How does deforestation affect the Congo Basin?
How does deforestation affect the Congo Basin?
Scientific models published by Ofac predict that deforestation linked to the expansion of agricultural land for crops and livestock in the Congo Basin will result in a total loss of 26 million hectares of forest between 2010 and 2030, representing 10% of regional forest cover.
What is the main reason for deforestation in the Congo Basin?
Slash-and-burn agriculture, commercial farming and the development of infrastructure to open up the forest zones together with the construction of secondary agricultural roads are the main causes of deforestation. Other reasons include urban expansion due to the rural exodus and population growth.
Does the Congo have deforestation?
Forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been disappearing at increasing speed, with annual deforestation rates exceeding 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) in the past five years and believed to have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How much deforestation has occurred in the Congo rainforest?
From 2001 to 2021, Democratic Republic of the Congo lost 17.1Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 8.6% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 10.5Gt of CO₂e emissions. The methods behind this data have changed over time.
What is happening to the Congo basin rainforest?
The DRC lost the second-largest area of tropical primary forest of any country on Earth (after Brazil) in 2018, according to data on Global Forest Watch. This loss is significant considering that its main direct driver is relatively small-scale: slash-and-burn farming that is usually done with axes, not machinery.
What is the largest country in the Amazon with deforestation happening?
Brazil. Brazil [news] holds about one-third of the world’s remaining rainforests, including more than 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon declined sharply in the mid-2000s due to government interventions, macroeconomic factors, and efforts by civil society.
What threats is the Congo rainforest facing?
The greatest threats to DR Congo’s rainforest
- Industrial logging.
- Mining.
- Plantations and industrial agriculture.
- Urbanisation, road building and infrastructure.
- Petroleum exploration and extraction activities, to an increasing degree.
How are humans destroying the Congo rainforest?
Unsustainable and illegal logging in the Congo Basin forest — by both big and small companies — is leading to deforestation, destruction of wildlife habitat, diminished resilience to climate change, and damaging local communities.
Who is destroying the Congo rainforest?
Agricultural Expansion in DRC Destroys Primary Forests DRC has the second-largest area of primary forest destroyed in 2020 after Brazil. The DRC has held this position for four years now. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, data shows an increase in primary forest loss in DRC in 2020, compared to 2019.
How does deforestation hurt the environment?
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
What caused deforestation in the Amazon?
The leading drivers of deforestation in the Amazon are: Uncurbed expansion of ranching and unsustainable farming practices clear forests and leaves areas more prone to fires that can quickly become uncontrolled.
What are the greatest threats to the Congo basin?
How is the Congo basin exploited?
The Congo Basin is the target of several international industrial-scale agriculture developers — including palm oil and rubber — who are looking to cash in on new operations in Africa. These plantations, however, often fuel wide-scale deforestation and spark social conflict.
What are the 3 problems facing the Congo rainforest?
A major report on the Congo Basin has found the world’s “second lung” is struggling to maintain its rich biodiversity amid deforestation, poaching and the worsening effects of climate change.
What are some threats to the Congo basin?
How does pollution affect the Congo rainforest?
Environmental pollution arising from oil prospecting and exploration has impacted negatively on the biodiversity of the Congo Basin. The main stresses arise from leakages of crude oil, gas flaring and the escape of other chemicals used in production processes.
What are the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon basin?
The leading drivers of deforestation in the Amazon are:
- Unchecked Agricultural Expansion. Uncurbed expansion of ranching and unsustainable farming practices clear forests and leaves areas more prone to fires that can quickly become uncontrolled.
- Illegal and Unmitigated Gold Mining.
- Illegal Logging.