how forest fragmentation has led to the loss of vast forest

how forest fragmentation has led to the loss of vast forest

Deforestation is largely regarded as the permanent removal and elimination of trees from forests to make room for another activity, such as settlement or farming. Forests cover over 30% of the earth’s surface and are of great significance to all species within across earth. As research has shown, deforestation often leads to a variety of devastating consequences. Since 1960, over half of the world’s tropical forest has been destroyed, with every second there being more than one hectare of tropical forest design degraded or destroyed. A research article by Konstans on the Science publication has shown that deforestation often leads to forest fragmentation, which in part leading to the slow death of tropical forests and wildlife who dwell in it. The article takes a more in-depth look into how forest fragmentation has led to the loss of vast forest due to illegal logging, fires, and farming and how this negatively affects the animal species inhabiting the forests.

The article addresses how deforestation and forest fragmentation due to deforestation are leading to less land for animal habitat and how the effects of these cascades throughout the ecosystem. An analysis is drawn from different researchers’ work from different institutions and universities around the world to which 73 datasheets and 4,489 species are studied (Konstans 1238). The data sheets include different geographical points to which species from various forest landscapes across the world are considered. The different species are then considered in terms of their specific habitat. The findings and effects of deforestation and forest fragmentation were thus drawn from different regions and parts of the forest. The research presented was thus able to show the impact on different forests and the different regions within forests, such as along the forest edge or deep into the forest.

On cannot argue the overall importance of forests, which are a huge source of resources. Deforestation is, in part, carried out to pave the way for various activities such as grazing and agriculture. Ashe National Geographic, a huge part of North America’s forest, was cut down for timber and farming between the 1600s and the late 1800s. Today, deforestation is mainly happening in tropical forests and often leading to fragmentation of forest land. Konstans explains that deforestation has led to forest areas that were not accessible in the past become reachable due to human involvement within the forest. Roads and pathways are being created within forests are, in part, detrimental to the overall longevity and survival of vegetation and animal species. Such human involvement in forest land is leading to more and more encroachment into forest land.

Deforestation and the fragmentation that arises from it was found to affect animal inhabiting forest differently. Animals that avoided living at the end of the forest were found to be affected more as well as being more sensitive to fragmentation and destruction of their habitat. It was found that more than half of the animal species living in low disturbance regions within forest generally avoided living across the edge zones. In temperate forests where there is more disturbance from humans, the number falls by 18%. The reason for the indifference in the results is due to the human disturbance and destruction that tropical forests have faced throughout human history as when compared to tropical forests that lie in high altitude regions. As a result, temperate forests have been found to have fewer species that are sensitive and resilient as compared to those that inhabit tropical forests.

These findings are largely worrisome given tropical forest support up to two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity. Even in the face of human evolution, most tropical forests have remained untouched, but in recent centuries advancements have given the man an upper hand in controlling forest. The threat to forests has increased drastically, with the Amazon forest, the largest forest in the world, facing the threat of fragmentation into two parts within the coming decades due to deforestation and forest fragmentation. Deforestation has reportedly increased by 30% this year as compared to 2018. Research from Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research (INPE) released this year shows that deforestation has increased by 88% in June alone as when compared to June in 2018. Further, the research within the article shows that all animal species within the Amazon and in various forests across the world are on the verge of danger and some extinction due to human interference within the forest. The results are fairly consistent for all taxonomic groups right from birds, mammals, and reptiles. For instance, the great hunchback tinamou of Central and South America and the Sunda clouded leopard of the Borneo forest being under threat due to deforestation and forest fragmentation.

With habitat loss due to forest fragmentation, there arises a huge threat to the local biodiversity existing in and out of forest land. Deforestation is at large, leading to the biological invasion, which in part is leading to overexploitation, pollution while also threatening the overall biodiversity existence. As noted within the article in the Science magazine, forest fragmentation and deforestation are complex and variable topics that are widely influenced by y underlying processes in land-use change, functional traits among species, anthropogenic threats, and dispersal abilities of the forest land. As such, cutting down trees and the fragmentation that arises from it is, in part leading to ecological threats and challenges by the day that needs urgent realization and problem-solving efforts.

Animal species within forest lands are going extinct at a high rate, which is estimated to be 100 to 1000 more times fast than those animal species that went extinct before the turn of the millennia. Unlike past animal and plant extinctions, the current loss of species is largely as a result of human activity and modification of their natural habitat (Konstans 1236). The modification and loss of animal habitat are leading to more changes within the forest landscapes, which in part altering the trajectories of the local biodiversity populations. Changes within the forest landscape are leading to a shift in the quality and area of habitat that animal species can occupy. Further, Konstans notes that these changes increase isolation as well as alter the relationship between forest edges and interior land. The results of this are confounded, and a good example may be how defragmentation leads to isolation of suitable habitat areas, which in part reduces the total amount of habitable environment that animals may have.

The loss of local vegetation within forest due to deforestation and forest fragmentation is also a cause of climatic change, which disrupts the local biodiversity as well as that of external biodiversity outside the forest. With massive tree loss within forests, climatic changes are bound to happen with the overall effect and changes to the climate being a key factor in the survival of many animal and plant species. Further, forest fragmentation can have a substantial effect on both internal habitat quality for other animals outside the forest as well as an external way of life for human beings. It can, in part, lead to patterns of land-use intensification and the need to encroach into forests to meet the growing needs for land. With this, more animal species are at a growing threat of interaction and exploitation from humans, which cannot sit well for animal species that are small in number. Konstans publication focuses on showing there can be detrimental effects to such animals as well as place emphasis on more viable ways we can improve to save forests and the local biodiversity within them.

Historical roots of cutting down forests and fragmentation have continued to be part of our culture even when there are strict guidelines on how we can manage as well as save our forests and general state of our existence. Konstans explains there needs to be a more liberal way to which we can shake off the dynamics of this culture to move beyond the realities of probabilistic extinction rates to conservative ways, which can help maintain and save animals and vegetation in our forests. To do this, we need to reduce the land fragments that we have continuously created within our forest so as to make more land accessible for the local species living within the forest land. Furthermore needs to be done to solve forest defragmentation given it can also be caused by genetic diversity, natural catastrophes, demographic stochasticity, and environmental stochasticity.  With this, there can be foreseeable analytics and models that can help predict and solve for animal extinction within our forests.

The article also suggests more needs to be done to address the effect deforestation and forest fragmentation can have protected the natural biodiversity within forests. As suggested, each ecosystem should be given special attention so as to protect each animal species effectively. The publication is a good contribution to the overall effect deforestation creates within forests. At large, the trees cleared may often lead to defragmentation of forests into different parts, thus disrupting the biodiversity and habitats of many of the animal species living within the forest. With forest having over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity (Konstans 1237), it becomes important to address deforestation. This because it can threaten the survival of many species as well as reduce the ability of forest providing essentials such as oxygen, clean water, and climate regulation.

The publication has, in part being helpful in realizing there is a need for conservation so as to ensure our forest does not fade away. In part, it has helped me realize the first step begins with me and through sensitization to those around me. I love animals and nature at large, and I hope that we humans can be more sensitive to the natural environment rather than risk it all for our own gains. The information provided by within the publication has opened my eyes further to the harsh realities that animal species within forest face, and I hope to be better in my actions and contribution to ensure forest are conserved and protected from human activity and natural disasters.