Trees are one of the most precious natural resources we have and, unfortunately, also one of the most threatened. Therefore, it is important to instill since childhood the value that forests have, both when conserving and enriching ecosystems, and when guaranteeing human survival.
If you want to explain the Consequences of deforestation for childrenas well as making them understand the great value that the forests of our planet have, continue reading ecology and we tell you.
The water cycle and the importance of forests
In order for children to understand one of the most important elements that forests have, it is first necessary to understand The water cycle And how forests can help regulate their effects. The natural water cycle begins with the rain. Clouds discharge water in the form of rain on the earth and the different bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers, allowing Terrestrial ecosystems Create and develop properly. Next, the water is conducted by the rivers to the sea, where it joins the rest of the ocean water and, later, evaporates, forming new clouds that will give rise to new rains, thus closing the cycle.
However, one more element must be taken into account in this cycle, and this is where one of the most important aspects of forests and that children have to understand. All rainwater does not necessarily come from the seas, but there is also water on the mainland, especially in areas with forests. When it rains, a very important part of that water ends in the rivers. But, another part filters on earth and recharges the underground aquifersallowing, thus, having water even in the times when it does not rain too much. In fact, for this water to soak the soils well and do not quickly slide to the rivers, it is necessary that the soils have vegetation, since Forest trees roots They allow this water to leak better to aquifers. In this way, here we find one of the reasons why forests are so importantas well as why Deforestation It is one of the biggest problems we face today.
To expand information related to this, you can consult this other article on why the conservation of tropical forests is important.
Evapotranspiration, important to understand the consequences of deforestation
However, forests, in addition to helping to recharge and preserve natural aquifers in areas of the mainland, also play an important role, since Forests are able to create cloudswhich is why few clouds are formed in desert areas, which can be very striking for children and that will also facilitate their attention.
Everyone is known that plants, like animals, breathe. However, plants emit O2, while animals expel CO2. In this way, the waste of one is useful for the others, and vice versa, closing a cycle that should be kept in balance due to the interest of all living beings and ecosystems of the planet. At this point, the children can be set to example that, when they breathe, they emit water vapor in addition to CO2 (the test can be done causing to expel vaho in a mirror and check the effect). This happens with all the breaths, including those of plants, and also those of trees. This means that, when all the trees of the forest breathe, they emit the same voaho as the children emit in the mirror. In fact, the trees emit water vapor through the leaves, an effect known as evapotranspiration.
The most important part of Evapotranspiration It is that, when emitting water vapor to the atmosphere, and in doing so in the large amounts in which forests do because they are large masses of vegetation, clouds occur. That is, that all clouds do not come only from the evaporation of sea water, but can also occur directly on the mainland thanks to the effect of Forest breathing. These clouds act in the same way as the clouds produced in the seas, but with a difference, they do not need to move through the winds to the mainland, so they usually download their rain again on the same forests and lands that have formed them, giving rise to a shorter cycle of water but very efficient when it comes to keeping an ecosystem flourishing. In this way, forests not only help us obtain fresh water through aquifers, but also do it creating clouds on the mainland, so Deforestation threatens the natural water supply We need to live.
Check this other article to know well the causes of deforestation and expand the explanation to children.
Loss of oxygen, one of the consequences of the most serious deforestation
Finally, another of the elements that we cannot stop mentioning at the time of Explain to a child because deforestation has dire consequences For the ecosystem, the planet and the human being is Oxygen. Oxygen is one of the most important gases we find in our atmosphere for several reasons. The first and closest is because it is gas that animals, including human being, breathe, so we need it for something as simple as staying alive.
Secondly, another of the importance factors that oxygen has is that it is the main gas that opposes CO2 (carbon dioxide), one of the main winter effect gases, which is the most direct responsible for climate change on our planet. In this way, how much more advance the deforestation, less oxygen there will be in the air and, consequently, faster will be developed Climate change. In the same way, on the contrary, the more forests we keep, as well as the more trees we propose, the more presence of oxygen there will be in the atmosphere, ensuring a healthier air than breathing and a more balanced climate and away from the greenhouse effect.
In this other ecology article, we explain how to take care of forests.
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