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Illegal logging

Peatland degradation is also caused by illegal logging. 

Illegal logging is damaging to peatlands ©Ardiles Rante - HKV/Pantau Gambut
Illegal logging is damaging to peatlands ©Ardiles Rante - HKV/Pantau Gambut

Illegal logging is carried out to take timber forest products and open access to unspoiled peatlands for planting industrial plants. Due to lost forest cover or biomass, the peatlands lose its natural condition.

The forest cover keeps the peatlands wet throughout the year by reducing evaporation, among other things. This slows down the process of decomposition and locks in the soil carbon. 

With a sparse forest canopy, the peatlands are directly exposed to sunlight. The carbon in the peatlands dries up and the soil depth decreases.  Exposure to atmospheric oxygen converts carbon into carbon dioxide and releases it into the air, thereby, causing a rise in the earth’s temperature and negatively impacting life on Earth.

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