“In the beginning when
God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and
darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the
face of the waters. Then God said,
‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the
light from the darkness. God
called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was
morning, the first day.”
~
Genesis 1: 1-5
Studying in Costa Rica has been an incredible
experience. I have climbed in the
mangroves, snorkeled with a nurse shark, and spent countless hours walking in
the rainforest. This beautiful
country has been my home for the last four months, and I have had a great time
and learned so much! While most of
my memories remain positive, much of our lectures were focused on the state of
tropical ecosystems and the threats poised towards them. This piece was written in a manner akin
to Michael Pollen’s “Why Bother?” but directed towards people of the developing
world. While cliché at times, and
perhaps a little overly dramatic, the message I hope is valid. In the face of impending doom brought
by climate change, we must have some faith in our ability to overcome this
adversity and unite for the good of the world.
Why Bother?
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
– Steve Prefontaine
Citizens of countries in tropical regions are entrusted with
protecting one of the world’s most valuable resources, tropical forests. These tropical forests provided
habitat, food, and other resources to vast numbers of species, many endemic and
found no where else on earth.
Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula alone is home to 5% of the world’s
biodiversity. The intrinsic value
of such concentrated biodiversity is priceless, though unfortunately under
serious threats of habitat destruction and exploitation.
Without a doubt the resources of tropical forests are
extremely valuable. These forests
maintain the watersheds for people in tropical regions, storing and filtering
the water to provide sufficient amount year round that is safe to drink. The rich biodiversity of the area holds
promises of pharmaceuticals yet to be discovered, as 42% of the world’s most
popular drugs have already been derived from natural resources. Biodiversity is also credited with
agricultural advancements that have been shown to enhance crop productivity,
increasing profits by $1 billion per year. Additionally, carbon sequestration and storage per unit area
is higher for tropical forests than for any other ecosystem in the world. Therefore maintaining tropical forest
area does more to limit the addition of new carbon to the atmosphere than the
maintenance of any other ecosystem.
Consequently, slash and burn tactics have turned tropical forests from a
carbon sink to a carbon source, and the amount of carbon released into the
atmosphere due to deforestation activities are higher than ever. This amplifies rates of global climate
change, and highlights the importance of tropical forests in maintaining the
integrity of global ecosystems.
However people of the developing world are often constrained
in efforts to protect their precious forests by pressures from transnational
companies seeking profit. Timber
companies and cattle ranchers bid for trees and land in tropical areas, leading
to alarming deforestation rates and habitat destruction, destroying the
watershed and threatening many native species. Tourism expansion of all inclusive resorts and ecotourism in
the most pristine areas are quickly degrading the integrity of the ecosystem,
without doing anything to protect the forests. And the inhabitants of these countries, both citizens and
politicians, often feel inept at preventing this change.
So what can we do?
Without governmental support providing backlash to those exploiting
resources, with judicial systems that seem to only favor those with the most
money, with foreigners coming in and buying up land, only to destroy the
natural beauty and leave with money from tourists that should have entered the
local economy, why bother with attempts to preserve the lush forests, colorful birds,
diverse amphibians, and monumental numbers of dung beetles in rainforest
canopies? In the grand scheme of
things, the impacts of one person attempting to control the chaos will do
nothing to stop the 12.8 million hectares of old growth forest that are lost
per year, or the estimated 380 species that are lost per day as a result of
current deforestation. It is like
trying to stop the flow of the mighty Amazon River with a pebble. Even if a million more are thrown in,
the river continues to run, unaware of attempts to impede the movement.
And yet, our hearts still call us to change. Despite the limited chances of success,
despite the thousands of others working against our actions, despite the
monumental challenge in halting deforestation, global climate change, and other
factors significantly impacting biodiversity loss, we must try. This is not a valiant attempt at saving
the fate of our world; it is not a publicity stunt to earn a spot among the
hundreds of other environmental activists; it is humble surrender to the
immense responsibility that the people of the tropics have been given, and the
solution lies in three key areas: appreciation, protection, and education.
Costa Rica has been a leader in tropical forest
conservation, with 800,000 Ha of tropical forests protected in reserves and
national parks, however this conservation
would not have been possible without the conversation
that preceded it. For protection
to occur, the people of the area must first recognize the intrinsic value of
tropical ecosystems and biodiversity.
Beginning with daily conversations, at home, at work, in the
supermarket, the concept of appreciation of nature can slowly become integrated
with our views of the world.
Conservation then becomes a facet of life, rather than an aside only
contemplated when the conditions are favorable. Why bother?
Because it is simple, a matter of topic change in a conversation that is
already happening. And slowly the
ideas of one individual have power to become tangible change through words
exchanged between friends. Is that
not how the 1500’s geocentric belief of earth as the center of the universe was
shattered by Galileo’s discoveries of heliocentrism? One man had an idea, and now billions recognize truth
without so much as a backwards glance.
Once appreciation for tropical ecosystems and biodiversity
has a firm hold with the people of the region, protection measures can begin to
be formulated. With national
support, the public and government can work together with scientists to devise
conservation schemes that protect the highest priority areas. Unified missions of conservation give
power to developing countries in tropical regions, which are then able to
resist outside pressures of resource exploitation and tourism enterprises that
do not directly benefit the local economy. Finally, education, both local and global, will support
maintenance of these conservation measures. As people around the world recognize the necessity for
tropical forests and the interconnectedness of ecosystems and processes, they
will be more apt to advocate for and support conservation of earth’s valuable
resources.
And all of this can begin with a conversation. Why bother? Because we cannot sit idly by and wait for change to happen
for us. In the words of Mahatma
Gandhi “be the change you wish to see in
the world.” If we are truly
passionate about the fate of life as we know it, then we will not, cannot, wait
for someone else to do things for us.
Beginning with humans in the tropics, the message for preservation and
conservation of tropical ecosystems will permeate into all levels of thought by
people all around the world, and with this unified cause, we will be
unstoppable. The impacts of one
person are not to be ignored, and the hope for positive change is amplified
with each person who listens, learns, and acts towards a brighter future. We have each been endowed with a
responsibility. What are you going
to do with it?
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