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The earth is losing its forests. Presently, trees
cover about 30 percent of the earth's surface, but they
are being destroyed at an alarming rate, especially in
the tropics. Timber harvesting is a major reason for the
destruction of the forests. Trees are used for building
houses, making furniture, and providing pulp for paper
products, such as newspapers and magazines. At least 40
hectares of rainforest are being felled every minute,
mostly in order to extract the valuable timber.
Another way that man is destroying the world's forests
is by burning them down. In the Amazon, for example,
rainforests are being burnt down at a rate of 20
hectares a minutes. The main reason for this is to clear
the land for farming. Farmers in rainforest countries
are often poor and cannot afford to buy land. Instead,
these farmers clear rainforest h land to raise their
animals or grow their crops. Because tropical rainforest
soil is so poor in nutrients, framers cannot reuse the
same land year after year. In the following years,
farmers just clear more land, destroying the forest
piece by piece. Already more than 30 tropical countries
have reached a critical level of forest destruction and
one-time exporters of timber such as Nigeria and
Thailand now have to import timber for their domestic
needs. Should we get all excited and worried about the
loss of the forests ? Yes, we should. Healthy trees are
a vital part of the environment, and keep the entire
balance of the atmosphere agreeable to all life forms.
Forests are catchment areas for rainwater, holding the
rainwater in the leaves of the trees, so that it will
not sink so quickly into the earth's crust. Furthermore,
the forests help maintain the water cycles in the area.
The masses of cloud that provide the rain are formed
over the moist forests. Thus, the destruction of forests
may also lead to a reduction in rainfall over the area,
resulting in drought. Forests also protect and feed
the earth's fragile mantle of soil. Tees curb soil
erosion. Without the tree cover, the land is totally
exposed to the agents of erosion, such as strong winds
and heavy rainfall. The strong winds blow away the top
layers of the soil and he flowing water carries it away
into the rivers, lakes or sea. Consequently, the once
fertile land is converted into a barren wasteland. In
addition, denuded hill slopes
are vulnerable to landslides, which can be catastrophic
disasters, resulting in the loss of homes and lives.
Apart from preventing soil erosion and landslides,
forests, with their abundant supply of leaves, give
compost back to the land, thus helping it to remain
fertile. the leaves of the trees and the droppings of
the birds, animals and insects which live in them, fall
to the ground, where they decay and replenish the soil
with mulch, minerals and manure. Forests are rich in
flora and fauna. The rainforests are home to over half
of the entire species of the world, which are being
destroyed with the rainforests; and some of those
species that are killed will never return again. Plants
and creatures are god's gift to us and they serve
mankind, each in its own way. For example, plants are
the source of our clothes; and the rubber used for tyres
comes from trees. Plants are also the source of sugar,
coffee, tea, rice, wheat and many delicious and
nutritious fruit. In addition, most of the medicines
that have been used by men are derived from plants and
animals. Most of the Chinese medicines, for example,
such as ginseng and ginkgo, are herb-based. An example
from the realm of modern Western medicine is the drug 'vincristine'.
This drug, which is derived from a jungle plant, is used
in the treatment of leukemia. Many of those species that
have not yet been discovered may very likely cure
cancer, AIDS, and many of the other diseases and
virus-based illnesses of today. In fact, one research
scientist in the field of botany has concluded that in
Costa Rica's forests alone, 15 percent of the plant
species may have the potential as a treatment for
cancer. What potential life-saving medicines are we
losing each day as the forests are being destroyed ?
Apart from all this, let us keep in mind the most basic
function of trees, which is that they provide oxygen.
All living creatures need to breathe oxygen in order to
stay alive. A treeless planet will be an airless and,
therefore, a dead one. |
