CAMPAIGN GREEN COUNTY: PUBLIC AWARENESS ON DEFORESTATION,
2015 & BEYOND
LET’S JOIN HANDS
IN DISCOURAGING WANTON DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURE!
Deforestation is the permanent
destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses, are
lost due to negative human activities. In recent times, pastoralists have
embarked on cutting trees for fencing of plots, firewood and charcoal. This has
depleted the positive impact of trees providing cool weather and serene
biodiversity. Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planet's
fresh water.
Some other
common reasons for wanton destruction of tree include;
- Making land available for
housing and urbanization
- Harvesting timber to create commercial items such as
paper, furniture and homes
- creating ingredients that are
highly prized consumer items, such as the oil from palm trees
- Creating room for cattle
ranching
·
Common methods of deforestation are
burning trees and clear cutting. These tactics leave the land completely barren
and are controversial practices.
In our
effort to enlighten the wider community on the adverse effects of
deforestation, we wish to elaborate the looming implications resulting from
this massive destructive on our nature.
Deforestation causes carbon dioxide to
linger in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide accrues, it produces a layer in the
atmosphere that traps radiation from the sun. The radiation converts to heat
which causes global warming, which is better known as the greenhouse effect.
Plants remove
carbon in the form of
carbon
dioxide from the
atmosphere during
the process of
photosynthesis,
but release some carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere during normal
respiration. Only when actively growing can a tree or forest removes carbon, by
storing it in plant tissues.
In addition to this, both the decay
and burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere.
In order for forests to take up carbon, there must be a net accumulation of
wood. One way is for the wood to be harvested and turned into long-lived
products, with new young trees replacing them.
Secondly, the water cycle is also
affected by deforestation. Trees extract groundwater through their roots and
release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the trees no
longer transpire this water, resulting in a much drier climate. Deforestation
reduces the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as atmospheric
moisture. The dry soil leads to lower water intake for the trees to extract.
Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that
erosion,
flooding and
landslides ensue.
As a result, the presence or absence
of trees can change the quantity of water on the surface, in the soil or
groundwater, or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion rates and the
availability of water for either ecosystem functions or human services.
Tree roots bind soil together, and if
the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the soil in place by also
binding with underlying
bedrock.
Tree removal on steep slopes with shallow soil thus increases the risk of
landslides,
which can threaten people living nearby.
Deforestation on a human scale results
in decline in biodiversity, and on a natural global scale is known to cause the
extinction of many species. The removal or destruction of areas of forest cover
has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced
biodiversity.
Forests support biodiversity, providing habitat for
wildlife;
The new procedures to get amounts of
wood are causing more harm to the economy and overpower the amount of money
spent by people employed in logging.
It’s therefore vital for environmentalists to
create awareness on the importance of conserving our environment; otherwise the
current trend is alarming.
Nomad green belt movement thus,
encourages afforestation, and protection of the environment for superfluous
ecosystem. According to our survey, worst areas affected by deforestation are
Banisa constituency, Takaba, and to some degree, El-wak south part of the
constituency.
We must act to stop this dangerous
habit especially, burning trees and cutting. Public education and information
is practically important to reduce the increasingly wanton destruction
happening on daily basis. These tactics leave the land completely barren and
are controversial practices, the forest guards should be employed for the law
forbidding deforestation to take shape. Something must be done, and that should
be to guide the communities in the region about environmental conservation and
planting of significant numbers of trees to replace the decades of
deforestation.
Nomad green belt movement plans to
visit areas largely affected, with a view to eradicate the problem.
Bear with us in conserving our environment together!
