Approximately 90 percent of West Africa's coastal rain forest has disappeared since 1900 (1). If deforestation continues at its present rate there will be no rain forest left in Africa by the year 2099, according to National Geographic (3). How does deforestation affect Africa and what can be done to reduce its effects in Africa? I will attempt to answer these questions through my research. To do this, I will first discuss the worldwide causes of deforestation. I will then discuss how deforestation affects Africa specifically. And, finally, I will draw conclusions from my previous sections to present my ideas as to how deforestation can be reduced in Africa.

Part 1: Worldwide causes of deforestation.

There are many causes for the increasing destruction of the forest. The main one is our growing population. (5) Growth of the world's population has increased the demand for food, fuel and construction materials. These great demands have...