deforestation

American  

[dee-fawr-uh-stey-shuhn, for-] / ˌdi fɔr əˈsteɪ ʃən, fɒr- /

noun

1. the clearing or severe thinning of a forest or other wooded area, leaving few or no trees.

   Most of the world’s deforestation is happening in Brazil.

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deforestation Scientific  

/ dē-fôr′ĭ-stā′shən /

1. The cutting down and removal of all or most of the trees in a forested area. Deforestation can erode soils, contribute to desertification and the pollution of waterways, and decrease biodiversity through the destruction of habitat.

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deforestation Cultural  

1. The process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else. The term is used today to refer to the destruction of forests by human beings and their replacement by agricultural systems.

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Discover More

Deforestation is considered to be a main contributor to the greenhouse effect.

Etymology

Origin of deforestation

First recorded in 1870–75; deforest ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

But environmentalists who have long warned about the risks of rampant deforestation fear the current response will not solve the problem, and could even make it worse.

From Barron's

Vast stretches of a once-verdant acacia forest south of Sudan's capital Khartoum have been reduced to little more than fields of stumps as nearly three years of conflict have fuelled deforestation.

From Barron's

While there, he received recognition for his graphics work on Amazon deforestation and Arctic climate change.

From The Wall Street Journal

The so-called ecocide narrative argues that deforestation led to conflict and population decline before Europeans arrived in the 18th century, turning the island into a cautionary tale about overconsumption.

From Science Daily

BBC News has recently documented uncovered toxic waste ponds, deforestation and soil erosion at rare earth mines in Northern China.

From BBC

Related Words

• desertification
• erosion
• logging