Save the rainforest. Tropical deforestation. Relationship between economic and environmental problems
Photos from open sources
The Amazon Delta is considered to be the lungs of our planet. Dense impenetrable forests growing on the banks of the mighty South American river produce colossal volumes of oxygen dispersed throughout the Earth. (website)
However, this state of affairs is rapidly changing. The governments of Colombia, Brazil and Peru are condoning the fact that their countries are deforesting the Amazon at a catastrophic rate in order to get quick money. Officials do not care that it will take centuries for the rainforests to recover to their former extent. And will someone let them recover when asphalt is being laid here and there and various structures are being erected?
Defenders of nature invariably protest against deforestation, year after year, but these protests do not produce any effect on the authorities. According to civil servants, several tens of square kilometers of cut down trees will not harm the environment. Fortunately, this irresponsible attitude of South Americans towards the Amazonian forests may soon change. And this will happen not thanks to the efforts of Greenpeace and other green vigilantes, but due to the fact that Indian tribes cut off from civilization live in the virgin jungle, which will certainly perish without “their home”.
A tribe of savages who have not been touched by civilization
A few years ago, Professor José Carlos Morales provided the world scientific community with an amazing video that excited the minds of not only scientists, but also ordinary people from all over the world. A footage taken near the Envira tributary of the Amazon in Brazil shows a tribe that has never interacted with the modern world. It is possible that the helicopter, from which this video was filmed, seemed to the Indians a terrible flying creature or some kind of magical thing. The helicopter with José and BBC journalists flew up to a distance of a kilometer to the settlement, but the savages quickly noticed it.
Photos from open sources
According to Morales, this is one of the few tribes that survived in the Amazonian forests. It is hard to believe that there are communities on our planet that have not developed for centuries, but this is true. The vast rainforest allows the Indians to live a full life, perhaps not even suspecting the existence of our civilization.
The savages spend the night in large huts and plant gardens with cassava, a root plant resembling potatoes. In the forest, the Indians collect bananas and papaya fruit, somewhat similar to a melon. It is possible that they also hunt.
The video below has become a real sensation. Until recently, Morales and his colleagues could not prove to the Brazilian authorities that tribes really live in the Amazon forests, which will certainly die out if the deforestation of the Amazon does not stop. At the same time, it is by no means possible to interact with savages, since there is always a possibility that the chicken pox or flu familiar to us may be fatal for them.
The Brazilian government recently promised that it would not allow such a genocide. The only way out, scientists say, is to leave them alone and let them live the way they have lived all this time. And for this, you will have to leave alone their home, that is, the Amazon rainforest.
2. Forest resources of the world
3. The meaning of green cover
4. Rainforest Rescue:
b) the problem of tropical forests
5. Consequences of mass deforestation
6. Ways to solve the problem:
a) Greenpeace Russia
c) mitigation projects
7. Are there any results?
8. Conclusion
9. Charts and tables
10. Bibliography
Introduction.
When I chose the topic of my essay, I wanted to choose one that would be of interest to everyone, that would excite each of us. And I decided to write about some global problems. But for me personally, global problems are primarily global environmental problems, and only then everything else. Today, the environmental problem of the modern world is acute and multifaceted, it requires an immediate solution. One of the most important environmental problems is the problem of green cover.
The fate of forests and the history of mankind on all continents were closely interconnected. Let's dive into the past. Forests served as the main source of food for primitive communities that lived by hunting and gathering. They were a source of fuel and building materials for the construction of dwellings. Forests served as a refuge for people and to a large extent - the basis of their economic activity. The life of forests and the life of people, the connections between them are reflected in the culture, mythology, religion of most peoples of the world. About 10,000 years ago, before the advent of agriculture, dense forests and other forested areas occupied more than 6 billion hectares of land surface.
But over the course of thousands of years, man has constantly increased his technical capabilities, intensified intervention in nature, forgetting about the need to maintain biological balance in it. And today, by the end of the 20th century, their area has decreased by almost 1/3, and now they occupy only a little more than 4 billion hectares.
In my opinion, this is unfair to nature. Nature gave us life and endowed us with everything we need for a normal life. We are trying to live contrary to all the laws of nature, and this always leads to various environmental problems. If today we do not stop and think about our actions, then I am sure that in the near future we will turn our flowering garden into a dead cemetery.
So, in my abstract, I would like to show the importance and relevance of my topic. I will also try to give some ways to solve the problem of green cover. I hope I can make it.
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Forest resources.
Forest resources play a huge role on Earth. They restore oxygen, restore groundwater, prevent soil destruction. The deforestation is accompanied by an immediate decrease in groundwater, which causes shallowing of rivers and drying up of soils. In addition, forest resources are a source of a variety of structural materials, and wood is still used as fuel in many parts of the world.
Forests cover less than 30% of the land. At the same time, the largest area of forests has been preserved in Asia, the smallest in Australia. However, since the sizes of the continents are not the same, it is important to take into account their forest cover, i.e. ratio of forested area to total area. According to this indicator, South America ranks first (see table). In the economic assessment of forest resources, such an indicator as timber reserves is of paramount importance. It is followed by Asia, South and North America. Of the individual states, four countries occupy the leading positions in the world in terms of timber reserves: Russia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.
At the same time, a large group of countries does not have forests, but woodlands. There are countries that are practically treeless, characterized by extremely arid conditions (Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, etc.).
