Deforestation refers to the clearing of forests, usually at such a rapid rate that it is impossible for the forests to regenerate naturally in a short time. Deforestation brings benefits to humans by clearing land that can be used for settlement, to make space for a growing population to live in.
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However, it also brings harm to humans because eroded topsoil from deforested areas can flow into rivers, causing them to become silted and flood more easily. Also, the clearing of forests with methods such as burning trees down will lead to air pollution. Deforestation is beneficial to humans because it creates more areas for the creation of settlements. Rapidly growing populations require more space to live in, to prevent overpopulation. New settlements (i. e. ousing and social facilities) can be built upon empty, open spaces created through the clearing of previously forested (and uninhabitable) areas.
People can move into these new settlements, instead of overpopulated and overcrowded areas where living conditions are less desirable (i. e. lesser space, lesser availability if services and facilities). An example of how deforestation benefits humans in this way can be seen in Kalimantan. The city of Balikpapan is one of the largest in Kalimantan, and had a population of 400000 in 2005.
As a result of the growth of this city, the settlement of Balikpapan has expanded into a protected forest adjacent to it to prevent overcrowding in the city. On the other hand, deforestation brings harm to humans because it can lead to erosion of the topsoil and siltation of rivers near the deforested areas. The tree canopy of a rainforest provides shelter from rain for the soil, and the roots help hold the soil in place. This helps to prevent the topsoil from being washed away by the rain. However, when a forest is cleared, the tree canopy and roots no longer help to keep the soil in place.
Thus, when water from rains runs across deforested areas, the topsoil becomes eroded and is carried into rivers. The rivers then become silted as they are gradually filled with deposits of topsoil, eventually leading to flooding. This will destroy crops, sanitation facilities and diseases will spread. This has happened in 2001 when the East Kalimantan cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan, which were located near a forest reserve which had been affected by deforestation, were struck by many severe floods.
Also, the use of fire to deforest an area may cause air pollution. One method that is commonly used to clear a forested area is to burn the trees and other plants down. This causes a lot of dust and smoke to be released into the air, causing air pollution. Huge forest fires can cause dust and smoke to be suspended in the air for some time, resulting in haze that will be experienced in many regions, even those far away from the deforested area. The haze can cause health problems, such as lung and throat diseases.
An example of this is in September 2002, when the haze produced from deforestation caused many people to suffer from health problems and everyday activities to cease as the Pollution Standard Index in Central Kalimantan soared to 15 times the safe level. These effects were also observed in other parts of the Southeast Asian Region. Using the criteria of scale, I agree that the harm brought by deforestation to humans would be greater than the benefits.
Flooding caused by the erosion of topsoil and siltation of rivers is widespread; it will affect a large area and many people (as seen with Samarinda and Balikpapan in 2001). The haze (air pollution) produced from deforestation also affects a huge area and many people, as seen with the burning of forests in Kalimantan in 2002 which led to the entire Southeast Asia region being affected. In contrast, the creation of new settlements involves lesser people and a smaller area. Thus, I conclude that deforestation brings about more harm than benefits to humans.
