Why is important to stop deforestation?

Deforestation is today without a doubt one of the biggest ecological problems. In many parts of the world forests are being cleared to make room for farms and different other agriculture projects. Since many see this year as the one that could make all the difference in fight against global warming it is of vital importance to raise public awareness about deforestation because deforestation is responsible for about 20% of total CO2 emissions from human activities.

Deforestation issue should really be one of the key issues in December this year when world leaders will try to agree on international climate pact. It is very clear that world needs to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and stopping deforestation is one of the factors that will seal the destiny of this new pact. Using less fossil fuels and stopping deforestation are key factors that will mean the difference between success and failure.

Why are forests being so heavily cleared worldwide? Why has deforestation become such a big problem? The reason for this has lot to do with big population increase. More people need more food, and in order to get more food forests are being cleared out to make room for farms. Farms also mean bigger profit because for example converting tropical forests to lets say soya beans farm means lot more money than managing forests in sustainable way.

But it is not all in the money, well at least it shouldn't be, and world should finally realize the importance of our forests. Forests are vital parts of our planet and we should do all what is in our powers to protect them, especially now when climate change problem is knocking on our door. Public awareness is important step but it won't be enough without the funding from rich countries, because most forests are located in developing countries that need to act in the much broader interest because health of our planet is at stake here. Only combination of public awareness, sufficient funding and sustainable management can save our forests. Are we up to this task? We'll soon see.