Assessment on the Environmental Effect of Deforestation in Brgy

Can-abong, Borongan City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirement in Applied

Ecology

Arante, Althea Gabrielle C.

BS Biology 2

Eastern Samar State University

2023
 CHAPTER 3

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter includes the literature relating to

deforestation and its effect to the environment. This part of this

study supplies the overview of the current knowledge on the topic.

Furthermore, this aims to collect relevant and existing works and

studies conducted by different researchers to provide foundation

of knowledge about the deforestation and its environmental

effects.

Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming or

livestock, or using the timber for fuel, construction or

manufacturing (Derouin, 2023). According to Marco (2021),

deforestation is the complete removal of the forest and every one

of its associated life forms. The removal of trees or other

vegetation from land (Stand for Trees, 2023). Deforestation occurs

in many ways. Most of the clearing is done for agricultural

purposes-grazing cattle, planting crops. Poor farmers chop down as

small area (typically a few acres) and burn the tree trunks-a

process called Slash and Burn agriculture (Damette et al., 2012).

Maurya et al. (2020) stated that deforestation is the cutting down

of trees to make way for more homes and industries.

of deforestation include forest fires, volcanic eruptions,

geothermal explorations, dam construction and operations, fuel

wood collection, and land development projects (construction of

subdivision, industrial estates, and commercial sites). It can be

caused by human activity such as logging or agriculture, but also

natural disasters like forest fires. It has a negative impact on

many species because it causes habitat fragmentation and loss

(Stand for Trees, 2023). In addition, according to Maurya et al.

(2020), rapid growth in population and urban sprawl are two of the

major causes of deforestation. Apart from that, the use of forest

land for agriculture, animal grazing, harvests for fuel wood and

logging are some of the other causes of deforestation.

Deforestation by a peasant farmer is often done to raise crops for

self-subsistence, and is driven by the basic human need for food

(Urquhart et.al, n.d.).

Forests are invaluable property of a nation because they

provide raw materials to modern industries, timber for building

purposes, habitats for numerous types of animals and micro-

organisms. Good fertile and nutrient-rich soils having a high

content of organic matter offer protection to soils by binding the

soils through the network of their roots and by protecting the

soils from the direct impact of falling raindrops. They encourage

and increase the infiltration of rainwater and thus allow maximum

hence reduce the frequency, intensity, and dimension of floods

(Maurya et. al., 2020). Furthermore, Bicker (2023) stated that

without the tree roots for stability and the vast canopies of the

forest to absorb the heavy rains, landslides and flash floods are

becoming more common, especially as the frequency and the severity

of the storms increase.

The deforestation of tropical rain forests is a threat to

life worldwide. Deforestation may have profound effects on global

climate and cause the extinction of thousands of species annually.

Stopping deforestation in the tropics has become an international

movement, seeking ways to stop the loss of rain forests (Urquhart

et.al). Deforestation is a major environmental issue, contributing

to climate change, biodiversity losses and soil erosion (Damette

et al., 2012). Moreover, Maurya et al. (2020) added that

deforestation contributes to global warming as decreased forest

size puts carbon back into the environment. Deforestation gives

birth to several problems encompassing environmental degradation

through accelerated rate of soil erosion, increase in the sediment

load of the rivers, siltation or reservoirs and river beds,

increase in the frequency and dimension of hoods and droughts,

changes in the pattern of distribution of precipitation,

intensification of greenhouse effects increase in the destructive

force of the atmospheric storms.

change, desertification, eating away, fewer crops, flooding,

increased greenhouse gases within the atmosphere, and a number of

problems for indigenous people. (Marco, 2021). About 13 million

hectares of forest disappear every year (FAO, 2010). Destroying

forests alters weather patterns, destroys habitats, and negatively

affects rural communities, leading to food insecurity and causing

irreversible damage to entire ecosystems. The effects of deforestation

have led to a decline in forest cover, forest degradation, impoverishment

of the soil and general deterioration in environmental conditions (Igini,

2023). Forests, a vital component of life on Earth, cover approximately

31% of our planet’s land area. However, more than 75% of the Earth’s

surface has been modified and degraded by human activities such as

deforestation (Igini, 2023).

