Forests around the world is being taken down every day to make way for industrial agricultural expansion. Logging and mining clears forest areas for their natural resources. This causes the lost of millions of hectares of forest loss each year. Even though forest loss can also be attributed to wildfires, human activities and over harvesting are the main culprits that disturb the once healthy forest ecosystems.
Forest loss also means biodiversity loss within the forest ecosystem. Many plants and trees are disappearing along with the animals that lives within. Losing trees and plants also means that the ability of forests to be a carbon absorber and container is decreasing. It will, in turn, release the carbon it is holding and that will contribute to the already warming earth. The loss of biodiversity is not only bad for the planet but it will have a huge impact on humans if continued. High biodiversity ecosystems provides humans with necessities such as fresh water and soil fertility. They are also the source of medicine and other natural materials that we need to make products we use in day to day life. Upsetting these ecosystems will also affect our economies with potential losses that goes into the billions.
There is a dominoes effect in the negative effects of forest loss and biodiversity loss. Luckily, we are not entirely ignorant and there are active programs launched to fight biodiversity loss. USAID have done many projects around the world, such as MACH in Bangladesh, that have successfully balanced harvesting and sustainability. Artists are also hopping onto the train and demonstrating the severity of the issue through beautiful pieces of artwork. Sara Gevurtz is one of them with her piece Hanging By A Thread. The piece shows the endangered species list of 300 species in California that are at risk of losing their habitat. From materials to color, the piece alludes to how human activity is the main cause of the crisis.