Deforestation in Costa Rica Essay Example for Free

Deforestation in costa Rica Essayrib Rica is famous for its rainforests and vast biodiversity and ecosystems, including 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals (Wikipedia), which overtime have scram under threat due to deforestation. Since the end of World War II, 80 percent of Costa Rican forests have disappeared (Wikipedia). Various companies are cutting down forests, to appropriate land for there fruit plantations and cattle ranches. During the 1990s, Costa Rica had one of the worst deforestation rates in the world. Clearing out forests is causation flooding, desertification, repositoryation in rivers, loss of wildlife diversity, and is the number one contributor to ball-shaped warming. The country has laws protecting certain areas of the forests, but only 25 percent of Costa Rican forests are on the whole protected from companies due to lenient laws (Viva Costa Ri ca). Businesses that are clearing out Costa Rican forests are contributing to the destruction of the earths environment. Beef ware is the largest cause of deforestation in Costa Rica.Approximately 60 percent of Costa Rica has been cleared out to make room for cattle ranching (Algee, cows Ranching). During the 1960s, problems worsened when the United States offered Costa Rican cattle ranchers millions of dollars in loans to produce beef (Viva Costa Rica), so all the ranchers had the forests cleared for space for more cattle. by and by Costa Rica stopped shipping cattle to the U. S. , the country was left with bare spots, where trees were cleared out, and most of the cattle was moved to the Pacific Northwest side of Costa Rica.Fruit plantations are the second largest cause of deforestation in Costa Rica, specifically banana plantations. Banana plantations now cover 130,000 acres of previously set land in Costa Rica (Guadua Bamboo). Bananas are Costa Ricas main moneymaking industr y. While certain conservation laws have been passed to protect areas from banana market-gardening in Costa Rica, the government lacks the resources to enforce them. The banana industry is known for its dangerously high use of pesticides, which in the 1970s, ca utilize thousands of plantation workers to become sterile (Guadua Bamboo).These pesticides used to maintain fruits, may enter the pissing systems and contaminate the water. Nutrient balance in the soil is also disrupted by the removal of the rainforests to make steering for fruit plantations, by exhausting the soils and leaving them weak. Weak soil makes it challenging to maintain the land for agriculture. When a ground surface is stripped of vegetation, the upper soils becomes incapacitated to water erosion. Costa Rica loses about 860 million tons of valuable topsoil every year (Mongabay). Forests have a natural ability to absorb water when it rains, and release it slowly into rivers.Without the vast amounts of vegetation , flash floods are caused, the water rushes into the rivers, taking the sediment with it. Once the sediment builds up, the water no longer flows, and it floods the areas. The increased sediment load of rivers suffocates fish eggs, causing lower hatch rates, reducing the fishing industry. Erosion also destroys roads and highways that cross through the forest. The government does not eject down the roads, but must rebuild them repeatedly, using money that could be used more productively elsewhere.Deforestation is the number one cause of global warming. In his article Deforestation The Hidden Cause of Global Warming, Daniel Howden explains Carbon emissions from deforestation far outstrip damage caused by planes and automobiles and factories deforestation accounts for up to 25 percent of global emissions of heat-trapping gases, while transport and industry account for 14 percent each and aviation makes up only 3 percent of the total Deforestation results in the immediate release of ca rbon farm animald in trees as carbon-dioxide emissions. Trees are 50 percent carbon.When they are felled or burned, the carbon dioxide they store escapes back into the air. Carbon dioxide helps absorb heat therefore too much carbon dioxide results in global warming. Costa Rica has an amazing conservation program that protects more than 10 percent of the country (Mongabay). One protected strip of forest runs for 40 miles, through nine ecological zones. The country presented a plan in 1995 to protect 18 percent of the country in national parks and another 13 percent in privately owned preserves. The country is targeting to protect the areas with the most biodiversity.The government funds the project by issuing landowners forest protection certificates, which will annually pay landowners about $50 for every 2. 5 acres of forest, with the agreement that the forest will be protected. In 2005, another program added Costa Rica to which wealthy nations were called to compensate poor nation s for rainforest conservation. The amount of Costa Rican land deforested annually has declined since 1977, by 118,158 acres (Wikipedia). Around two-thirds of Costa Ricas remaining rainforests are now protected.Companies that are felling trees in Costa Rican forests are destroying the earths environment. These companies that contribute to deforestation are killing various species, and are ultimately harming the earth itself through greenhouse gas emissions. Costa Rica is doing a great note repairing their forests, and making sure that certain areas will remain untouched. Last year, the country passed a law that will decentralize their decision-making. The efforts the country is making to stop deforestation, is causing Costa Rica to stand out and show their commitment toward environmental and natural resources issues.