Published on 23 Feb 2025
Forests, covering 30% of Earth's land, are biodiversity hotspots. These vital ecosystems act as Earth's lungs, regulate water, and house half the world's land species. Yet, numerous threats demand strong conservation efforts for a healthy planet.
Threats faced by forest ecosystem
Climate Change:
Increased temperatures and droughts: Hotter temperatures and drier conditions can stress trees, making them more susceptible to pests, diseases, and wildfires.
Example: Stress trees like Fraser Firs in the Southern Appalachian Mountains die-off.
Changes in precipitation patterns: Heavy rainfall events can cause flooding and soil erosion, while reduced rainfall can lead to droughts and water stress for trees.
Example: Mediterranean droughts threatening Aleppo pines.
Sea level rise: Rising sea levels threaten coastal forests with inundation and saltwater intrusion, harming trees and disrupting ecosystems.
Example: Inundates coastal forests, harming vital habitats like Sundarbans mangroves and Bengal tigers.
Human Activities:
Deforestation: Clearing forests for agriculture, logging, and development destroys forest habitats and reduces biodiversity.
Example: Destroys habitat for endangered species, as the illegal logging of Madagascar Rosewood threatening lemurs.
Forest degradation: Selective logging, overgrazing, and other unsustainable practices can degrade forest health and reduce their ability to store carbon.
Example: Reduces forest health through practices like Amazon slash-and-burn agriculture, hindering regeneration.
Pollution: Air and water pollution from industrial activities and agriculture can harm trees and disrupt forest ecosystems.
Example: Harms trees, with acid rain from coal plants damaging sugar maple trees in the northeastern USA.
Other Threats:
Invasive species: Plants, animals, and insects introduced to new areas can outcompete native species and disrupt forest ecosystems.
Example: Outcompete natives, like Kudzu vine smothering US forests.
Forest fires: Increased fire frequency and intensity due to climate change and human activities can damage forests and disrupt ecological processes.
Example: Cheatgrass fuelling wildfires in the Great Basin sagebrush ecosystem.
Habitat fragmentation: Roads, development projects, and other human activities can fragment forests, isolating animal populations and hindering their movement.
Example: Isolates animal populations, disrupting migration patterns of jaguars due to the Trans-Amazonian Highway.
Measures to conserve forest ecosystems
Sustainable Practices: Selective logging, replanting trees (reforestation), and integrating trees with agriculture (agroforestry) all promote responsible management.
Example: Integrate cocoa trees with existing palms in West African rainforests (agroforestry).
Protection Measures: Establishing protected areas, tackling illegal logging, and implementing controlled burns can safeguard forests.
Example: Use DNA analysis to track illegal mahogany trafficking from the Amazon.
Restoration Efforts: Removing invasive species, improving soil health, and promoting responsible tourism (ecotourism) help restore degraded ecosystems.
Example: Plant nitrogen-fixing alder trees alongside pines in degraded Scandinavian forests.
Policy & Awareness: Sustainable forestry policies, public education, and community involvement are crucial for long-term success.
Example: Create online platforms for "adopting" trees in endangered forests as in Atlantic Rainforest
Technological Advancements: Precision forestry, remote monitoring, and carbon capture technologies offer innovative solutions for improved management and protection.
Example: Use of satellite imagery with AI to detect forest diseases as the early detection of Dutch elm disease
Geography
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
Threats faced by forest ecosystem
Measures to conserve forest ecosystems
Indian Initiatives
International best practices
General Studies Paper 1
Physical Geography