Use the paragraph to complete the activity.

Question

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 4-5 sentences explaining what the key concept of the paragraph is and how the author develops the key concept.

Answer 1

The key concept of the paragraph is the negative impact of deforestation on forests and the need to stop it. The author develops this concept by first stating the percentage of land covered by forests and then highlighting the rapid decrease in this number. The author identifies deforestation as the main cause of this depletion and describes it as both human-driven and natural loss of trees. The author further explains that deforestation done by humans is more common and provides examples of reasons for deforestation such as clearing land for farming or using wood for fuel, construction, or manufacturing. Finally, the author emphasizes the importance of forests for people, animals, and the environment, and argues that deforestation should be stopped despite potential economic benefits.