Why is it important?

Deforestation is the clearing of forests. Although it ocurred mainly in Europe in the past, most deforestation is now in rainforests. Rainforests were the last forests to become accessible for large operations. Slash-and-burn agriculture, mining, and logging are major causes in tropical areas. Since trees produce oxygen, it reduces the Earth's capacity to recover from extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Deforestation is a huge threat to any plant or animal living in a forest. It also contributes to climate change, soil erosion, reduced biodiversity, fewer crops, and flooding.

How could this problem be solved or mitigated?

One way to help reduce deforestation is with drones and satellites. Drones can fly overhead and search for illegal logging. Satellite imagery can also be analyzed for this using an AI. Another technique is acoustic monitoring. Microphones are placed in various parts of the forest and alert rangers if they hear people or a chainsaw.