Forest filters water and regulates the water cycle in nature. It retains moisture in the soil longer than an unforested area, since evaporation from wooded soil and release of moisture from tree leaves is much slower. Thereby forest makes it possible to more evenly fill streams and rivers with water, especially during the snowmelt period. Flood danger in wooded area much lower than in areas with few trees. Forest reduces the demolition and washing out of the soil by wind, water, scree and snow avalanches and thereby prevents landscape karstization. In addition, the groundwater level is protected from lowering due to the root system of trees. Forest is a carbon store, since it constantly binds carbon from carbon dioxide adsorbed in leaves and needles. One kilogram of dry wood contains about 500 grams of carbon. Through the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air and the sequestration of carbon in wood, the share of CO2, which is the cause of the greenhouse effect, is reduced in the atmosphere.

choose Laying paving stones in Solnechnogorsk

The process of deforestation is topical issue in many parts the globe, because it affects their ecological, climatic and socio-economic characteristics. Deforestation leads to a decrease in biodiversity, wood reserves for industrial use and quality of life, as well as an increase in the greenhouse effect due to a decrease in photosynthesis.

The consequences of deforestation are not fully known and have not been verified by sufficient scientific data, which causes active controversy in scientific community. The scale of deforestation can be observed in satellite images of the Earth, which can be accessed, for example, using the program
Define real speed deforestation is quite difficult, since the organization involved in recording these data (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO) mainly relies on official data from the relevant ministries of individual countries. According to the estimates of this organization, the total losses in the world for the first 5 years of the 21st century amounted to 7.3 million hectares of forest annually. The World Bank estimates that 80% of logging in Peru and Bolivia is illegal, and 42% in Colombia. The process of the disappearance of the Amazon forests in Brazil is also happening much faster than scientists thought.

Globally, deforestation rates were declining in the 1980s and 1990s, as they were from 2000 to 2005. Based on these trends, it is estimated that reforestation efforts over the next half century will result in a 10% increase in forest area. However, reducing the rate of deforestation does not solve the problems already created by this process.

The consequences of deforestation:

1) The habitat for the inhabitants of the forest (animals, fungi, lichens, grasses) is being destroyed. They may disappear completely.

2) The forest with its roots holds the top fertile soil layer. Without support, the soil can be blown away by the wind (you get a desert) or water (you get ravines).

3) The forest evaporates a lot of water from the surface of its leaves. If you remove the forest, then the air humidity in the area will decrease, and the soil moisture will increase (a swamp may form).

The thesis that after deforestation the amount of oxygen will decrease is incorrect from an ecological point of view (forest, as a developed ecosystem, absorbs as much oxygen for animals and mushrooms as it produces for plants), but it can work in the Unified State Examination.

The impact of forests on the environment is extremely diverse. It manifests itself, in particular, in the fact that forests:
- are the main supplier of oxygen on the planet;
- directly affect water regime both in the territories occupied by them and in the adjacent territories and regulate the balance of water;
—- reduce the negative impact of droughts and dry winds, restrain the movement of moving sands;
- softening the climate, contribute to the increase in crop yields;
— absorb and/transform part of atmospheric chemical pollution;
— protect soils from water and wind erosion, mudflows, landslides, coastal destruction and other unfavorable geological processes;

abstract

The problem of deforestation.

Completed by: Mikhaleva K.S.,

2nd year student naturally

Faculty of Geography

specialty "Geography"

Checked by: Lyubimov V.B.,

professor, doctor of biology

cal sciences

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………3

1.Forest fires…………………………………………………………………….4

2. Deforestation…………………………………………………………………...5

3. Global solutions to the problem of forest loss…………………………………..7

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….11

References………………………………………………………………12

Introduction

The forest filters the water and regulates the water cycle in nature. It retains moisture in the soil longer than an unforested area, since evaporation from wooded soil and release of moisture from tree leaves is much slower. Thus, the forest makes possible a more even filling of streams and rivers with water, especially during the snowmelt period. The risk of flooding in wooded areas is much lower than in areas with few trees. The forest reduces the erosion and washing out of the soil by wind, water, scree and snow avalanches and thereby prevents landscape karstization. In addition, the groundwater level is protected from lowering due to the root system of trees. The forest is a carbon store, as it constantly sequesters carbon from carbon dioxide adsorbed in leaves and needles. One kilogram of dry wood contains about 500 grams of carbon. Through the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air and the sequestration of carbon in wood, the share of CO2, which is the cause of the greenhouse effect, is reduced in the atmosphere.

