Question

How do forests have a favourable effect on the climate of the region?

Answer 1

Hint: About a third of the earth’s land area is covered by forests, which are important for our environment’s health. Forests determine climate change mainly by influencing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Complete answer:
About a third of the earth’s land area is covered by forests, which are important for our environment’s health. Forests are inhabited by about 80 percent of the remaining terrestrial biodiversity. Forests help in regulating water cycles, maintaining the quality of the soil, and in reducing the possibility of natural disasters such as floods. Especially in hilly areas, the roots of plants and trees hold the soil and thus forests prevent soil erosion. Hence they also help to keep a check on floods. They also transmit moisture into the air by the process of transpiration and induce precipitation.

Forests determine climate change mainly by influencing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. During the growth of forests, carbon is drawn out from the atmosphere and absorbed in wood, leaves and soil. Forests are regarded as “carbon sinks”, because of their ability to absorb and store carbon over an extended period of time. This carbon remains stored in the ecosystem of the forest but can be liberated into the atmosphere when forests are burned. Quantifying the essential roles of forests in the absorption, storage, and liberation of carbon is the key to understand the global carbon cycle and hence climate change.


Note: In 1980, the Forest Conservation Act was enacted in India, in order to regulate the indiscriminate deforestation and diversion of forest land for industrial or construction work. In 1988, the Act was amended to further facilitate the prevention of forest destruction.