TheWorldJournal.com

Endangered Forests
By Chhandita Chakravarty, TheWorldJournal.com

Green trees swaying to the silent music of nature has to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world. To see these majestic beings is to see the beauty of this planet.

Biologist Norman Myers notes, "Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet." But soon we'll be able to witness this grandeur of nature only in archives. Rainforests, home to millions of species are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Scientists predict that the rainforest cover of the earth which today stands at a mere 2%, will be lost in a matter of 40 years if deforestation is not curbed in time! Even as you are reading these lines rainforests equal to the size of a football ground are being lost. Forever. But why should we worry about some trees in some far off world? We humans are really not bothered by a situation not effecting us directly. So the first thing to do is to understand how this destruction is effecting 'You and Me.

Rainforests influence just about every aspect of life on earth.

* They are home to the most extensive bio-diversity found anywhere on the world. The very existence of this diversity depends on the existence of these forests. Even as we finish our lunch in the next hour approximately six species will be lost forever. Extinction is a natural process, but what is alarming is the rate of extinction today. It is not natural but human-induced and without a precedent. The number-one cause of this extinction is habitat destruction. Simply put, when habitat is destroyed, species disappear. If de-forestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate that nearly 80-90 percent of rainforest eco-systems will be destroyed by the year 2020.

* Currently, 121 prescription drugs, derived from plant sources are sold all over the world. Less than 1% of all tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists, this despite the fact that 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from forest ingredients. Rainforests are a huge reservoir of medicinal plants and herbs. Cure for diseases such as AIDS, Cancer may be lost even before scientists have a chance to discover them in the mysterious world of of these forests.

* Only a small fraction of the water available on earth is fresh and of that only an iota is currently accessible. 50% of this water is available in the rainforests region of the world.

To list the value of rainforests might turn out to be an endless task. But these points might give a clearer picture.

From their importance, lets now try to understand the causes for the destruction of rainforests.

Unstable Political atmosphere, resource exploitation by multi-national agencies and widespread poverty have pushed these wellsprings of life to their near end. There are many causes for deforestation. The most important being wood extraction. Rising international debt, poverty and political instability have driven many third world countries to sell their natural wealth to multi-national corporations for a pittance, thus settling for short term gain against long term economic growth.

Burgeoning population has meant added burden on land for accommodation, animal rearing, cultivation etc. People are clearing away forests as a solution for all these needs. After indiscriminate farming, the soil is stripped of its nutrients, and people have no option but to move further on into the forests to search for new fertile land. And this pattern is repeated. This kind of ruthless deforestation by burning the rainforests for cropland and unregulated timber usage has destroyed more than 15% of the Amazon in only 30 years! At this rate we'll loose the beautiful Amazon in a matter of a few decades.

Rainforest conservation does not conflict with commerce. In fact it makes good business sense to conserve the forests. What we are looking at are short-term gains but conserving these treasure houses will ensure immense long term profits. Tourism is one of the many ways of making money through these rain forests (if what they already provide is not good enough for us to protect them). In 2001, 1.2 million tourists visited Costa Rica's tropical rainforest parks, which obviously did no harm to its economy and generated quite a decent amount of capital!

Now that we know how valuable these forests are and the reasons for their destruction, we can concentrate our attention on the urgent question of conserving them. Why they have to be saved is easy to understand but how is the difficult question.

Simple and easy steps will go long way in making these beautiful creations of nature retain their rightful place on this planet.

It is imperative that people realize that rainforests are more valuable when they are green and alive than when they are cut and burned. Creating a new source of income for people through the harvesting the medicinal plants, fruits nuts, oil and other sustainable resources can easily persuade the destroyer to become the conservator.

But first adequate demand for these rainforest products has to be created in the market.

These are some broader steps and will take some time to execute but every one of us can do our part today.

Start by using both sides of paper-don't waste paper. Use cloth bags for shopping, use cloth napkins and towels, and avoid disposable paper plates and cups. Alternative tree-free paper is also available and should be used wherever possible. This kind of paper is made from agricultural products like waste straw, and does not require even a single tree to be cut for its production.

Kill the market. If there is no market for the various products obtained from the destruction of rainforests then it will make better sense for the people involved to move on to more profitable ventures. We are the market and we can kill it. Refuse to use products using raw materials from rainforests.

If we feel strongly about conserving rainforests then there are several ways of doing our bit. We just have to start somewhere.

It is our responsibility to save the remaining rainforest before its too late. Won't it be a shame to loose millions of years of evolution in a matter of a few decades?

© October 12, 2003