Climate Science and Policy

Deforestation is a major cause of the loss of biodiversity and decline of ecosystems crucial for all living creatures in expansive sections of the world. It is the scarcity of life, a sign of living organisms in an environment with desolate grounds. Ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to the scattered tropical island rainforests of Indonesia in the eastern hemisphere, forested areas such as these impacted by deforestation provide critical ecosystem services along with massive carbon absorption. The entire planet relies on both areas for resources aiding in fauna necessities. The main components of this project examine deforestation with concerns aimed at the causes of deforestation, as well as its effects on fauna of the Amazon Rainforest, both humans and animals alike. There are maps to highlight the main factors that contribute to deforestation in addition to interviews with the residents of the Amazon Basin to understand their perspective on habitat and fauna loss as a response to climate-induced deforestation. Specific fauna in this project will act as factors of significance which will explain the harmful effects of deforestation spread caused by wildfires and flooding. Common mule deer are excellent indicator species of habitat loss simply because of their abundance as they migrate across the entire state of California. Recent wildfires in California correlated with habitat ranges of this specific species will illustrate a story of deforestation’s destructive tendencies in locations that are already significantly affected by extreme heat and weather patterns. The three-toed sloth is another example of a species acting as an indicator of habitat loss as this species can be found all over the entire country of Brazil.