Africa-Press – Tanzania. A renowned arborist has raised alarm on the cutting of trees, warning that unprecedented deforestation might lead to desertification and loss of habitat for animals in the country.
Mr Jeremy Lowney from “Trees 4 Kili” warned here recently that large scale tree cutting could lead to desertification and greatly contribute to global warming.
The official with the conservation charity noted that when trees are cut down, much of that stored carbon is released into the atmosphere again as Carbon Dioxide.
“Much as we depend on wood fuel, we shouldn’t overlook on the effects that come with cutting of trees for human survival,” observed Mr Lowney.
He equally urged individuals engaged in the selling of firewood to opt for other business ventures with a view of saving Mother Nature.
According to Mr Lowney, cutting trees could result in the loss of habitat for animal species, which he said could harm ecosystems.
Last week, the Tanzania Forest Service Agency (TFS) said the use of fuel wood is estimated to cover more than 90 percent of the total energy consumption in Tanzania.
Firewood is the dominating energy source for cooking and heating in rural households.
The annual use of fuel wood is between 1 and 3 cubic meters per capita.
Numerous small industries such as brick burning, fish smoking, village metal works, lime and cement making demand fuel wood.
Industries such as tobacco and tea estates often use considerable amounts of fuel wood for the drying (curing) processes.
Tanzania has 33 million hectares of forests and woodland, but the country has been losing more than 400,000 hectares of forest annually for two decades, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2020 Global Forests Resources Assessment.
According to National Geographic, “70 per cent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.”
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