It’s Not Just The Trees

Deforestation causes problems that are not solely concerned with the trees that grow in a forest. In a forest, there is all manner of life that lives and grows. It is often ignored that within a forest, there are trees, animals and plants that all contribute to the ecosystem of the area. Destroying a forest is not just damaging because of the trees that are lost. Often, there are consequences that go far beyond what is assumed by the majority of people. This is seldom mentioned in connection with the plant life in the forests of the world.

Among the plants growing in threatened forests, there are many which can commonly be used for medical purposes. These are often rare plants which can be and are used in creating medicines that will save lives. Once the plants are gone, their ingredients cannot be made in a laboratory, so there is a lot at stake when companies decide to send in the chainsaws and cut down a significant part of this world’s delicate balance.

It is important to remember this when the issue of deforestation is discussed. It is quite bad enough that we lose trees that contribute just by standing there, but the natural world that is protected by them often carries things that we are all the poorer for losing. Balanced against the ease of access to cheaper, smoother paper and a burger and fries, it is not hard to see why so many of us are deeply concerned over the potential loss of a large amount of forest land.