MAJOR THREATS TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
GROUP MEMBERS;
1. AZREEN NAJIHAH
2. NOOR ALEEYA FATIHA
3. NOOR FAUZURIEN IZZATI
4. MOHAMAD HILMAN SYAFI
MAJOR THREATS TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
What is forest ecosystems mean?
A forest ecosystem means is a functional unit or a system that comprises soil, trees, insects, animals, birds, and man as its interacting units. It is a forest that is a large and complex ecosystem and has greater species diversity. Furthermore, it is much more stable and resistant to detrimental changes as compared to small ecosystems such as wetlands and grasslands. A forest ecosystem, similar to any other ecosystem, also comprises abiotic and biotic components. Abiotic components refer to inorganic materials like air, water, and soil. Biotic components include producers, consumers, and decomposers. These components interact with each other in an ecosystem and thus, this interaction among them makes it self-sustainable.
MAJOR THREATS TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
1. Illegal logging
Flora and fauna are threatened with extinction as a result of illegal logging. This is due to the fact that illegal logging in forest reserves has destroyed the habitat of animals and plants. Illegal logging typically occurs in forest areas without the authorities' knowledge. Because it is remote from the human population, a forest is a safe place for animals and plants. They must make a way in and out for their heavy machinery before cutting down the logs. Not only are illegal logs taken, but the surrounding area is destroyed to make way for this illegal activity. The forest ecosystem will be disrupted and the soil will become less fertile if these flora and fauna become extinct. This proves that illegal logging will have a serious impact on our ecosystem.
2. Natural fires forest
Figure 3: Forest in fire
Fire, as a destructive force, can quickly consume large amounts of biomass, resulting in negative consequences such as post-fire soil erosion and water runoff, as well as air pollution. However, fire, as a constructive force, is also responsible for the health and survival of certain fire-dependent ecosystems. Given fire's unique ecological roles in mediating and regulating ecosystems, it should be incorporated as a component of ecosystems and management. The effects of fire on an ecosystem, on the other hand, are determined by the fire regime, vegetation type, climate, and physical environment.
3. Illegal Mining
The demand for minerals and metals such as oil, metal, copper, gold, and diamonds necessitates the destruction of rainforests in order to gain access to the ground below. Nowadays, our nations have an insatiable appetite for minerals and metals such as oil, metal, copper, gold, and diamonds, which are frequently found in the ground beneath rainforests. To extract them, the forest must be cleared. To separate the waste from the minerals, poisonous chemicals are sometimes used. Mercury, for example, is used to separating gold from the soil and unwanted materials in which it is mixed. These chemicals frequently end up in rivers, polluting water supplies that local people are relying on, killing fish, and negatively impacting the river's ecosystem.
4. Oil Companies
Oil companies looking for new oil deposits have a significant impact on rainforests. Large roads are frequently built through untouched forests in order to construct pipelines and extract the oil. This encourages settlers to relocate to previously pristine forests and begin slash-and-burn farming or cutting more timber for sale or production of charcoal. Once established, the oil pipelines that transport the oil occasionally rupture, spilling gallons of oil into the surrounding forest, killing wildlife and contaminating local villages' water supplies.
MANAGEABLE THREATS TO FOREST ECOSYSTEM
1. Encouragement of Forest Stewardship
The promotion of forest stewardship programs is one of the best solutions to illegal logging management. Stewardship councils and programs can be useful tools for forest management by tracking timber harvesting, transportation, and sale. Such programs can also help to protect vulnerable forest areas from further degeneration caused by encroachment or conversion to farmland. To be effective, forest stewardship courses must collaborate directly with lumber mills and the timber industry to monitor and reduce black markets.
2. Public Awareness of the Health Impacts of Open Burning
Awareness should be made in the entire world to sensitize people about the harmful effects of open burning. The governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, should take up the responsibility to guide people on the various waste disposal methods and the different methods of classification of waste to avoid burning materials such as plastics, rubber, expired drugs, and industrial as well as chemical by-products.
3. Reusing Mining Waste
Waste from mining, including rocks, wastewater, and tailings, naturally occurs in large quantities. Businesses frequently leave trash behind after mining operations or, in the case of tailings, keep it in large structures like tailings dams, which severely harms the ecosystem. Fortunately, there are one or two techniques to repurpose practically every type of mining waste, either on or off-site. Organizations can utilize tailings to make bricks, extend paint, or use them in agroforestry, depending on the mineral and chemical makeup of the tailings. Some recent technological advancements even make it possible to continue mining from these tailings, decreasing the overall volume of trash held in mining sites while simultaneously reducing the number of minerals that are left behind.
4. Oil spill prevention
Due to their simple way and better execution, oil booms are among the most popular and widely used equipment in oil clean-up. These usually referred to as containment booms, confine the oil to a smaller region and stop it from spreading farther. This approach is used when the spill's area is relatively small. It is employed in locations where there are local supplies of containment booms because if the boom needs to be brought from a distant location, the spill may spread and become more challenging to control. As an oil boom finds it challenging to adequately complete the clean-up operation in tide-dependent waters, it is used in areas of water where the speed of the object is constant.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, there are many threats that affect our forest ecosystem. As per the discussion, we manage to find the solution for each of the problems occur. First, we focus on illegal logging which is one of the major threats to forest ecosystems. Promoting forest stewardship programs may be the best solution to prevent more illegal logging significantly. Furthermore, putting more awareness of fire-burning forests to the people can help in reducing the destructive act towards the forest as well as avoid much harmful behavior from occurring in the near future. Reusing mining waste also helps to reduce illegal mining by using advanced technology which allows it to persist from these tailings, decreasing the overall volume of trash and minerals that are held in mining sites. Last but not least, being able to manage the oil companies' significant impacts on the forest by using the oils boom to solve them. We can conclude that each of the major threats to our forest ecosystem can be solved in many ways and hoping for the best in sustaining healthy forests in the future ahead.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-illegal-logging.php
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302030089X
3. https://www.futurebridge.com/industry/perspectives-energy/oil-spill-prevention-solutions-and-challenges/
4. https://rainforests.mongabay.com/0806.htm
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