Deforestation
To learn more about Deforestation on a global scale, I reached out to Robert Dull, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin and active contributor to reforestation, or the act of rebuilding damaged forests, in Central and South America.
In an interview with Mr. Dull, he explains his work involving deforestation and its effect on the world.
Mr. Dull explains that one of the main problems involving deforestation is that when people in Central America attempt to regrow these forests that are cut down for paper mill or lumber use, it is almost impossible to completely restore the forest with the plants and animals that once lived there. With one of the main effects being "cutting down these hundred-year-old forests really hurts the environment and the ecological and biological value of these lands--in terms of the wildlife that once lived there" (Dull, Robert-Private Interview)1.
Mr. Dull's words about the wildlife of these Central and South American forests inspired me to research what deforested areas looked like and how the wildlife is able to rebound from these mass-clearings.
Mr. Dull explains that one of the main problems involving deforestation is that when people in Central America attempt to regrow these forests that are cut down for paper mill or lumber use, it is almost impossible to completely restore the forest with the plants and animals that once lived there. With one of the main effects being "cutting down these hundred-year-old forests really hurts the environment and the ecological and biological value of these lands--in terms of the wildlife that once lived there" (Dull, Robert-Private Interview)1.
Mr. Dull's words about the wildlife of these Central and South American forests inspired me to research what deforested areas looked like and how the wildlife is able to rebound from these mass-clearings.
As shown in this picture, the clearing of trees and plants for the use of the lumber harvested devastates the landscape of the forest and ultimately kills every living thing previously inhabiting the area.2