International Day of the Forests: Forests and Biodiversity (1)
By Kristieana Ugbem
“When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.” -Cree Indians-
A s a freshman in my southwest-Nigerian university, I was particularly captivated by the trees around my school and since I come from the northern Savannah region, this was a whole new experience. For the first time, I had the privilege of seeing and watching squirrels jump between trees while I walked to morning classes in the serene weather and this soon became the highlight of my mornings. One day I followed a bushy shortcut and met an orange lizard-like reptile but for its length, I could have said it was an orange lizard. We both ran in opposite directions upon sighting each other and that was the first and last time we ever met.
Fast-forward to my final year, walking to class lost its value to me as I lost count of the tees that had been cut over time. They said some were dead and were a threat to the surrounding; the others were cut into logs and replaced by beautiful structures. I missed the natural beauty and serenity of the environment. Now I was greeted by the harsh enthusiasm of the sun and its accompanying heat. I still wonder how the squirrels felt after receiving this unfair ejection, robbed of their rights to roam, feed and have a home.
What Forests Mean To Us
When you think about forests, you think about the wood we use as furniture in our rooms or the roof timbers. Remember the recreational centre where you go to have fun hiking and cycling. Nutritious and medicinal herbs plus other plants that serve important purposes grow mostly in forests for our benefits. Like the strange animal I was privileged to meet; forests serve as home to many animal species. Photosynthesis, nutrient cycling and soil formation are also important functions we cannot overlook. Have you been told that the serenity of the forest area is due to the forest trees’ biochemistry? They trap harmful greenhouse gases like carbon and release oxygen for us, thus, counteracting global warming and climate change. Do you know that forest help to purify water, trap and decompose wastes and thus reduce environmental pollution? They help to buffer natural disasters like floods and also control erosion. Indeed, forests mean everything to us.
Forest Biodiversity
Forest biodiversity encompasses the genetic, specific and ecosystemic variations of the trees, plants, animals and microorganisms inhabiting forests and the complex interactions between them. These biologically diverse species are responsible for maintaining the stability of forest functions as an ecosystem. These are the food provision, regulatory, cultural and soil support services outlined above.
Forests house a large percentage of terrestrial biodiversity and the unusually fast deterioration of species diversity can only be attributed to deforestation and other harmful explorations. If we keep destroying the biodiversity of our forests, soon we would have limited food choices as only the most resilient crops will survive our destructive actions. What if the species that help to pollinate plants cease to exist, who’s going to do the job? Remember that even the pollinating agents and other wildlife serve as our food too. For every species we render extinct, we stand to lose a thousand possible cures to diseases. It doesn’t end there; we pollute the air and kill the purifying agents, really? Every species is instrumental in the maintenance of forests as an ecosystem hence the need to maintain biodiversity.
Forests biodiversity is threatened by factors such as climate change, pollution and environmental degradation. The rising temperatures, seasonal variations and other effects that accompany climate change cause a decline in species. Natural and man-induced degradation such as pollution and over-exploitation make habitats unfit for survival and habitation. With the changes beyond species adaptive abilities, they cannot help but die leaving only the highly resilient struggling to survive.
Clearly, the majority of us have underestimated the power of forests in our existence. Our actions so far are perfectly described as “biting the very hands that feed you,” It’s true that our advancing technology and increasing population demands much more dependence on our forest resources. Perhaps, we need to remember that when you destroy the forest, it’s not just the trees that go; we all begin to fall apart. Need I remind you again, we are one of the species susceptible to the dangers we are creating. The hazards we have suffered so far are just the start of the penalties for destroying our forests.
What’s the Way Forward?
The way forward is by reforestation and forest biodiversity restoration. Reforestation is the restocking of forest trees in areas of depletion by natural or artificial processes. Forest restorations are more deliberate actions to accelerate the restoration of forests’ ecological structure, function and biodiversity.
Replanting trees can be simple if taken more seriously, will save our earth lots of headaches. Plant indigenous species and make room for natural regeneration of forest species. The fact is large scale forest restoration is more complex than just planting trees. It requires a clearly defined strategy to maintain the structure and function of the forests. We have to plant different species on our forest lands to maintain its diversity and stability. Therefore, intense research needs to be done to analyse the long-term implications of forest restoration strategies.
Forest conservation and Restoration will no doubt take lots of personal will, commitment, labour, finance, time, patience and effective long-term strategies. I hope we all celebrate our forests today in retrospect and resolution for a better future. I’ll close with an excerpt from the NY times in 1995. If this is still a relevant caution in 2020, clearly we haven’t been listening.
“…remember that environmental protection is not a luxury for sentimental tree-huggers but a matter of long-term survival for the human race.”
- JANET TOWNSEND Pleasantville, N.Y., Aug. 9, 1995
