Deforestation happens when forests are permanently destroyed. The main culprits? Cutting down trees to make room for housing and urbanization, harvesting timber for commercial uses and creating room for cattle ranching or farming. In addition to destroying animal habitat, deforestation contributes to climate change and it also leads to soil erosion. Here is the latest science news about deforestation and how it is affecting our world.
Latest about deforestation
'Your fear is well-founded': How human activities have raised the risk of tick-borne diseases like Lyme
Changes to forests, and how close people and their livestock live to them, have changed tick habitats and the risks humans face of Lyme disease and other illnesses.
Amazon rainforest is approaching 'tipping points' that could transform it into a drier savanna
Researchers caution that the Amazon rainforest could disappear in the next hundred years, due to the combined effects of climate change and deforestation, and a new model predicts how that could transpire.
'It's like trying to grow a tree in an oven': Gold mining is sucking the Amazon rainforest dry
Gold mining in the Amazon removes so much water from the ground that it's too hot and dry for seedlings to survive.
Deforestation: Facts about the widespread destruction of Earth's forests
Fact file Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming or livestock, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.
Shapeshifting rusty river winds through Madagascar's 'red lands'
Earth from space This 2018 astronaut photo shows the rust-colored waters of Madagascar's Betsiboka River winding through a complex series of mangrove islands. Both the river and islands have been altered in recent years by destructive human practices.
Giant 1.5-foot-long rat that can crack open coconuts photographed for 1st time on remote island
After years of failed attempts, scientists have finally succeeded in snapping images of an extremely rare, enormous rat that is so big it can reportedly chew through coconuts on the Solomon Islands.
Tropical rainforests could get too hot for photosynthesis and die if climate crisis continues, scientists warn
Data collected by the International Space Station has revealed a small fraction of leaves in the world's tropical rainforests are already exceeding peak temperatures, and scientists warn that this could increase.
World's only known albino giant anteater appears to be thriving in the wild, photos show
The white anteater, known as Alvin, was first spotted late last year clinging to his mother's back.
