By Hauwa Ali
Forest is an integral part of our lives as humans because our daily life has a direct or indirect connection with it.
From the air we breathe to the wood we use, the importance of forest cannot be underestimated. Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food and fuel security. Also from the forest, we get by-products that go into everyday items like medicines, cosmetics, detergents etc.
We need the forest to absorb not only the carbon dioxide that we exhale, but also the heat-trapping greenhouse gases that human activities emit. As those gases enter the atmosphere, global warming increases, leading to climate change.
The forests also serve as a source of livelihoods for humans, besides providing habitats for animals and about 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change.
Despite the good benefits, Forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Since 1990, the world has lost 420 million hectares or about a billion acres of forest, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations—mainly in Africa and South America.
Despite our huge dependence on forests, why are we still allowing them to disappear, sacrificing the long-term benefits of standing trees for short-term gains?
There’s no doubt that the need for industrialisation and a great increase in population are the major factors contributing to the gradual disappearance of the forests, in addition to people’s ignorance of its value and importance.
But what will happen if all forests are destroyed?
Obviously, the levels of oxygen in the air would decrease since all forest trees use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and release generous amounts of oxygen for us to breathe. Life would be compromised at lower oxygen levels and all mammals, reptiles, birds, humans, insects and other oxygen breathing creatures would suffer.
Also the oxygen in the air that dissolves into oceans, rivers, lakes would diminish, causing aquatic life to suffer and decline as the ocean growing green plants would be insufficient to oxygenate the oceans.
Trees remove chemicals and toxins from the atmosphere. So without them, there’d be a decrease in air quality.
Without forests drawing carbon dioxide from the air, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will increase, resulting in the increase of earth’s temperature or global warming.
Again, in the absence of trees, the animals will not get food and shelter and it will subsequently lead to death of most.
Trees also hold down the ground. So without trees, there’d be an increase in soil-loss leading to sandstorms, dust storms and flood as the soil will not hold water, which will cause floods.
Indeed deforestation will endanger our life and environment.
What can be done
There are many ways to stop deforestation for the sake of our climate and environment as obviously, the world is on an extreme urge to slow down the pace of climate change by saving water, preserving wildlife, and planting more and more trees.
Preventing deforestation is the only trend scientists prefer now to call for a practical impact on climate change.
For deforestation to stop on a large scale, we need governments across the world to be a part of it, by making forest conservation policies based on latest sciences and ensuring the enforcement of the policies to improve forest protection programs continously.
There is a need for global commitment to save tropical forests with international funding, to serve as incentive to improve forest protection.
Anyone and everyone can make a difference at some level by contributing to the fight to save the forests and wildlife by making informed choices on a daily basis, like:
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•Preserving the trees in our immediate environment,
•Teaching others about the importance of the environment and how they can help save rainforests,
•Establishing parks to protect rainforests and wildlife,
•Using eco-friendly products and eating sustainable foods,
• Restoring damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down.
•Recycling more, and conserving water and energy
•Collaborating and Supporting forest conservation organisations/companies that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment.
These are just part of a long journey everyone has to take in the pursuit to save our environment by achieving zero deforestation.