On the map of the world's forest resources, two huge belts are clearly visible in length and approximately equal in size to forest areas and timber reserves: the northern forest belt and the southern forest belt. A feature of the species composition of trees in the northern zone is the sharp predominance here (especially in Russia) of conifers, while in the southern zone they are practically absent.
The countries that are poorest in forests are located between the northern and southern forest belts and are characterized by desert landscapes: Saudi Arabia, the countries of North Africa, the Persian Gulf, etc.
The real wealth of the world is the humid evergreen tropical forests located in the southern forest zone and playing an exceptional role in the development of organic life on our planet. Geographically, they are confined mainly to Central and South America, Equatorial Africa, as well as to India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the islands of Oceania, etc.
Sustainable use of tropical rainforests is vital to the development of many countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. Meanwhile, the conditions of human habitat in these places are very difficult. First of all, we are talking about climatic discomfort.
So, the attitude of man to the forest cover of our planet must be urgently changed. Until now, a tree falling from the hand of a woodcutter or burned in Africa, the Amazon, South Asia or Siberia, was considered only from the point of view of its economic value. Today it is time to oppose it with the ecological price of each tree.
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The meaning of green cover.
Forest communities play an essential role in the normal functioning of natural ecosystems. They absorb atmospheric pollution of anthropogenic origin, protect the soil from erosion, regulate the normal flow of surface water, prevent the decrease in the level of groundwater and the silting of rivers, canals and reservoirs.
Forests are the "lungs of the planet", and the decrease in forest area disrupts the cycle of oxygen and carbon in the biosphere.
Despite the fact that the catastrophic consequences of deforestation are already widely known, their destruction continues. Currently, the total area of forests on the planet is about 42 million square meters. km, but it annually decreases by 2%. Tropical rainforests are being destroyed especially intensively in Asia, Africa, America and some other regions of the world. So, in Africa, forests used to occupy about 60% of its territory, and now - only about 17%. The areas of forests in our country have also significantly decreased.
The reduction of forests entails the death of their richest flora and fauna. Man impoverishes the appearance of his planet.
Other global problems that may arise in connection with mass deforestation are desertification, soil erosion, the “greenhouse effect”, a decrease in the level of oxygen in the atmosphere, etc.
It would be possible to solve this problem by reducing the mass destruction of forests, carrying out artificial afforestation, thereby establishing a balance in the carbon cycle.
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Save the rainforest.
For a long time there was not, and now there is no final geographical (and geobotanical) approach to the definition of the term "Wet tropics", there is no generally accepted typological and spatial differentiation.
In 1956, the city of Kandy (Sri Lanka) hosted the first international symposium under the auspices of UNESCO to coordinate the study of the humid tropics. It was noted that the division of the entire tropical belt outside the stable arid territories into only two parts prevails in the works:
Semiarid - the predominance of the dry season during the year
Wet (humid) - precipitation falls during most of the year and their average annual amount is more than 1000 mm. Naturally, the second part is referred to as humid tropical forests. Then, in the assumptions of UNESCO experts, all those areas where regular rains fall 8-11 months a year were assigned to the constantly wet tropics.
In the 1980s, Myers proposed a definition of permanent rainforest that seems to be the most successful. It is based on indicators that characterize the climate in terms of the possibility of the existence and development of the biome of the primary evergreen forest as the dominant type of ecosystems. These are areas where at least every two years out of three years, the precipitation of each month is more than 100 mm, and the average annual temperature is not lower than 24 ° C, in the absence of temperatures close to zero.
Tropical rainforests are distributed mainly near the equator, on both sides of it. They cover vast territories - especially in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. The largest of these areas is the lowlands of the Amazon basin and its tributaries. This huge area, which Alexander Humboldt called hylaea (a forested area), is considered a kind of model, a model of a tropical rainforest. From west to east it stretches for 3600 km, and from north to south - for 2800 km. Another major area of tropical rainforest is on the east coast of Brazil. In Asia, tropical rainforest extends from Burma and Thailand through Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to northern Australia. In Africa, a continuous array of such forests stretches along the coastal territories from Guinea to the mouth of the Congo.
b) saving the rainforest.
Tropical rainforests are of the greatest concern. They stretch in a wide strip along the equator through South America (mainly Brazil), Africa (mainly Zaire) and Indonesia, serving as the habitat of millions of plant and animal species, many of which are still unknown to science. In addition, according to many scientists, the climate of the globe depends on these forests. Their destruction leads at least to a significant increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which in turn causes climate warming. And despite all this, rainforests are being destroyed at a phenomenal rate; in the twentieth century about half of the tropical forests have been destroyed, and in our time their annual losses amount to 16-17 million hectares, which is twice the level of losses in 1980 and corresponds to the area of Japan. If such rates are maintained (and they are not decreasing), only miserable remnants of this biome will remain in the next 10-20 years.
Such destruction is caused by a number of factors, and together they boil down to one common cause: all countries where rainforests are located are poor, and their population is growing uncontrollably. A huge number of young people cannot find work here or live on land that is barely able to feed their parents. So they burn forests to clear land for farmland and cut down trees for firewood and commercial timber for themselves and for sale. Unfortunately, the soil in the tropics is not very suitable for cultivation, as it quickly loses nutrients and mineralizes, turning into a hard crust that cannot be plowed. This leads to further deforestation and the abandonment of more and more hectares of barren land.
