We Can Save Ourselves By Protecting Nature
Whether it’s the loss of species, habitats, or ecosystem processes, like river flooding or pollination, our nature’s tapestry is being unraveled fast. The human suffering this has already begun to create is likely to intensify. We will all be affected if it continues unabated.
“By the end of the century we are going to lose one-third or one-half of all species. And that kind of loss in biological diversity hasn't been seen in 60 million years,” says Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology at Duke University.
Since the last Ice Age we have lost one-third of forests, and we are still cutting down diverse old-growth forests and replacing them with monoculture plantations of crops. We are also fragmenting existing forests by logging roads, thus making them vulnerable to alien pathogens, like bark beetles. Lack of tree cover also results in dry grasses and catastrophic wildfires.
But it’s not just forests, the land is suffering too. According to the United Nations, we are degrading land at 30 to 35 times the historical rate. Due to soil erosion and an inability for land to retain water or regrow plants, about 2 billion people are threatened by desertification. By 2030, 50 million people could be displaced.
Our food security is in serious danger. The loss of bees and other pollinators (which we rely on for an estimated 75% of our food crops); dead zones in lakes and oceans from nutrient pollution; and dead soil, which cannot grow food without masses of fertilizer, pesticides and mechanical tilling, are all signs that our food system is unsustainable. To add to that, nearly 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited or depleted.
We Need to Act NOW, Not in 50 Years
Despite the facts above being communicated widely, people still don’t seem to be getting the message. So, where’s the disconnect?
“In our environmental education, we are taught to pick up litter and be kind to bears but we often completely forget that we should protect nature because it is the life-supporting system that our life's existence depends upon,” says Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University.
Experts agree: to help natural habitats recover, we need immediate widespread conservation, restoration and rewilding. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration calls to set aside 30% of land and water by 2030 and IUCN Motion 101 calls for setting aside 50% of our planet for nature. That may sound unrealistic, but there have been successful efforts in a number of countries, including in arid nations like Namibia.
Protect, Restore, Rewild
“The most important thing to remember is that old forests must remain standing, and ecosystems must remain intact. By 2026, but especially by 2030, we need to have slammed the brakes on the destruction of natural habitats, especially for housing or shopping malls,” says Professor Phoebe Barnard, Affiliate Professor at University of Washington’s Center for Environmental Politics and Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
Young trees and woodlots do not sequester nearly as much carbon or support nearly as much biodiversity, soil organic matter, or mycorrhizal fungal activity as old-growth trees. Tree-planting is only helpful in degraded areas where trees used to be, and whose soils can still support the growth of mature forests, or be restored to do so. It is a supplement to old-growth forest conservation, not an alternative, nor a panacea.
Community conservancies, private and public parks on land, coasts, wetlands and seas need to be connected, expanded, rewilded, and carefully managed to restore ecological processes that the past centuries of extractive management have destroyed. Avoiding fragmentation and drying of forest ecosystems is important to reduce fire risk.
Success Stories Give Hope
Initiatives already implementing these activities show that they can have significant positive impacts.
For example, in the Western Andes Cloud Forest, reforesting ‘just’ 3,500 hectares of degraded land has helped connect 100,000 kilometers of intact forest.
In Chile and Argentina, the Tompkins Conservation donated over 800,000 hectares of wilderness, which led to the protection of nearly 6 million hectares and the creation of 13 new national parks.
South Africa is a great example of a country which has invested heavily in public-works programs that employ people to restore ecosystems by repairing wetlands, removing invasive alien woody plants, and reducing heightened fire risk in otherwise vulnerable ecosystems.
What You Can Do to Restore Nature:
Create a community or private garden, plant-pollinator habitats, contribute to city reserves or trail systems. Work with local leaders to protect a nature reserve for the health and future wellbeing of your community. Most of us can also eat much less meat and dairy products, and choose to have smaller families.
Pressurise business and political leaders to take action! Don’t get discouraged by the failures of leadership at national level. The film Paris to Pittsburgh is a good example of how cities or provinces can step up with bold climate leadership.
If you have a post-grad degree in any science, sign the Scientists Warning Into Action paper and encourage others to sign it too.