Through a small clearing in the #canopy, atop a small hill in #Bandhavgarh National Park, I watch the forests give way to #agricultural land. On an average, India loses 333 acres of forests every single day. The world itself loses 130,000 square km of forests everyday.
#NaturalResources once thought to be abundant, are now a scarce resource. This affects not only half the world’s land-based species of plants and animals, but also more than a billion people that are dependent on forests for livelihood. Not to mention, the remaining 6 billion or so who depend on it for its #ecosystem services such as #oxygen, water and #climatecontrol. India has seen rapid #deforestation in recent years, primarily due to its focus on economic development. According to government data, 14,000sq km of forests were cleared to accommodate 23,716 industrial projects across India over the last 30 years.
Now the fields that I was looking at are community owned and managed – small scale and important for the economy of this backward region. If you scroll to right, you will see an aerial shot of this beautiful forest, yet scroll further, and you will see the devastating impact of large scale deforestation and the use of unspecified lands as “waste lands.” Both are a result of failure in #sustainable planning or an entire lack of attention/concern. But this is also because people like ME and YOU live a life defined by an attitude of #consumerism.
Don’t get angry, #GetInvolved | Solutions to big problems often begin with the smallest actions. Monitor your carbon footprint, chose green solutions, eat local and seasonal products, help prevent the trade in wild animals and animal products by raising awareness and of-course not being a consumer yourself. Think twice before throwing away that plastic bag, or even getting one, avoid buying bottled water altogether, re-use and recycle when you can, buy local and #sustainablysourced #ingredients, don’t waste food, reduce your shower time by a minute, plant a tree. You can also volunteer with organisations such as WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Lastly, you can also donate directly to a charity of your choice. so much we can do. But all I ask is that you start with one little step… for the planet, for the animals and most of all for your family…