The problem is exacerbated due to the short-sighted policies of the governments of these countries. They are heavily indebted (Brazil has over $100 billion) from past borrowing. The main "resource" of these countries is the forest. To pay interest on loans, they sell logging rights to multinational companies that, in order to obtain valuable wood for making furniture, rapaciously destroy forests with no concern for their restoration. In other words, they treat the forest as "communal land" from which, while possible, the maximum should be made. They are not interested in maintaining a sustainable level of exploitation and do not care about it. Similarly, companies are being sold the rights to clear forests for pasture where cattle are fattened to feed a chain of eateries selling cheap hamburgers. And again, everyone will suffer. We see how the purchasing power of rich countries is driving the destruction of the world's biota. However, everyone will eventually suffer from this.
Developing countries, especially those in the tropics, have insisted that the decisions of the Rio Conference apply to forests of all zones - tropical, temperate and boreal, since deforestation and forest degradation are common to all countries of the world. Annually, 3.4 billion m3 of wood is removed from the forests, with 50% of the harvests falling on Canada, the USA and the territory of the former USSR. The rate of deforestation is accelerating rapidly. Half of all loss of forested areas occurs in the last 20 years.
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Consequences of massive deforestation.
Change in the composition of the atmosphere
Tropical forests, while providing a significant part of biological production, utilize a huge part of the annual CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Since 1958, Charles Keeling, an employee of the Skripp Institute of Oceanography, has been systematically monitoring the content of CO2 in the atmosphere. Scientists from a number of other countries are engaged in similar work. Samples are taken at the South Pole, in Australia, in Alaska and in other places, the accumulated data allow us to draw an unambiguous conclusion. From 1850 to 1980, for 130 years, as a result of anthropogenic activity, the content of CO2 in the atmosphere increased by 1.3 times. It appears that 25 percent of this increase has occurred in the last decade (1970-1980) (Newman 1988). If this trend continues, by 2020 the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will double. To date, the content of CO2 is 0.035 percent.
CO2 and a number of other gases - atmospheric impurities, as well as water vapor absorb thermal energy in the infrared wavelength range - this phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect. The Antarctic polar cap covers an area of 15.6 million square meters. km. If this ice melts, all coastal cities will be flooded. The West Antarctic Shield could melt in about 50 years if deforestation and burning of fossil fuels continues at the current pace.
A twofold increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide causes an increase in temperature by 2-3 degrees. At the same time, it must also be borne in mind that at the poles the temperature is growing 3-5 times faster than in the rest of the globe.
Albedo effect.
Deforestation over large areas will increase the reflectivity of the Earth. This will change wind currents, circulation and convection of air masses. As a result, precipitation will decrease in the equatorial zones, which will eventually lead to desertification.
Soil erosion.
Soil erosion is directly related to massive deforestation. After all, where there was a forest, the soil was held by the powerful roots of trees, there was a constant exchange of substances between the soil and the forest. But with the disappearance of the forest, the fertile soil layer also disappears. Therefore, treeless slopes of hills are subjected to especially strong erosion. And now there are more and more such treeless areas, and, consequently, there is less and less fertile soil.
Soil erosion - a purely local phenomenon - has now become universal. For example, as a result of deforestation, the once prosperous countries of the former East and North Africa have turned half into deserts. Syria, for example, supplied Egypt with timber, and North Africa was the breadbasket of Rome. The growing depletion of the cultivated areas of these countries led to the decline of agriculture. Here it is appropriate to recall that forests, in addition, are the most important accumulators of moisture. For example, 1 hectare of beech holds from 3000 to 5000 m3 of water, evaporating 2000 m3. In the US, about 44% of cultivated land is subject to erosion. In Russia, unique rich black soils with a humus content of 14-16%, which were called the citadel of Russian agriculture, disappeared. In Russia, the areas of the most fertile lands with a humus content of 10-13% have decreased by almost 5 times.
Soil erosion not only reduces fertility and reduces crop yields. As a result of soil erosion, artificially constructed water reservoirs are silting up much faster than is usually envisaged in projects, and the possibility of irrigation for obtaining electricity from hydroelectric power plants is reduced.
When deforested in regions such as the humid tropics, which are characterized by intense rainfall, flat runoff increases dramatically. Given the fact that the fertile soil layer is very small, washout leads to the complete destruction of fertility and the alienation of land. If there is a lateritic horizon in the soil, a hard shell comes to the day surface and the restoration of the forest landscape is impossible at all.
The Amazon carries 1/5 of the volume of river water on the planet. Deforestation of watershed forests generates pronounced soil erosion and siltation of the river. As a result, the number of fish decreases.
Disease outbreaks.
Very often, deforestation leads to sharp outbreaks of infectious diseases, which are carried mainly by insects. Under normal conditions, the latter live in the upper tiers, and the probability of them getting to the surface of the earth is small. Thus, malarial mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, the amount of which increases sharply in the process of deforestation, since there are no water-retaining agents - trees of the upper tier.
Desertification.
Desertification, which is currently one of the most significant global problems of mankind, is going along with the massive deforestation.
