Question:

Use the paragraph to complete the activity.

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.

The key concept of the paragraph is the negative impacts of deforestation. The author develops this concept by first providing a statistic about the current state of forests on Earth and the alarming rate at which they are decreasing. The author then explains the two main causes of deforestation - human-driven and natural loss of trees. They further elaborate on the human-driven aspect, describing the various reasons behind it such as clearing land for farming and using trees for various purposes. Finally, the author argues that despite potential economic benefits, deforestation should be stopped because of its importance to people, animals, and the environment.