the first wase: hunting the green gold
One of the leading causes of forest destruction is logging. Many types of wood used for furniture, flooring, and construction are harvested from tropical forests in Africa, Asia, and South America. By buying certain wood products, people in places like the United States are directly contributing to the destruction of rainforests.
While logging can be carried out in a manner that reduces damage to the environment, most logging in the rainforest is very destructive. Large trees are cut down and dragged through the forest, while access roads open up remote forest areas to agriculture by poor farmers. In Africa logging workers often rely on "bushmeat" for protein. They hunt wildlife like gorillas, deer, and chimpanzees for food.
Research has found that the number of species found in logged rainforest is much lower than the number found in untouched primary rainforest. Many rainforest animals cannot survive in the changed environment.
In other regions, from Indonesia to Canada, forests are clearcutted for paper production. The whole forest is removed and replaced ewith wood plantations.