2020 Economic State of British Columbia's Forest Sector

McKay, Jeremy Page, Drew Hinshaw and Betsy. ‘Over 47,000 Wild Animals Sold in Wuhan Markets Before Covid Outbreak, Study Shows’. Wall Street Journal, 9 June 2021, sec. World. https://www.wsj.com/articles/live-wildlife-sold-in-wuhan-markets-before-covid-19-outbreak-study-shows-11623175415.

Context

Because of deforestation, the soil suffers by runoff and eroded soil from deforested hillsides increased the amount of silt and impeded the flow of water into agricultural areas. On the article above it mentions the importance of forest more specifically to the soil and how forest prevent to soil be washed on extreme slopes. Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They help people thrive and survive by, for example, purifying water and air and providing people with jobs; some 13.2 million people across the world have a job in the forest sector and another 41 million have a job that is related to the sector. Many animals also rely on forests. Eighty percent of the world's land-based species, such as elephants and rhinos, live in forests. Forests also play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink—soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns (World Wild Life 2019).

Without trees to anchor fertile soil, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. The agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil. Many of these plants—such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat—can actually exacerbate soil erosion. Scientists have estimated that a third of the world’s arable land has been lost through soil erosion and other types of degradation since 1960. And as fertile soil washes away, agricultural producers move on, clearing more forest and continuing the cycle of soil loss (World Wild Life 2019).

The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. And degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto water, which can worsen flooding. Sustainable land use can help to reduce the impacts of agriculture and livestock, preventing soil degradation and erosion and the loss of valuable land to desertification (World Wild LIfe 2020).

Without plant cover, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. The agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil and many of these plants, such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat, can actually worsen soil erosion. And as land loses its fertile soil, agricultural producers move on, clear more forest and continue the cycle of soil loss (World Wild LIfe 2020).

World Wild Life. "Deforestation and Forest Degradation." WWF, 2019.

World Wild LIfe. "Soil Erosion and Degradation." WWF, 2020.