Desertification is accompanied by many-sided severe consequences. The productivity of crops is decreasing, there are lean years both on irrigated and upland (i.e. non-irrigated) lands. The productivity of pastures is decreasing and, accordingly, there is less and less fodder left for livestock. There are fewer shrubs and trees, and therefore people have to go farther and farther in search of fuel for cooking. There is also less and less water, as surface runoff decreases and groundwater supplies decrease. The sands are advancing on agricultural land, on people's dwellings and on the road network.
Desertification is a process of degradation of all natural life support systems: in order to survive, the local population must either receive outside help or leave in search of lands suitable for life. More and more people around the world are becoming environmental refugees
One of the most global and rapid processes of our time is the expansion of desertification, the fall and, in the most extreme cases, the complete destruction of the biological potential of the Earth, which leads to conditions similar to those of a natural desert.
Natural deserts and semi-deserts occupy more than 1/3 of the earth's surface. About 15% of the world's population lives on these lands. Deserts are areas with an extremely dry continental climate, usually receiving an average of only 150-175 mm of precipitation per year. Evaporation from them is much higher than their moisture content. The most extensive arrays of deserts are located on both sides of the equator, between 15 and 45 0 north latitude, and in Central Asia and Kazakhstan deserts reach 50 0 north latitude. Deserts are natural formations that play a certain role in the overall ecological balance of the planet's landscapes.
As a result of human activity, by the last quarter of the XX century. more than 9 million km 2 of deserts appeared, and of this they already covered 43% of the total land area.
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Ways to solve the problem.
In general, all the global problems of the world should be solved by all countries together, simultaneously and jointly. Actions must be well organized and all consequences must be foreseen. Otherwise, it will turn out, as in Krylov's fable about the swan, cancer and pike, i.e. if each country solves the problem on its own, the “things” will not move anywhere.
But before moving on to a global solution to the problem, you need to understand your own country. And in Russia, in my opinion, there is only one organization that really tries to solve environmental problems - Greenpeace Russia. Here is one of her projects.
Greenpeace Russia:
Formation of a system of sustainable, socially and environmentally responsible forest management.
The modern system of organizing forestry and forest management in Russia is extremely far from the principles of sustainable forest management (although these principles are declared by the Forest Code of the Russian Federation). Despite the clearly "calming" data of the state accounting of the forest fund, in most regions the condition of forests is deteriorating every year, and the number of environmental problems is increasing. Even from a purely economic point of view, the modern forest management system in Russia cannot be called sustainable and rational. Due to the uncontrolled and direct commercial interest of the forestry authorities in the harvesting of commercial timber in the care of the forest, field cuttings have become widespread (i.e. cuttings in which the best wood is selected from the forest, and first of all, what is difficult or impossible to sell is left) .
The main reason for the instability of the forest management system is the practical free use of forests. Timber is sold to forest users "on the vine" for almost nothing, for a symbolic reward - the average price of timber sold on the vine in Karelia, for example, is about 32 rubles per cubic meter, and in many taiga regions it does not exceed 20 rubles per cubic meter. For comparison: in Canada, which is close to Russia in terms of natural conditions and conditions for logging, this price is about $ 17 per cubic meter (15-25 times higher); in northern Europe, for timber of the same quality “on the vine”, the price can be 40-50 times Moreover, in Russia, very many loggers get the right to cut wood for free.
The modern forest management system is so far from the principles of sustainable development that it needs a radical transformation, rather than correcting individual shortcomings. In this regard, Greenpeace Russia considers the reform of the Russian forest service and the entire forest management system as the most important environmental task. As part of this task, Greenpeace Russia considers it necessary (and is actively working on this) first of all to eliminate the commercial interest of state forest management bodies in obtaining the maximum immediate benefits from timber harvesting, as well as to raise the price for the right to exploit forest resources to a level that ensures compensation for protection costs. , cultivation and reproduction of forests, work to preserve their biological diversity and environment-forming functions.
However, against the general background of the collapse of the state forest guard, the dubious nature of the activities of the federal forestry service, the almost wholesale criminalization of the forestry and pulp and paper industries, there are also positive examples of enterprises in Russia that really strive to work with forests as a common human property and a unique natural object. Greenpeace Russia considers one of its most important tasks to be the creation of a support system for such enterprises, primarily through the introduction of voluntary independent certification of forest management. Currently, Greenpeace Russia actively promotes the development in Russia of one of the most recognized forest certification systems in the world, developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Through the joint efforts of all interested parties in Russia, a working group has already been formed and is operating on this certification system. However, Greenpeace Russia is also considering the possibility of creating an independent Russian certification system, and some large Russian enterprises have already shown interest in this.
For the conservation of forests in Russia, Greenpeace considers the following tasks to be the most important:
Reform of state forest management bodies. Separation of the functions of state control over the protection, protection, use and reproduction of forests and the functions of forest management between different departments.
Increasing the minimum rates of forest taxes for standing timber to the extent corresponding to or exceeding the real costs of protection, protection, reproduction and control over the use of forests. Establish a mechanism to ensure that funds are allocated for these purposes. Deprivation of state bodies engaged in forestry management of benefits for paying for standing timber.
Bringing the regulatory and technical base of forestry in line with the current legislation (in particular, the Laws "On the Protection of the Environment", "On Specially Protected Natural Territories", "On the Wildlife", the Water Code of the Russian Federation and others), as well as the norms of international rights. Development and implementation of regulatory legal acts that implement the provisions declared in the Forest Code of the Russian Federation on integrated multi-purpose forest management and conservation of biological diversity.
