The most common pressures causing deforestation and severe forest degradation are agriculture, unsustainable forest management, mining, infrastructure projects and increased fire incidence and intensity.

Who is responsible for deforestation?

1. Agricultural Expansion. The conversion of forests into agricultural plantations is a major cause of deforestation. The increase in global demand for commodities, such as palm oil and soybeans, are driving industrial-scale producers to clear forests at an alarming rate.

Who started deforestation?

Deforestation probably originated with the use of fire, and estimates are that 40–50% of the Earth's original forest area has been lost. Some of that loss happened before settled agriculture began, approximately 10,000 years ago, but only in recent decades is there reliable information on rates of deforestation.