It is believed that about 32 million acres disappear annually worldwide.

forests. Over the past 20 years (1970 - 1990), the world has lost almost 200 million hectares of forests, which is equal to the US area east of the Mississippi.

A particularly great environmental threat is the depletion of tropical forests - the "lungs of the planet" and the main source of the planet's biological diversity. Approximately 200,000 square kilometers are cut down or burned there every year, which means that 100,000 species of plants and animals disappear. This process is especially fast in the regions richest in tropical forests - the Amazon and Indonesia.

Forest fires

Among the important abiotic factors influencing the nature of the communities formed in the ecosystem, one should include fires. The fact is that some areas are regularly and periodically exposed to fires. In coniferous forests growing in the southeastern United States, and treeless shrouds, as well as in the steppe zone, fires are a very common occurrence. In forests where fires occur regularly, trees usually have thick bark, which makes them more resistant to fire. The cones of some pines, such as Banks pine, release their seeds best when heated to a certain temperature. Thus, the seeds are sown at a time when other plants are burning. The number of forest fires in one of the regions of Siberia over two centuries: In some cases, the soil after fires is enriched with biogenic elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium. As a result, animals grazing in areas subject to periodic fires receive more complete nutrition. Man, preventing natural fires, thereby causes changes in ecosystems, the maintenance of which requires periodic burnouts of vegetation. At present, fires have become a very common means of controlling the development of forest areas, although the public consciousness is having difficulty getting used to this idea. Protection of forests from fires. The forests of the Earth suffer severely from fires. Forest fires destroy 2 million tons of organic matter annually. They inflict great harm forestry: the growth of trees is decreasing, the composition of forests is deteriorating, windbreaks are intensifying, soil conditions and windbreaks are deteriorating, soil conditions are deteriorating. Forest fires promote the spread of harmful insects and wood-destroying fungi. World statistics claims that 97% of forest fires are caused by human faults and only 3% by lightning, mainly ball lightning. The flames of forest fires destroy both flora and fauna in their path. In Russia, great attention is paid to the protection of forests from fires. As a result of the last years measures to strengthen preventive fire-fighting measures and to implement a set of works for the timely detection and extinguishing of forest fires by aviation and ground-based forest fire units, forest areas covered by fire, especially in the European part of Russia, have significantly decreased.

However, the number of forest fires is still high. Fires occur due to careless handling of fire, due to a deep violation of fire safety rules during agricultural work. The increased risk of fires is created by the clutter of forest areas.

Deforestation

The process of deforestation is an urgent problem in many parts of the world, as it affects their ecological, climatic and socio-economic characteristics. Deforestation leads to a decrease in biodiversity, wood reserves for industrial use and quality of life, as well as an increase in the greenhouse effect due to a decrease in photosynthesis.

The consequences of deforestation are completely unknown and not verified by sufficient scientific data, which causes active controversy in the scientific community. The scale of deforestation can be observed in satellite images of the Earth, which can be accessed, for example, using the program

It is rather difficult to determine the real rate of deforestation, since the organization involved in recording these data (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO) mainly relies on official data from the relevant ministries of individual countries. According to the estimates of this organization, the total losses in the world for the first 5 years of the 21st century amounted to 7.3 million hectares of forest annually. According to World Bank estimates, 80% of logging in Peru and Bolivia is illegal, and 42% in Colombia. The process of the disappearance of the Amazon forests in Brazil is also happening much faster than scientists thought.

The consequences of deforestation:

1) The habitat for the inhabitants of the forest (animals, fungi, lichens, grasses) is being destroyed. They may disappear completely.

2) The forest with its roots holds the top fertile soil layer. Without support, the soil can be blown away by the wind (you get a desert) or water (you get ravines).

The real wealth of the world - wet evergreens rainforests are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, deforestation has increased by 8.5 percent this decade compared to the 1990s.

Deforestation rates are highest in Asia at 1.2% per year since 1990, followed by Latin America at 0.8%, and Africa at 0.7%. However, during the same period, the total area of deforested areas per year in Latin America is 7.4 million hectares, in Africa - 4.1, Asia - 3.9.

Brazil contains 30% of the world's tropical forests and is also experiencing the highest rate of deforestation. And this despite the fact that the Amazon forest, located on the territory of Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, is the largest tropical forest on the planet and contains about a fifth of the entire clean water in the world, which speaks of its great importance.