Introduction of the practice of voluntary non-state certification of forest management and forest use, providing the consumer with independent information on compliance with environmental, social and economic standards and requirements by enterprises that have sold standing timber and harvested timber.
Prohibition of establishing limited access to information on the state of the forest fund and forest management. Ensuring the right of Russian citizens to receive information about the forest fund and forest management at a price not exceeding the technical costs of selecting and copying relevant materials.
Creation of a system of independent inspections of the activities of state forestry bodies, with the participation of the public or by the efforts of public organizations. Establishment in all regions of public forest inspectorates with access to all non-commercial and non-secret information about forest management and forest use.
Carrying out an inventory of the large forest areas that have been preserved in Russia, poorly transformed by human economic activity, as well as other forest areas that are especially important from the point of view of the conservation of biological and landscape diversity. Creation of a regulatory and legal framework for the conservation of these territories. Reservation of these territories with a ban on any economic activity until the final decision on the optimal forms and methods of their protection.
Projects to reduce the negative consequences of economic impact.
First of all, perhaps, the policy of Costa Rica should be cited as an example. This country, occupying only 50,700 sq. km., is the owner of one of the richest biological heritage. There are 12 thousand species of plants. The country took almost 1/5 of the territory under protection in one form or another, creating 22 reserves and sanctuaries.
10 percent of the territory is completely given over to national parks. With regard to the lack of land, it is known that the flooded areas of the floodplains - "varzea-kamps" - are so fertile that they can withstand any agricultural load. There you can harvest rice three times a year at 18 tons per hectare (on irrigated lands - 3-4 tons).
There are 4 principles of intensive farming in the tropics:
The nutrient cycle must remain closed.
It is impossible to open the forest canopy in order to avoid the destruction of the litter.
A strict calculation of the applied fertilizers is required.
Biodiversity should be maintained at a level that inhibits excessive activity and competition of pests.
To date, a fertility preservation technique has been developed that reproduces the cycle of natural regeneration. At the same time, the system "from farm to forest" is copied, consistently using useful plants in each stage of the cycle:
Planting herbaceous crops (Ananas comosus, Saccharum officinarum, etc.).
At the same time, trees that are part of the primary forest (peach palm, Brazil nuts, etc.) are introduced.
The Indian state of Gujarat has a well-established system of reforestation. Eucalyptus trees are planted on cut areas, which rise 25 meters in 4.5 years. After harvesting, undergrowth remains, allowing several more cuttings to be made before a new planting is needed.
In New Guinea, an experimental test of the crop rotation system is being carried out. After harvesting the food crop, a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing Papuan casuarina is planted to restore nutrient cycling.
For the universal regulation of nature management in the humid tropics, it is necessary to create an international commission for the study and protection of tropical forests. The work of this committee shall be as follows:
1) Development of security projects.
2) Publication of common legislation for all with the introduction of relevant norms.
3) Monitoring the implementation of these laws.
4) Extensive study of the nature of the tropics and systematic general monitoring.
Such an organization should include both environmental experts and biologists of various specializations, landscape scientists, economists, as well as representatives of other branches of science. The activities of the commission should be financed by taxes, by visiting national parks by tourists and other income. An indispensable condition for the activities of industrial corporations should be the DEP - Report on the environmental consequences of the exploitation of a given region. /Naturally, the DEP should be presented by the interested company before the start of logging/. The implementation of environmental protection measures in the affected area should be stimulated by taxes. You can provide for a partial refund of tax amounts for careful adherence to the rules.
The economies of the equatorial countries need a partial revision - these countries actually have a monopoly on many products, from which they should benefit, which would compensate for the damage from agricultural activities.
The problems of tropical rainforests outlined above should be studied and analyzed from an ecological, more precisely, ecological-economic point of view. The tropical rainforest is a complex integral system that has its own patterns of functioning. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer the methods of managing the economy in the tropical zone to a new stage of development in order to reduce the consequences of economic activity and prevent a global catastrophe.
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Are there any results?
However, it seems that humanity is already aware that its existence on the planet is inextricably linked with the life and well-being of forest ecosystems. The serious warnings of scientists, sounded in the declarations of the United Nations and other international organizations, began to find a response. In recent years, artificial afforestation and the organization of highly productive forest plantations have been successfully carried out in many countries of the world.
Timber processing giants are going green.
In recent years, wood processing companies have begun to seriously improve their "environmental image". Among the leaders of "ecobusiness" are not only mobile, small firms that can quickly rebuild, but also giants that are stable in the international market.
Recently, the Swedish company IKEA announced its decision to abandon the use of wood cut in intact natural forests from September 2000. It is one of the largest furniture manufacturers and suppliers in Europe, with factories and stores located in 28 countries.
Less than 20% of the planet's forest cover area has been preserved in natural, little-changed by man forests, and this figure continues to inevitably decrease every year.
Since January 1997, the Finnish companies ENSO and UPMKummene have introduced a moratorium on cutting down and purchasing wood from virgin forests in Karelia and the Murmansk region. Every year they extend the moratorium, negotiations are underway to extend it to other regions (Komi, Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Kirov regions).
In 1998, the Canadian firm McBlodel abandoned clearcutting in forests of significant environmental importance.
