History The Atlantic Slave Trade Questions
The legacies of the Atlantic Slave Trade in environmental impact include deforestation, soil degradation, and the introduction of non-native species. The demand for timber to build ships and plantations led to extensive deforestation in West Africa. The cultivation of cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton depleted the soil, causing long-term degradation. Additionally, the forced migration of enslaved Africans resulted in the unintentional introduction of non-native species to the Americas, which had both positive and negative effects on the environment.