Deforestation is the process of converting land occupied by forest into land without tree cover, such as pastures, cities, wastelands, and others. The most common cause of deforestation is deforestation without sufficient planting of new trees. In addition, forests can be destroyed due to natural causes such as fire, hurricane or flooding, as well as other anthropogenic factors such as acid rain.

Deforestation leads to a decrease in biodiversity, wood reserves for industrial use and quality of life, as well as an increase in the greenhouse effect due to a decrease in photosynthesis.

According to Greenpeace, about 4-5 cubic centimeters of softwood are consumed to produce 1 gram of paper (depending on the type and quality of paper, manufacturer). 1 ton of recycled paper saves 5 cubic meters of wood, or up to 20-25 trees.

Global Solutions to Deforestation

At present, the rights of the forest state guard to combat violators of the fire regime in the forests, to bring to justice officials and citizens who violate fire safety requirements have been significantly expanded. In populated areas with intensive forestry, the protection of forests from fires is provided by forestry enterprises and their specialized units - fire and chemical stations. In total, there are about 2,700 such stations in the country. To increase the fire resistance of forests, work is carried out on a large scale on the fire-fighting device of the forest fund, systems of fire breaks and barriers are created, a network of roads and reservoirs, and forests are cleared of clutter. Fires that occur in the forest are detected mainly with the help of stationary fire observation posts, as well as forest guard workers during ground patrols. The forest fire departments are armed with tank trucks, all-terrain vehicles, soil meters and foam generators. Cord charges of explosives are widely used, as well as

artificial rainfall. Television equipment is being introduced

facilitating the work of observers. It is envisaged to use infrared aircraft detectors to detect combustion sources from the air in conditions of heavy smoke. Information obtained from artificial satellites Earth. Improving the efficiency in detecting and extinguishing forest fires will be facilitated by the introduction of computer-calculated optimal operating modes for aviation forest protection units. In sparsely populated areas of the North, Siberia and the Far East, helicopters and airplanes with teams of paratroopers and firefighters are used to protect forests. Barrier to forest fire

there may be a solution that was timely introduced into the soil at the border of the burning area. For example, a solution of bischofite, cheap and harmless. An important section of fire prevention is well-organized fire propaganda through radio, print, television and other means. mass media. Forestry workers acquaint the population, workers of forestry and expeditions, vacationing tourists with the basic requirements of fire safety rules in the forest, as well as with the measures that should be applied in accordance with the current legislation to persons who violate these rules. Protection of the forest from harmful insects and diseases. To protect forest plantations from damage, preventive measures are taken to prevent the emergence and mass reproduction of forest pests and to identify diseases. Extermination measures are used to destroy pests and diseases. Prevention and extermination control provide effective protection of plantings, provided they are used in a timely and correct manner. Based on the data obtained, the question of the appropriateness of applying certain protective measures is being decided.

Measures to combat pests and diseases of the forest are divided according to the principle of their action and technical application into groups: forestry, biological, chemical, physical and mechanical and quarantine. In practice, these methods of forest protection are used in a complex way, in the form of a system of measures. A rational combination of control methods provides the most effective suppression of the vital activity of harmful organisms in the forest. Forest management activities in forest protection are mainly of a preventive purpose: they prevent

the spread of harmful insects and diseases, increase the biological

acquires a microbiomethod based on the use of pathogenic microorganisms. A number of bacterial preparations have been proposed: dendrobatsilin, insectin, taxobacterin, exotoxin, bitotoxibacillin, gomelin, etc. Forest protection from pests and diseases should be carried out using methods that do not harm humans and the environment. The chemical method of combating harmful insects and diseases is based on the use of toxic substances against insects - insecticides, against fungal diseases - fungicides. The action of insecticides and fungicides is based on chemical reactions them with the substances that make up the cells of the body. The nature of the reaction and the strength of the impact of toxic substances manifest themselves differently depending on their chemical structure and physico-chemical properties, as well as on the characteristics of the body. Chemical control methods are carried out using ground vehicles, aircraft and helicopters. Along with chemical and biological methods, physico-mechanical methods are also used: scraping eggs of the gypsy moth, cutting off the cobweb nests of the golden tail and pine shoots affected by spinner and pegowine, collecting sawfly larvae and May beetles, beetles, etc. These methods are laborious, therefore they are rarely used and only in small areas.

