The decline in forest cover affects global CO2 concentrations leading to more warming as CO2 traps the sun’s radiation and does not allow it to escape. There is an increased reflection of radiation from a barren area as compared to an area covered with trees and vegetation. As a result, cloud formation shifts to higher elevations from lowland plains which later can cause droughts. Soil quality in a deforested area also declines rapidly.
Deforestation can result in watersheds that are no longer able to sustain and regulate water flows from rivers to steams making them vulnerable to erosion. Erosion will cause siltation in downstream areas which will result in flooding. Trees are highly effective in absorbing water quantities, keeping the amount of water in watersheds to a manageable level.
The World Health Organization states that the traditional people, almost 80% of them, rely on the local biodiversity for their sustenance. In India, more than a fifth of the population and especially the forest-dwelling communities, depend on forests for food and livelihoods. These people already suffer from limited access to health and educational services and benefit little from the government’s economic development programs. Destroying forests has devastating consequences for them.