Causes of deforestation in Malaysia
Logging
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Mineral Extraction
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Population Pressure
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Energy Development
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Subsistence Farming
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Commercial Farming
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Impacts of deforestation in Malaysia
Soil Erosion
Trees cut down and roots die. The roots bind the soil together so it makes it easy for wind and rain to remove it. |
Contribution to Climate Change
Less trees mean less transpiration so the climate becomes drier. Less trees means less CO2 is absorbed through the process of photosynthesis. Therefore the CO2 remains in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. |
Loss of Biodiversity
Deforestation destroys the ecosystem and the many habitats that exist in the trees are destroyed. Therefore the variety of plants and animals are reduced. |
Economic Development
Deforestation usually results in economic gains for a country initially, this is why LICs often are the more rapid deforesters. These gains can be to do with jobs, taxes and development of key infrastructure like road networks. However, it can result in a loss of money through contamination of water supplies as a result of increased mining. Plants that could be used in medicine are wiped out and if the rainforest is damaged there will be less tourists, both resulting in a reduced income. |