Forest protection measures. The main tasks of forest protection are its rational use and restoration. Measures to protect the forests of sparsely forested areas are becoming increasingly important in connection with their water protection, soil protection, and sanitary and health-improving role. Special attention should be given to the protection of mountain forests, as they perform important water-regulating, soil-protective functions. With the right

forestry re-cutting in a particular area

should be carried out no earlier than after 80 - 100 years, when full ripeness is reached. An important measure for rational use forests is the fight against timber loss. Often, significant losses occur during the harvesting of wood. Branches and needles remain in the felling areas, which are valuable material for the preparation of coniferous flour - vitamin feed for livestock. Waste from logging is promising for obtaining essential oils.

The forest is very difficult to restore. But still, forests are being restored in cut-down areas, sown in unforested areas, and low-value plantations are being reconstructed.

Along with artificial afforestation, there are widespread works

on the natural regeneration of the forest (leaving seedlings, care for self-seeding of economically valuable species, etc.). great attention is given to the preservation of undergrowth in the process of logging. New technological schemes of logging operations have been developed and introduced into production, which ensure the preservation of undergrowth and young growth during forest exploitation.

An essential factor in increasing the productivity of forests and enriching their composition is the breeding of new valuable forms, hybrids, varieties and introducers. The study of form diversity and the selection of economically valuable forms is carried out on a new theoretical basis, based on the analysis of the phenotypic and genotypic structures of natural populations and the selection based on a comparative analysis of biotypes with certain valuable traits. When selecting valuable forms in nature and evaluating hybrids, attention is paid to plants that have not only high productivity at the age of quantitative or technological maturity, but also plants that are characterized by high growth intensity in initial period ontogeny. They are necessary for high-intensity plantations with a short rotation of felling. Plantations are a special independent form of plant growing in forestry to obtain a certain type of product (wood, rod, chemicals, medicinal raw materials, etc.). Intensive agrotechnical measures are applied on the plantations. They serve as a powerful lever for the intensification and specialization of forestry production.

One of the main topics of our time is the problem of disruption of the natural functioning ecological system of our planet and, as a result, an ecological catastrophe that we cannot stop. There are many problems that put humanity on this slippery slope. And one of the main ones is deforestation. In Russia, this phenomenon has become rampant in recent decades. After all, the territory has huge resources. And if earlier we were worried about the loss of tropical forests, today the massive deforestation in Russia has brought our country to a leading position in the world.

Why do we need forests

We all remember from school - only green plants, thanks to the unique process of photosynthesis, replenish our atmosphere with oxygen. Not many people remember that as a result of this process, plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere - a product of our breathing and burning fuel. It is the presence of an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that we owe to the greenhouse effect and climate change on the planet. According to some estimates, it is deforestation in Russia and around the world that we owe to the formation of about 20% of all greenhouse gases in the planet's atmosphere.

Forests are part of the drainage system of our planet. As in the human body, disturbances in the work of blood circulation lead to stagnation and various kinds of tissue damage, so in the ecosystem of the planet, forests filter groundwater and provide the hydrological regime of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. Forests prevent their drainage, the onset of sand, erosion and soil washout, floods and landslides. Global floods, which used to occur on the planet on average once every 50 years, today in some areas “please” people every 4 years.

And that's not all

And far from the last argument of the vital necessity of forests is the conservation of biodiversity on our planet. In ecology, the stability of an ecosystem is determined by the number of species of living organisms living in it. According to some reports, our planet has already entered the era of the fifth global extinction. The Red Books of the regions are constantly replenished with species that are threatened with extinction from the face of the Earth. The well-known "butterfly effect", when the disappearance of one species of moth for 100 years led to changes in the topography of the Amazon floodplain, is not a fairy tale or a blockbuster topic. This is our harsh reality.

The forest is considered a renewable natural resource. This may indicate that, no matter how much we take, nature will restore its quantity. But the current rate of logging does not allow forest ecosystems to self-repair. And humanity is losing forests, bringing the planet into a phase of ecological crisis.

Ecological problem

Deforestation in Russia and in the world leads to such negative consequences for the ecology of the entire planet:

Disappearance and reduction in the number of representatives of flora and fauna.
Impoverishment of species biodiversity.
An increase in the share of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Lithospheric changes - soil erosion, desertification, swamping.

This is not a complete, but significant, list of problems that are directly related to the deforestation of our planet.

A global problem

Deforestation in Russia is only part of a global process, as a result of which the planet loses up to 200,000 hectares of forest annually.

