Human activity has helped build longer lives, safer homes, and global trade. It has also placed heavy pressure on the systems that provide clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, and stable weather. A stark example of this is deforestation. Forest loss often begins at the edge, where roads and clearing open new land. Deforestation changes more than the view Forests cover about 31% of the world’s land area, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations