventure. Across the land no matter where you go there will be a new sight to see and a new thing to experience. These wonderful opportunities are available due to the variety of intricate aspects that make up Africa. Africa’s diversity can be seen by its help in mankind’s early life, physical regions, wildlife, and the inhabitants.

Ninety percent of the earth’s trees between three and four hundred years old have been cut down. The remaining ten percent is all we will ever have (Gallant, 97). The definition of deforestation by the Random House Dictionary of the English Language is "to divest or clear of forests or trees.” Deforestation is one of the most significant issues of our time; considerable measures must be taken to prevent further pillaging of our unique forest resource.

There are many causes/factors to deforestation, which are largely associated with direct human influence. The first proximate cause to deforestation is infrastructure expansion (Geist & Lambin, 2002, p. 144). This refers to transportation (roads), private and public markets, rural and urban settlements, and private and public services (water lines, oil exploitation, etc…) (Geist & Lambin, 2002, p. 144). The next cause is agricultural expansion, which includes, large or small-scale cultivations, shifting cultivations (slash and burn), and, of course, cattle ranching. Wood extractions for industrial and domestic purposes are other proximate causes to this issue.

Forests have covered the earth for millions of years, providing habitat and food for animals and humans. These forests have stabilized different ecosystems and have continued the natural cycle that keeps plants and animals in check. The discovery of fire changed all of this. It was the beginning of deforestation, a process that has continued and increased over the last 200,000 years. Humans are the responsible party for the deforestation that has occurred. Humans discovered that animals could be driven with fire. This led to accelerated forest loss due to uncontrolled burning for hunting use (Miller & Tangley 1991: 28). Agriculture was the next problem

Water preservation and conservation is a critical element in providing clean water for current and future generations. To accomplish this task effort must be placed on protecting local watersheds and natural forest catchment

Deforestation is a major global problem with serious consequences to the planet. These consequences have a negative effect on the climate, biodiversity, the atmosphere and threatens the cultural and physical survival of life. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. It has resulted in the reduction of indigenous forests to four-fifths of their pre-agricultural area, so that now indigenous forests cover only 21% of the earth's land surface. The world Resources Institute regards deforestation as one of the worlds most pressing land use problem.