The latest data from the World Resources Institute and the Maryland Institute, together with Google, based on the analysis of satellite images, showed that Russia is in the lead in deforestation. We are followed by Canada, together with which we are responsible for 34% of all forest loss on the planet.

Statistics show the loss of 20 hectares of forest on the planet in 1 minute. At the same time, 13 million hectares of the world's forests annually disappear forever. Assess the scale.

Why do we cut wood

Of course, the reason is obvious - it is to ensure our livelihoods and technical progress.

Wood is a valuable resource for many industries, an essential component of progress.

But, main reason- this is our existence on the planet. Our biological species, which, due to certain evolutionary advantages, turned out to be successful on this planet, as evidenced by the growth in the number of individuals and the general expansion of territories. There is not a single biological species whose habitat is absolutely the entire territory of the planet. Our number has already exceeded 7 billion and continues to grow.

With the advent of agriculture, we have destroyed half of the world's forests. Just look at the distribution maps natural areas on our continent and it becomes obvious. There is also a zone of coniferous forests in Europe, but where did you see a forest similar to Siberian? And we continue to increase the area of agricultural land.

Everything in nature is interconnected. Climate change, which was caused by the deforestation of the planet, among other things, led to more frequent natural fires. Even without our help, they reduce the area of forests and replenish the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.

And yet we need to cut down the forest, another thing is how.

The forest is different

Forests in Russia and in the world are cut down for the sake of mining, timber, and clearing agricultural land. All forests on the planet are divided into three categories:

You can cut in different ways

In this regard, there are several types of cutting:

Final fellings (selective, continuous, gradual). Their purpose is to harvest timber.
Cuttings for plant care. This is the thinning of the forest with the destruction of plants of poor quality. They also produce wood technological production.
Integrated reforestation felling. The goal is the reconstruction of forest areas for restoration useful properties forests.
Sanitary - these are cuttings for creating landscapes and firebreaks.

It is clear from what has been said that the problems of deforestation in Russia are connected with final fellings, especially clear cuts. Here the concepts of "undercut" and "overcut" appear, which are equally bad for the forest. But that's all if the felling is legal.

Certificate for the forest - a solution to the problem

Since the mid-1990s, the world community has adopted the concept of sustainable development. Part of which was the concept of sustainable forest management. In accordance with it, deforestation must meet certain requirements, which must ensure a reasonable and controlled consumption of this resource - the forest. The introduction of special technologies will create a balance between the need for wood and the ecological functions of the forest. It will also take into account the interests of future generations of people.

Today, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certificates are obtained by legal logging companies, which are issued quotas for deforestation. Our country is the second in the world, after Canada, in terms of the number of certified forest areas (38 million hectares). Certificates were issued to 189 subjects of forest management, and there are about 565 thousand subjects of forest management in our country. And it is they who receive state quotas for deforestation volumes in Russia and are required to label rare wood species when exporting (for now).

This is what legal logging looks like. But this is the tip of the iceberg, and the main turnover of the forest is there, under water.

For your information. In the Irkutsk region, which according to some estimates accounts for 50% of all illegal logging in Russia, in the summer of 2017 a pilot project Lesregister was launched, which involves marking all harvested wood in order to track its turnover.

"Black" lumberjacks

The statistics of illegal deforestation in Russia is striking in its scale. According to the World Foundation wildlife(World Wildlife Fund), the country is losing about $1 billion due to illegal deforestation. In 2017, 359 illegal logging was recorded in the Arkhangelsk region alone, resulting in losses of $12 million. Facts about deforestation in Russia are recorded in the northwestern part of the country and the Far East. This causes concern for environmentalists and ordinary residents.

Statistics on deforestation in Russia from the International Agency for Environmental Research (Environmental Investigation Agency) says that 80% of valuable forest species (linden, oak, cedar, ash) in the Far East are cut down illegally.

The public is concerned

A wave of indignation swept through the media about the illegal deforestation in Russia by the Chinese. Over the past 20 years, when restrictions on timber harvesting were introduced in China, in the border areas (Lake Baikal and Far East) appeared a lot of lumberjacks from China. According to the estimates of the International Non-Governmental Organization "Environmental Investigation Agency", 50-80% of the forest exported from Russia to China was obtained bypassing official quotas through illegal logging on leased lands.

The public and environmentalists, foresters and officials are making certain attempts to stop the uncontrolled destruction of the forest.

