Abstract

We underline the main causes of deforestation andpresent a framework for mitigating the continual loss of foresthabitat around the world. The causes of deforestation arecomplex and they operate at multiple spatial and temporalscales, yet they are related to societal and political factors.Societal factors consist of human migration within ruralsettings and poverty. Political factors include ineffective landmanagement and negligence of monitoring and protectingforest commodities. Combined, these factors present arduouschallenges to protecting forest habitats. In turn, there are atleast three strategies to reduce further forest loss. The firststrategy involves the cessation of timber cutting and extractionof other forest products. But just as important is the secondstrategy of creating and maintaining more EnvironmentalProtected Areas. The third strategy is perhaps the greatestchallenge, and it involves the adoption of the “green nudgeprinciple”, whereby individuals are educated to modifyindividual behaviors related to patterns of consumption and tothe conservation of remaining forests. This is especially true forthe increasingly endangered primary forests. An adoption ofthese mitigation strategies will help reduce deforestation andwill help improve global environments.