According to Yann’s (2020) study, the Philippines is losing

around 52,000 trees daily. Logging, slash-and-burn-farming, and land

conversion are erasing 47,000 hectares of forest yearly – thrice the

size of Quezon City. Owing to this rate, only 7.168 million hectares of

forest remains, covering roughly 24% of the nation’s land area. Among

the richest in biodiversity globally has been the Philippine

rainforest, which used to cover about 90% of the country’s land

area. During the last few decades, the forest cover has been

reduced to less than 10% of the original, only a fraction of which

is old-growth forest (Perez et al., 2020).

perspective of environmental history, this essay argues that

deforestation is not only a case of environmental degradation but

also involves economic, political, and cultural factors in the

modernization of the Philippines. It argues that the state's one-

sided development strategy is the primary cause of deforestation,

and reforestation cannot recuperate the forest environment in the

Philippines (Maohong 2012).

The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each

year to deforestation. That’s like losing an area the size of

Portugal every two years. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. The

breakdown of deforestation by region is shown in the chart. 59%

occurs in Latin America, with a further 28% from Southeast Asia

(Ritchie et. al. 2021). Hence, it is very important to learn and

to study about the current environmental issues to develop an in-

depth understanding and to promote the discipline of managing and

caring for the environment.

Bicker, L. (2023). Sierra Madre: Fighting to Save What’s Left of

a Vital Rainforest. BBC News. Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64123652

Damette, O., Delacote, P. (2012). On the Economic Factors of

Deforestation: What Can We Learn From Quantile Analysis?

Economic Modelling. Volume 29, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 2427-

2434, ISSN 0264-9993. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S02649993

12001885)

Derouin, S. (2023). Deforestation: Facts, causes & effects.

LiveScience. Retrieved from

https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html

Earth Journalism Network. Philippine Forests are Rapidly

Disappearing. Retrieved from

https://earthjournalism.net/stories/philippine--are-

rapidly-disappearing

Igini, M. (2023). How Does Deforestation Affect the Environment?

Earth.Org. Retrieved from https://earth.org/how-does-

deforestation-affect-the-environment
Maohong, B. (2012). Deforestation in the Philippines, 1946-1995.

Philippine Studies: Historical & Ethnographic Viewpoints,

60(1), 117–130. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42634705

Marco, J. Environmental Effects of Logging Include Deforestation.

Retrieved from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-

access/environmental-effects-of-logging-include-

deforestation-

116462.html#:~:text=The%20loss%20of%20trees%20and,biodivers

ity%20loss%20and%20temperature%20change.

Perez, G. J., Comiso, J., Aragones, L., Merida, H., Ong, P. (2020).

Reforestation and Deforestation in Northern Luzon,

Philippines: Critical Issues as Observed from Space. MDPI.

Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/10/

Ritchie, H., Roser, M (2021) - "Forests and Deforestation".

OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from:

https://ourworldindata.org/forests-and-deforestation

Stand For Trees. (2023). Death in the Forest: Deforestation Effects

on Animals and What You Can Do. Retrieved from

https://standfortrees.org/blog/deforestation-effects-on-

animals/#:~:text=It%20causes%20habitat%20destruction%2C%20i

ncreased,the%20main%20causes%20of%20extinction
Urquhart, G., Chomentowski, W., Skole, D., Barber, C. Tropical

Deforestation. Earth Observatory. Retrieved from

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ContentFeature/Deforestat

ion/tropical_deforestation_2001.pdf

Yann, G. (2020). A ‘Game of Trees’. Foreign-Assisted and Special

Projects Service- A ‘Game of Trees’. Retrieved from

https://fasps.denr.gov.ph/index.php/public-

relations/project-stories/biodiversity/23-a-game-of-trees