But even legal logging sometimes leads to completely opposite results. For example, in Ust-Ilimsk, a criminal case was initiated against the head of the forestry, who, under the guise of sanitary cutting, destroyed healthy trees on total area in 83 hectares. Damage - 170 million rubles.

Massive fight against deforestation

The solution to the problem of deforestation in Russia should be carried out at all levels: international, state, regional and personal.

The main measures should be:

Formation of a weighted legislative framework For driving forest resources at the federal and international level.
Implementation of a strict system of accounting and control of cuttings. Improving wood marking systems.
Tougher penalties for illegal logging and use of non-certified timber.
Measures to increase the area of forests and the creation of zones with special conservation status.
Improvement of fire fighting activities.
Activation of the secondary processing of wood and a decrease in the use of this resource in the industrial sector.
Extension social programs and awareness of the population about the careful attitude to this natural resource. environmental education and education for all segments of the population, starting with preschoolers.

Certain steps have already been taken at many levels. Recent hits the public of the Irkutsk region to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin led to a revision of quotas for deforestation, which include valuable tree species (in particular, cedars). Labeling of wood and its turnover within the country is finding more and more supporters.

And then what?

It is high time for us to think about the state of the ecosystem of our beautiful home. Otherwise, we risk being left without it. And everyone needs to start - with himself. Respect for nature, separate waste collection, economical use natural resources, planting trees, buying products from recycled materials (it is labeled "recycled") - this is a very small list of what everyone can do to preserve the unique forests of Russia.

Do not forget about the spiritual component of the forest. For millennia, it has shaped the culture and customs of many ethnic groups. We cannot exist without nature. But on the other hand, civilization is impossible without forest resources.

Ecologists say that we need 100 years to fully restore the forest area of our country, which makes up 20% of the world's forest area. And this despite the fact that the cutting will stop. Of course, these are utopian dreams. But there is something we can do to make our children and grandchildren recognize the smell. coniferous forest not from air fresheners in hygienic rooms.

Environmental problems

Actual problems of the natural environment and the modern world are diverse. They represent a danger to the planet, both for its present and for the future of all mankind, and can only be resolved with the participation and cooperation of all countries and peoples of the world. The global solution to these problems depends on the material well-being and spiritual progress of mankind in a healthy environment.

Irrational human activity has caused great damage to natural ecosystems and has led to: depletion of soils and resources fresh water, to the reduction of forest area, to the disappearance of animal and plant species, to global environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect, which in turn caused global warming, the formation of acid rain, ozone holes, desertification, etc. The aggravation of these global problems signals a serious environmental crisis. Human influence on the entire planet has exceeded the self-healing capabilities of ecosystems. Human-influenced habitat changes became more visible in extent in the second half of the 20th century due to the accelerated development of agriculture and industry, increased transport, and increased trade. The degradation of the natural environment also affects human health. There are already a significant number of cities where the effects of air pollution are being felt, among them: Detroit, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Calcutta, Los Angeles, New York, etc. In these and other cities, the number of diseases respiratory system in the population, including lung cancer, is high. Pollution of the atmosphere with lead, copper and aluminum leads to diseases of the nervous system.

To provide healthy lifestyle the life of all mankind and the development of a sustainable economy require joint efforts. No country alone can stabilize the impact on the climate and protect the fish resources of the oceans. These goals can only be achieved through global cooperation and interaction between countries.

Currently, the listed problems are considered within the framework of international programs: the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, the International Program for Global Environmental Changes, Strategic Initiative for Natural Disaster Reduction, World Climate Programme. These projects will allow specialists in various countries find ways to address the challenges of environmental change around the world.

deforestation

Forests are the most important ecosystems on our planet. They cover approximately 30% (about 4 billion hectares) of the land surface, forming the planet's forest fund. In the geographical environment, forests perform many functions:

climate function. Forests are the main supplier of oxygen (1 square kilometre tropical forests produce about 11 tons of oxygen per day), weaken the influence of various climatic phenomena and serve to maintain climatic balance: lower air temperature, increase humidity, reduce wind speed, etc.;

hydrological function. Forests reduce the intensity of surface runoff after heavy rains, slow down the penetration of water into the soil, keep the flow of water from springs almost constant, prevent mudflows, landslides, protect human habitation, agricultural land, and transport routes from turbulent flows;

soil function. Organic matter accumulated by forests is involved in the formation of soils; - economic function. Wood and other forest resources play important role in the history of mankind;

social function. Leisure opportunities, tourism, satisfaction of aesthetic and spiritual needs;

health function. Forests create a calm atmosphere with moderate air temperatures and a low content of harmful substances and impurities.