The list of companies that have declared their refusal to use wood from environmentally vulnerable "old-growth" forests has been supplemented"
· In December 1998, JSC Svetogorsk, one of the largest paper producers in Russia with an annual wood consumption of more than 1 million cubic meters;
· In August 1999 - the American company HomeDepot, the largest supplier of home building products in the United States;
· In October 1999 - one of the world's leading paper manufacturers InternationalPaper (USA);
· In November, 1999 - the American company WickesLumber (10th place among the companies trading in products for house building in the USA).
Of course, such significant shifts in the minds of businessmen and officials are not accidental. Behind each of these statements is the painstaking work of environmental non-governmental organizations. And not the last role belongs to GREENPEACE.
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Conclusion.
In conclusion, I would like to say that all environmental problems, and even more so the problem of green cover, require mankind to work hard and painstakingly to develop ways to solve them. But all the global problems of the world are interconnected. Therefore, the main goal that a person should set in the first place is the rallying of all countries of the world, this is the help of developed countries to developing ones. After all, until the problem of hunger, poverty, illiteracy is solved, the ecological problems of the world will not be solved. This, of course, also applies to the topic of my essay. After all, a large area of forests is at the disposal of developing countries. In the tree, they see a way of survival and irrationally use the precious forest resources on which the life of the whole world depends.
It is widely known that the first tree cut down was the beginning of civilization, and the last one will mean its end. A person should constantly remember this, since over the past 200 years the area of the Earth's forests has decreased by at least 2 times, and today the Earth looks already very "bald". Annually in the world, forests are destroyed on an area of 125 thousand km2, which is equal to the territory of such countries as Austria and Switzerland combined.
All this leads to the destruction of the unique gene pool of forests, disruption of the water regime of vast areas, desertification, soil erosion, and a decrease in the role of forests as the “lungs of the planet”. In other words, we do everything to sink the "raft" on which we live.
So, the problem of green cover, as one of the global problems of modern ecology, affects all countries of the world, since environmental problems “do not recognize” state borders. Therefore, this problem can be solved only with broad international cooperation.
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Bibliography.
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2. K.N. Lukashev "Man and Nature"; publishing house "Science and technology"; 1984
3. V.D. Bondarenko "Culture of communication with nature", publishing house "Agropromizdat", 1987
4. David Attenborough "Living Planet" publishing house "Mir"; 1988
5. A. Newman “Lungs of our planet. The humid tropical forest is the most threatened biocenosis on Earth”; publishing house "Mir"; 1989
6. A. Shuvalov, E. Usov; well. "Greanpeace in Russia"; 1993
7. Encyclopedia for children: V.3 (Geography); "Avanta+"; 1994
8. J-l. "Call of Taiga"; publishing house "Dalnauka"; 1997
9. J-l. "Greenpeace Russia"; 1999
10. Environmental Environmental Bulletin "Everything Living" No. 1; Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; 1999
Forest Resources of the World (1988)
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Causes of land degradation in different regions of the world
At an altitude of 2.954 m rises the highest mountain in the Philippines Apo. The majestic mountain in the southern part of the country is protected by tropical forests teeming with flora and fauna. It is the home of the Philippine Eagle, the largest raptor in the country and is now an endangered species.
In the early 90s, even the foot of Mount Apo was covered with the raging greenery of a growing forest. The destruction of the environment, brought along with human economic activity in the area, began to quickly absorb the towering forests. Once there was a mountain paradise, and now - a flat plantation of pineapples and bananas. The devastation caused by illegal logging, elevation changes and agricultural expansion have caused significant soil destruction and regular flooding, especially during the country's rainy season. On land where there are no trees, nothing keeps the soil from being washed off the slopes of the mountain by heavy rains.
The Philippines is losing 2.1% of all its forests annually. This loss rate is the fastest in Southeast Asia and 7th in the world. Only on Mount Apo, almost 30% of its entire surface has already been converted into farmland. Slash-and-burn agriculture, practiced mainly by the indigenous people, has already completely cleared several areas of the once forested mountains. Against the background of this gloomy event, there was a somewhat optimistic event. Several groups and individuals in Davao City took sides with the rapidly disappearing Mount Apo forest. In addition to climbing the highest mountain, climbers began planting trees and organizing awareness programs among the local population in defense of the mountain.
In 2000, a group of volunteers called the Philippine Sonshine Movement found their own way to reforest. Instead of planting common species of trees growing on the slopes of the mountain, the movement's founder and president, Pastor Apollo Quiboloi, decided to introduce Benguet pine (a species common in the northern Philippines) and began to breed this pine in the area. Since the beginning of this movement, the group working on this rehabilitation program has already covered almost 21 hectares in a small suburb called Thamayung - at the foot of Mount Apo. Currently, forest plantations are covered with pine trees, which pleases the eyes of visitors. “It used to be desert land surrounded by banana plantations,” says project manager Marlon Rosete. The concerted action of volunteers has resulted in the entire area now being covered with approximately 30,000 healthy pine trees. Now this area is considered to have the highest concentration of pines in the Philippines.
“Now it is a mountain paradise, so beautiful that our founder, Pastor Apollo, calls it the Mountain of Glory, a tribute to the glorious restoration of paradise on earth. And we are now reaping the fruits of these efforts,” he added. The Mountain of Glory project on Mount Apo is cited as an example of action to prevent an environmental disaster in the region. In addition to restoring the beauties of the mountain, the project also contributes to rebalancing the local ecological system. Scientific studies have shown that one mature pine tree absorbs at least about 10 kg of carbon dioxide from the air annually and releases enough oxygen per day to supply four people with clean air. In addition, one tree can capture up to 7,000 dust particles per liter of air. Thus, each tree appears as a living conditioner and purifier.
