When trees and vegetation in a forest are cleared out it is known as deforestation. The land that is thus obtained by clearing the forest is then used for various purposes such as creating residential or industrial areas or for the practice of agriculture or for laying roads or railway tracks. There has been large scale deforestation in India over the past couple of centuries.
Deforestation leads to serious ecological consequences. Wildlife species that live on trees lose their homes. They search for other habitats where they can live or they perish. Trees are also a source of food for man and many herbivorous wildlife species of the forests. By cutting down trees this source of food is destroyed. Forest products are also a source of livelihood for people who live near forests. When forests are cleared out these communities suffer. Deforestation also disturbs the hydrological cycle and climatic patterns.