The reasons for the reduction of forest land around the world are the widespread use of wood in industry, the expansion of agricultural land, pastures, the construction of communication lines, etc. The exploitation of forests for a long time was of an extensive nature, exceeding its natural regenerative capacity. In the period 1980-1985 alone, about 280 million hectares were deforested, which is almost 15 million hectares per year. High rates of deforestation were carried out in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries.

In the Mediterranean region, where natural broadleaf forests disappeared completely, only shrubs and other, less valuable species, which have practically no economic importance. According to various sources, over the past three centuries, the world's forest fund has halved or even more.

Unfortunately, this process continues today due to the influence of the following factors:

Natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, snow avalanches, etc.) have a negative impact on forests. Thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed by natural disasters. They can reduce the area of forests to a critical limit. Only the earthquake of May 31, 1970 in Peru destroyed forests with an area of about 70 thousand square kilometers;

Forest fires. A decrease in the area of the forest fund as a result of natural fires that occur during a severe drought occurs in vast areas of Central Siberia, Australia, Canada, California, Indonesia and other regions. In Indonesia in 1983, 3.7 million hectares of forest burned down. In Brazil, during a great fire in 1963, 5 million hectares of forest died. This confirms that even wet equatorial forests not protected from fire. Most often, fires in the natural environment occur from lightning. In the state of Nebraska (USA), 30 forest fires caused by lightning occurred in one day, five of which covered vast territories, causing millions of dollars in damage. Some fires happen because of the negligence of people. In densely populated areas, the most common cause of forest fires are human activities and technologies created by them. With the development of tourism, the number of fires caused by unextinguished cigarettes, bonfires and the carelessness of children is growing.

Deforestation - wood is used as fuel, building material and for recycling (furniture, lumber, pulp, paper, etc.). In some regions of the world (Africa, South Asia, South-East Asia) firewood is still the main type of fuel. Deforestation for industrial purposes has become excessive. From 3.2 to 3.5 billion m3 of wood is harvested annually, which far exceeds the natural regenerative capacity of the forest. Deforestation has taken place in vast areas in the basins of the Amazon, Congo, and other rivers, and forests have been replaced by soil erosion processes, etc. on these lands. Considering that forests are climatic and hydrological regulators, deforestation in the equatorial regions of the Earth can lead to radical climate change. In this regard, there is a need to protect not just some forest areas or typical forests, but the entire forest fund of the planet, all logging must certainly be accompanied by reforestation.

desertification

Desertification is a global phenomenon and exerts enormous force climatic conditions and increase anthropogenic impact on the environment. About half of the planet's territories suffer from droughts and desertification, both in arid zones and in irrigated and other areas. Desertification is a complex phenomenon of land degradation in deserts and semi-deserts, in arid regions of the Earth. The causes of desertification are a reduction in the amount of precipitation and a change in their regime, a warming climate, an increase in winds and an increase in the intensity of evaporation, as well as economic activity person. Anthropogenic causes are represented by: overpopulation, irrational land use (deforestation, desertification, pollution). Prolonged droughts lead to a significant reduction in water reserves in the soil, underground aquifers, and the hydrographic network, which gives rise to processes leading to desertification. Dry, salt crust forms on soils. From the deserts, dunes gradually move to adjacent territories.

The phenomenon of desertification has intensified in the last years of the 20th century in many arid regions, especially in the southern Sahara, where xerophilous ecosystems have been destroyed by overgrazing and farming in the south of the Sahara.

Dry periods in recent decades have aggravated and expanded the process of desertification in different regions world and caused the most serious consequences. At the end of the 20th century, there was an excessive reduction in pastures in the zone of the savannas of North Africa on the border with the Sahara desert. The phenomenon of desertification currently covers approximately 25% of the land surface - this is more than 110 countries with a population of almost one billion inhabitants. The territories most affected by desertification are found in Africa, South Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe.

The fight against desertification is a global problem caused by climate change and the increasing pressure of human society on the environment. Considering all this, in 1994 the UN Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted, which provides for cooperation between the countries of the world to reduce this phenomenon.

global climate change

One of the pressing global problems arising from human activities is the change in the Earth's climate, both in terms of warming and exacerbation of natural disasters of a climatic nature. Opinion among meteorologists and climatologists engaged in research in this area is divided, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, some consider it the result of anthropogenic activities, while others attribute slow global climate changes to normal cyclical phenomena.

