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A hectare is a square unit of measurement equal to 100 acres.

Between 1990 and 2015, we lost 129 million hectares of forest--an area about the size of South Africa.

Deforestation is the term given to the human action of intentionally removing forest ecosystems from a land and turning the land into less diverse ecosystems for human use.

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What are the main causes of deforestation?

1. Farming

     Farming is the single greatest cause of deforestation, accounting for 80% between 2000 and 2010.

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2. Grazing and Feeding Livestock

     An estimated 60% of the deforestation involved with farming is caused by the need to grow soy to feed livestock (especially poultry and pigs).

3. Mining and Drilling

     Mining and drilling account for around 7% of all deforestation as resources continue to be extracted from the earth.

4. Paper Production

     Every 15 seconds, 199 tons of paper is produced. Paper also accounts for 26% of total waste in landfills.

    

Continue to the next section for ways to reduce deforestation based on your personal consumption habits.

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