What is identified as the main cause of global deforestation?

• A. Deforestation due to urban expansion.
• B. Logging for timber extraction.
• C. Cattle farming.
• D. Mining activities.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the biggest driver of forest loss worldwide is transforming forest land into agricultural use, especially pasture for cattle ranching. Clearing forests to create pasture requires vast areas of land, and in many tropical regions this conversion happens on a large, sustained scale to support beef and dairy production. That extensive land-use change tends to account for more forest loss than other activities like logging, mining, or urban development, which either remove trees in smaller patches or don’t permanently replace large areas with a single new use. So cattle farming stands out as the primary cause because it drives the most permanent, widespread conversion of forest to agricultural land.