If this scenario is followed, there is hope that the forests of the Philippines will survive. Also, while there is hope for the restoration of the Earth, where man and nature will live in harmony.
Subject : Past and present through the eyes of an ecologist
Goals : to acquaint students with the consequences of human influence on nature, environmental problems that need to be addressed at the present stage; to develop the cognitive activity of children, a sense of respect for the world around them.
Equipment : slides and photographs illustrating the life of primitive people and the consequences of human activity; slides on the topic "Ocean pollution", "Tropical deforestation".
During the classes
1. Organizational moment, message of the topic and objectives of the lesson.
Writing on the board "Past and present through the eyes of an ecologist."
We have been given the opportunity to become ecologists,
Solve environmental problems.
Nature gives miracles to people,
We are forever in debt.
We must pay a debt to nature,
After all, otherwise we will not be able to survive on our own.
II. Checking homework.
What did we talk about in the last lesson? Now we will check how you learned this topic. I will give you tests, you will circle the correct answer.
(Testing)
At present, we know how primitive people lived, how they looked, what they did. Who told us about it? (About ithistorians have told us.)
Let's remember: did primitive people live in our era or before our era? (Primitive people lived before our era, because the countdowntime in our era goes from the birth of Christ.)
Well done! But it is not by chance that today we started talking about primitive people.
Sh. Work on the topic.
1. Working on learning new material.
The life of ancient people depended on the vagaries of the surrounding nature.
(Viewing slides and pictures from the life of ancient people.)
What did people use to build houses? (Tree branches:their houses are like huts.)
Still people lived in caves. Man needs food to live. How was food obtained? (Hunted, collected edible fruits,roots.)
And if there was a drought or a forest fire, or the hunt was unsuccessful, then they were threatened with starvation. And so our distant ancestors bowed before the forces of nature and took from nature only everything that was necessary for life. But time does not stand still, it moves inexorably forward.
People's lives have changed. They had fields, farms, factories. Various machines were created, houses were built. And it began to seem to people that they no longer depend on nature, that they are stronger than it. Moreover, man decided to conquer nature. Armed with technology, he imagined himself omnipotent, decided that everything on the planet was under his control.
What do you think, what did the conquest of nature lead to? (The conquest of nature has led to air and water pollution, soil destruction, destruction of forests, and the disappearance of many species of animals and plants.)
People began to understand that they do not dominate nature, but simply destroy it.
What do you think will happen if nature dies? (Man is connected with nature by many threads. Having destroyed nature, man himself will die.)
What should a person be for nature: a son or a conqueror?
Correctly. It is impossible to be conquerors, because we ourselves are part of the vast and beautiful world of Nature. And this means that the meeting of the environmental council of the fourth class will take place today. There are three issues on the agenda of our meeting, three environmental problems that we must discuss.
How to protect the ocean from pollution?
How to save tropical forests?
How to get rid of garbage?
So the first problem is How to protect the ocean frompollution?" Let's listen to the speaker.
- 1ststudent: Every year, a huge amount of oil and oil products, waste from various industrial enterprises, wastewater from fields and farms, household waste containing toxic substances, and solid waste enter the ocean. Birds die from oil slicks, gas exchange is disturbed, fry die. Plastic waste - bottles, cans, nets - is also a serious danger. In 1972, 30 dead whales were found in Brazil. The cause of their death was plastic wrap. Together with water, she got into the respiratory tract of whales. Dangerous household waste containing toxic substances. These substances accumulate in the body of fish, birds and other animals. Eating such animals can lead to the death of people. (The story is accompanied by a slide show or illustrations.)
What are the main causes of ocean pollution?
Slide Reasons Oil products
pollution plastic waste
ocean Wastewater from fields and farms
Household waste containing toxic substances
radioactive waste
I would like to add that 80% of ocean pollution is the result of
man on dry land. Very dangerous radioactive waste. The situation is especially difficult in the Mediterranean and on the coast of the North Sea.
What measures are being taken to protect the oceans? Let's hear the next speaker.
2ndstudent: Effective chemicals are used to destroy traces of oil products. Special "sponge vessels" work, they suck up oil slicks along with water, collect solid garbage, plastic waste. The timing and size of the production of fish and other marine life are established. The "Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature" and the "Red Book of the USSR" were created.
What ocean protection measures did you hear about in your comrade's report? (Special “sponge ships” have been created. Chemical preparaty. Restricted catching of fish and animals.)
- What measures would you propose to protect the oceans? (Designedship ships that would not need fuel oil. Set filterson drain pipes at plants and factories, etc.)
Measures to protect the oceans:
Effective chemicals
"Sponge ships"
Fishing restriction
Purification facilities at enterprises
- Let's move on to the second question. Second problem "How to save rainforests?". Let's hear a report on the problems of tropical forests.
