Forests cover about 31% of the land on Earth. Sadly, that number is decreasing at a rapid rate. Deforestation, which is human-driven and natural loss of trees, is one of the main causes of this depletion. A natural loss of trees might come from a fire, for example, but deforestation done by humans is more common and involves removing trees to make room for something else. This can include clearing land for farming or using the wood from trees for fuel, construction, or manufacturing. Despite these potential economic benefits, deforestation should be stopped because forests are too important for people, animals, and the environment.

Write 3-5 sentences explaining what the key concept of the paragraph is and how the author develops the key concept.

(4 points)

The key concept of the paragraph is the alarming issue of deforestation and its significant effects on the environment. The author introduces the topic by stating the current percentage of Earth's land covered by forests and emphasizes the rapid rate at which this coverage is decreasing. They identify both natural and human-driven causes of deforestation, noting that while natural events like fires contribute to forest loss, the human-driven reasons, such as land clearing for agriculture and wood harvesting for various uses, are more prevalent. The author argues that despite the economic gains associated with deforestation, it should be halted due to the essential role forests play for communities, wildlife, and ecological health. The development of this concept hinges on providing clear causes of deforestation and underlining the imperative to preserve forests due to their broad-based value.