5th June 2021

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 Musings....... 


June 5 is World Environment Day 


Considered one of the biggest awareness campaigns of United Nations (UN) for Mother Nature, - Reimagine. Recreate. Restore is this years theme ! 


According to United Nations, the human population must resolve to bring about little changes in its lifestyle that can help restore the natural order of things. 


This year we will see the UN launch the “ UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”. It is a 10 year plan for the authorities to think on the path of stopping the degradation of ecosystem. 


FORESTS - 


It is said that the world loses a football pitch of forests every three seconds. 

Trees are the common factor in any kind of forest. 


Ecosystem services provided by forest that are gifted to humans include- 

- [ ] Climate regulation 

- [ ] Water and air purification

- [ ] Precipitation reduction and 

- [ ] Nutrient cycling 

Here lies the importance of forests and the need to preserve and restore.  


REEFS- 


It is said that, Coral reef ecosystems cover just 0.1 percent of the ocean, yet they support 25 percent of its life and the lives of half a billion people on land. 


Over half of the worlds coral reefs is said to be damaged or lost. 


Coral reefs can be restored in many ways, like placing artificial structures on the ocean floor on which corals can grow or planting nursery-grown corals back onto reefs. 


DESERTS- 


One thing common among all kinds of Desert is that they receive very little rain. 


Attempts to slow desertification is the key which includes steps like planting trees and promoting vegetation growth to bring more rainfall to the region. 


MOUNTAINS- 


They make up 25% of Earths land area, and are home to 85% of the worlds species of amphibians, birds, and mammals. 

They provide the freshwater need of more than half of the world population. 


Climate change is causing permafrost melt, glacier retreat and extreme rainfall events that threaten to degrade the fragile mountain ecosystem. 

Also, unsustainable tourism, human conflict and urbanisation is further exacerbating the problem. 


Promoting ecotourism, and restoration of degraded areas are some of the ways to tackle this issue. 


SEAS- 


Mangrove forest - 

Protects life on land from harmful impact of storms and waves which are getting stronger due to climate change. 

They are also habitats for many marine species. 

Mangroves are under severe threat due to coastline development, pollution and human impacts. 


Growing mangrove seedlings in a greenhouse and planting them along oceans edge is a restoration tactic. 


Sea grass Meadows- 

They are spread along the seabed and hosts young vulnerable marine creatures before they are strong enough to move snow to reefs and other marine ecosystems. 

Though they only cover 0.1% of the ocean floor, these meadows are highly efficient carbon sinks, storing upto 18% of the worlds oceanic carbon. 


Increasingly under threat from industrial runoff, agricultural runoff, unregulated fishing and boating , climate change- already it is said 29% of sea grass cover is lost. 


Rearing seagrass seedlings in a lab and transporting them to seagrass bed is a restoration tactic. 


Annual themes of the past decade - 


- [ ] 2005- Green Cities 

- [ ] 2006- Desert and Desertification 

- [ ] 2007- Melting Ice- a Hot Topic 

- [ ] 2008- CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a low Carbon Economy 

- [ ] 2009- Your planet needs you -UNite to combat Climate Change 

- [ ] 2010- Many Species. One Planet. One Future 

- [ ] 2011 - Forests- Nature at your Service 

- [ ] 2012- Green Economy 

- [ ] 2013- Think.Eat.Save. 

- [ ] 2014- International Year of Small Island States 

- [ ] 2015- “ Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care” 

- [ ] 2016- Go wild for life 

- [ ] 2017- Connecting people to Nature- in the City and on the land, from the poles to the equator 

- [ ] 2018- Beat Plastic Pollution 

- [ ] 2019- Beat Air Pollution 

- [ ] 2020- Time for Nature 

- [ ] 2021 - Ecosystem Restoration 


This year is all the more important as we are amidst a raging pandemic. It is time to introspect. 


We can decide to continue to exploit nature as is happening or we could learn to respect nature for a change. 

Either way, Human behaviour towards Nature would decide the course of mankind. 


Food for Thought....... 


RC 


rohitchennithala.blogspot.com 

rohitchennithala.home.blog

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