Deforestation is one of the biggest crimes I believe to be found today. While one and half acres of trees are cut down every second as we speak, it is estimated that within the next 75 years all forest will be lost to concrete jungles.

HOW DID IT ALL BEGAN?

Man and the wild are 2 inseparable factors back in the stone age. Man loved Earth and its wonders. Back then nature was considered as God as they knew their survival depends on mother nature.

But with evolution of man his behavior and approach towards nature changed. Towards the period of industrial revolution, man began to distant himself from greenery. And thus, here we are today.

(NASA releases satellite images of deforestation in Cambodia)

Today, agriculture has become one of the biggest reasons for deforestation.  Farmers clear land for crops or for cattle and most of the time this is done using slash and burn techniques — cutting down trees and then burning them. Migratory farmers clear a forest area and use it until land becomes baron. They then move on and clear a new patch of forest. The abandoned land, if left untouched it will eventually reforest but it will take many years to return to its original state.

In addition to this, forest fires; both intentional and unintentional, illegal and unsustainable logging, fuelwood harvesting, overpopulation has created

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

You can start by planting a tree. Growing an entire forest is not going to be an easy task, but if we all grow one plant each, we have just planted 7.7 billion trees. And step by step we can grow more.

While we all know how many trees get cut down for the paper industry, try going paperless for a change. Let’s all get a bit tech-savvy and reduce all those hard copies we get.

Have the practice of recycling and try to incorporate recycling shopping in your day to life. And learn the art of eco-forestry.

While we haven’t got much time, we can already hear the warning signals around us that it is about time we do something about it. Let’s come together and make this world beautiful again. For we shouldn’t be the last to witness it.

Rtr. Sajini Mayadunne | Email: sajinimayadunne@gmail.com