3rdstudent: Tropical forests are disappearing in hot countries. These forests are one of the wonders of nature. It is home to two-thirds of all plant and animal species on Earth. The dense, lush vegetation of the jungle releases a particularly large amount of oxygen into the air. It is these forests that are called the lungs of our planet. In connection with cutting, burning, uprooting forests for agricultural plantations, food chains are disrupted to obtain wood, which negatively affects all types of plants and animals, including humans, because we have our own specific place in this chain. This will lead to a decrease in oxygen in the atmosphere, increased soil erosion, a decrease in its fertility, and the extinction of plants and animals.
What problems have arisen in tropical forests? (Tropical forests are mercilessly cut down, burned, uprooted.)
What is the purpose of doing this? (To expand the margins, up tobe more wood.)
- What does this lead to? (The food chains are broken, thethe amount of oxygen, the soil is destroyed, plants die andanimals?)
- Deforestation can lead to climate change, desertification, food shortages.
More than 50% of tropical forests have already been destroyed on our planet. What do you think needs to be done to save them? (Forbid cutting down tropical forests, create reserves, national parks, take forest areas under protection.)
So let's summarize our work. What measures should be taken to save tropical forests?
Measures to protect tropical forests.
Prohibit deforestation of tropical forests.
Take forest areas under protection.
To create nature reserves and national parks on the territory of tropical forests.
Your statements show that you care about the problems of the jungle, and you think about the future of our planet. I hope that in the future, thanks to you, we will avoid environmental disasters.
Let's move on to the third issue: "How to get rid ofgarbage? I suggest you study this problem yourself, and then start the discussion.
Children read to themselves the material on p. 49, 50 textbook.
Where does garbage come from? (People throw away unnecessary murubbish, empty bottles, food waste.)
How to get rid of garbage? ( Garbage can be sorted and then recycled. Waste sorting plants already exist in the Baltics. Some itemsyou can be reused, such as glass jars and bubuttocks. Paper is recycled and then made into paper again. Ferrous metals are recycled.)
How to get rid of garbage?
Sort waste and then recycle.
Recycling of waste.
Well done! You have done an excellent job today in solving the ecological problems of the Earth.
2) Physical education
One, two - above the head,
Three, four - arms wider,
Five, six - sit down quietly.
Let's sit and rest
And then we'll start again.
3) Work in a workbook.
with. 15, #1 Read.
What is an environmental problem? (Environmental pollutionenvironment.)
- What environmental issues are of concern to you? Write it down.( Air pollution, extinction of plant and animal species, pollution of rivers, polluted streets of our village, climate warming, drought, acid rain, ozone holes.)
4. Fixing.
What do you think, my young environmentalists, can the planet get sick? (Of course it can. We already talked today about what leads toocean pollution, deforestation.)
- Can one person heal the planet? (No, here you need towork for everyone.)
Yes, environmental protection is the task of all mankind. How people solve this problem, you will learn by reading the article "Heal the planet together" on p. 50-52.
After reading, you should find answers to the following questions:
· What are the international agreements on environmental protection?
· What international organizations have been created for nature protection?
· What are the international environmental days?
(The children read the article.)
We answer questions. We fill out task No. 2 on page 15 in a notebook.
V. Summing up the lesson
If people destroy the environment, will they be able to survive? ( If people destroy the environment, they themselves will not survive. After all, man is a part of nature, he is connected with nature by invisible threads. Ocean pollution, rainforest destruction, growing piles of rubbish are all signs of imminent danger.)
Complete tasks (p. 53).
Complete task No. 3 in the workbook (p. 16).
A rainforest is any area of the world that is heavily overgrown with tree species and receives a high amount of rainfall. In many places, rainforest plants are being destroyed, which has already resulted in the loss of many of the animals that normally live there. Rainforest conservation is the effort of many individuals and organizations to protect and conserve the rainforest and the plant and animal life within it.
In general, the rainforest receives at least 100 inches (254 cm) of precipitation per year, and sometimes much more. The temperature in the temperate rainforest rarely rises above 20°C, while the temperature in the rainforest rarely falls below that and it never freezes. Temperate rainforests are limited to a very small part of the world, including the northwest coast of the United States of America and small areas of Australia and Chile.
Typically, when people talk about rainforest conservation, they don't just mean the Amazon rainforest. They cover large areas of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, as well as many islands north of Australia. Rainforests are under threat of destruction due to human activities coupled with a lack of understanding of the full impact of the environment.
One of the significant challenges that rainforests face in their survival is the struggle for the survival of those who live in them (meaning both the people who live in them and the animals). Some of them have developed farming methods called cut and burn - they cut down a large area of trees and burn it to destroy any native vegetation. They would then use the area for agriculture for several years before the land was depleted and people were forced to move on. The cycle will repeat itself and the result will be large, barren areas that will no longer support people, vegetation, or animals.
Some groups of people working to save the rainforest realize that these locals are just trying to survive. Instead of banning their farming activities, which would be difficult to enforce at best, these conservationists offer alternatives. Many rainforest dwellers have found that by working with rainforest conservation groups, they actually get a better life.
Ecotourism is one of the ways that people who live in the rainforest can make a living. Instead of destroying their land to earn a living that will remain meager at best, these people work to preserve the natural beauty of their home and show it off to tourists. They learned that tourists would pay to come to such unspoiled places, and the money that visitors bring in provides a good life for those who have used fire-burning methods in the past. Careful use of natural resources is another way to conserve rainforests. Some companies in more developed countries work with those who live in the rainforest. Companies buy products such as Brazil nuts and mahogany that grow naturally in the tropics.