There was a time when the earth was full of forest cover.
It now seems to be disappearing, at an alarming rate.
At the heart of it, trees are an essential part of our ecosystem to absorb the carbon dioxide that we exhale. Over the past few decades, they have taken on the Braveheart role to trap greenhouse gases emitted through human activities.
31 percent of our forest cover serves as home to large populations all over the world. That said, it is due to human impacts that we have lost majority of the world’s tropicals. Deforestation is affecting people, the animals it inhabits and the wider world. The effects, however, reach much farther.
Let’s imagine stepping into the Amazonian tropical forests for a minute. Imagine the lush, green and thick forest cover. You look up high to see a canopy of all shades of green with sunshine trying to seek through the gaps. As you move to feel the ground at your feet, you are welcomed by a grand understory. This carpet of understory is protected by the canopy from the sun. Come storm, these shrubs help hold the soil for the trees strong. There’s a certain cool about the temperature one feels just thinking about it. That’s the ideal Amazon rainforest for you, a forest where it takes the rain water at least 10 minutes to reach the ground through the thick canopy.
Deforestation has deprived the forests of its canopy, thus leaving the understory of bushes and shrubs exposed to the sun rays. The foliage that keep the forests cool during the mornings starts to absorb the heat from the sun. The temperature gets disrupted right there. The dryness setting into the green bed of the forests creates a situation where they can be incendiary.
Alas, the forest fires spreads the blazing crackling sounds in the home of the wild.
Our world hangs in a delicate balance.
Today man has become the biggest threat to the health of the planet. 60% wildlife populations have been lost in less than 50 years (Living Planet Report 2018). We are the first generation to know what we’re doing, and the last who have a chance to put things right.
“WHAT WE DO NOW, AND IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WILL PROFOUNDLY AFFECT THE NEXT FEW THOUSAND YEARS”
There are small changes that we can make right now in our everyday lives. When we come together to make these small changes, they can make a big difference.
SOURCES:
*31percent of forest cover – https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ag.lnd.frst.zs