Priority attention to this problem is caused by the following conditions: even the slightest changes in climate have a certain impact on human activity, primarily on Agriculture; climate change can turn into natural disasters (eg periods of maximum and minimum temperatures (heat-waves and severe frosts), droughts, heavy rains with floods).

A deeper understanding of the mechanism of climate change requires a thorough study of the climate system, including the relationships between the following components: the atmosphere, Earth's crust, ionosphere, biosphere, taking into account the anthropogenic factor. In fact, this is the purpose of climate monitoring. The main human activities that affect the climate system are:

Direct impact on the atmosphere in the form of thermal effects, changes in air humidity, etc.;

Influence on the physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere, in particular, electrical and radiation characteristics. This factor can cause an increase in the concentration of CO2, NO2, freon, methane, etc. in the troposphere;

The impact on the upper layers of the atmosphere affects, first of all, the ozone layer;

The impact on the underlying surface changes the albedo and the processes of gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Some activities may be assigned to more than one impact category at the same time. For example, forest fires lead to direct heating of the atmosphere, an increase in the amount of aerosols, CO2 and other gases that change the albedo of the affected underlying surface. In fact, these phenomena have a multilateral impact on natural landscapes, change them appearance and also affect human health. Over the past century, the temperature of the Earth has been constantly rising, this phenomenon became more noticeable after the 70s of the last century.

Board of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, composed of distinguished scientists, as well as participants in recent international conferences. It is argued that if the use of fossil fuels continues to grow, then by 2050 mean annual temperature on the planet will increase to +19 degrees. Highly rapid increase poses a serious problem, as it will lead to extreme climate events, including massive floods, droughts and increased hurricanes. According to statistics, almost half of the natural disasters occurring on the planet are associated with atmospheric processes.

The stabilization of the climate on Earth means, first of all, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by almost 60%. And this requires the participation of all governments and awareness of the possible danger at all levels.

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The nature and solution of the problem of deforestation
Forest expanses only seem limitless. In the process of human activity, most of the planet's greenery is destroyed, cutting down becomes widespread and widespread. The depletion of resources leads to the decline of the forest fund even in the taiga zone. Together with the forest fund, the flora and fauna are destroyed, the air becomes dirtier.

The main reason for deforestation is to use it as building material. Arrays are also cut down to make room for buildings, farms or agriculture.
With the advent of technological progress, the work of destroying the forest was automated, the productivity of felling increased many times over, and the volume of logging also increased.
Another motive for such actions is the creation of pasture for livestock. Grazing one cow requires about a hectare of space, for which hundreds of trees are cut down.

Consequences

Forests are good not only for the aesthetic component. This is a whole ecosystem, a home for many plants and animals, insects, birds. With the destruction of this array, the balance in the entire biosystem is disturbed.

Uncontrolled destruction of forest land leads to the following consequences:
disappearance certain types fauna and flora;
species diversity is decreasing;
the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases;
soil erosion appears with the formation of deserts;
areas with high groundwater levels become swampy.

At the same time, more than 50% of the forest area is occupied by tropical forests. And it is their felling that is most dangerous for the ecological situation, since they contain about 85% of all known fauna and flora.
Cutting statistics

Deforestation is a worldwide problem. It is relevant not only in the CIS countries, but throughout Europe and America. According to statistics, 200 thousand square kilometers of plantings are cut down annually. This entails the extinction of hundreds of plant species and thousands of animals.

In Russia, 4 thousand hectares are cut down annually, in Canada - 2.5 thousand hectares, the least - in Indonesia, where 1.5 thousand hectares are destroyed annually. The problem is least expressed in China, Malaysia, Argentina. According to average data, approximately twenty hectares are destroyed per minute in the world, especially in the tropics.

In Russia, coniferous species are destroyed especially a lot. In the Urals and Siberia formed a large number of wetlands. This phenomenon is difficult to control, since most logging is carried out illegally.

Ways to solve the problem

One way to solve the problem is to restore the used volume of trees, at least partially. Such an approach will not help to fully compensate for the losses. It is necessary to take comprehensive measures.

They include:
forest management planning;
strengthening the protection and control of resources;
improvement of environmental legislation;
development of a system for recording and monitoring the background of plantations.

In addition, it is necessary to increase the area of new plantings, create territories with protected flora and a strict regime for the use of resources. It is necessary to prevent massive forest fires and popularize the recycling of wood.