The green dollar of nature
The State Of Forest Cover Worldwide And It’s Gradual Revival
Nandini Medhi, GT Network
A source of livelihood, a cornucopia of biodiversity, a refuge for wildlife- since the dawn of mankind, forests have played a paramount role in humanity’s survival. In today’s world, as the world pitifully gasps for a breath of fresh air in the jarring face of climate change and its astronomical consequences, forests have come into play again. They act as regulator of ecosystems and stand resolute as a vital solution to address the effects of climate change. All this and more, but deforestation still persists. One and a half acres of forest will be destroyed by the time you finish reading this sentence. According to Global Forest Watch, forests equal to the size of New York City is destroyed every day. As global deforestation continues, the world is slowly waking up as countries are taking steps to balance the scales. Let’s take a look.
Bhutan
Guardians of the forest
The country, although small in size, has a remarkable feather in its cap- it is the only carbon negative country in the world; not neutral, mind you, but a solid negative. The country’s unique philosophy of Gross National Happiness also takes into account environmental conservation, an issue which is even embedded into their constitution. According to one of the provisions in Bhutan’s constitution, a minimum of sixty percent of the country’s land has to be maintained under forest cover. In August 2018, Bhutan government, in collaboration with WWF and partners around the world created ‘Bhutan for Life’, a $43 million fund to protect the country’s intricate network of areas under the government’s helm. Currently, Bhutan has over seventy-one per cent of its land under forest cover, the highest in all of Asia, and the government has operations underway to utilize the country’s forest sector without jeopardizing its conservation.
Here’s hoping Bhutan’s unyielding approach towards environmental conservation comes to be seen beyond the country’s territorial boundaries.
Scotland
Defender of biodiversity
Sparkling lochs surrounded by lush green farmlands and hills rolling into the horizon as far as the eyes can see; Scotland is truly a magnificent sight to behold. But beyond the visual beauty, Scotland harbours over 90,000 species of animals, microbes and flora flourishing in over 30,000 freshwater lochs spread all over the country. In a bid to protect the thriving biodiversity, the Scottish government has planned to bring almost 30 per cent of the country’s total land under governmental protection. The proposed laws are a part of the country’s twin-crisis approach to tackle climate change and loss of biodiversity, and boost the natural economy of the country which is estimated to be worth around $39 billion. The nation also plans on the gradual restoration of peatland and woodland creation because the two are believed to be key elements of the rural economy in the country. Furthermore, almost 30 per cent of Scotland’s marine environment is currently under government protection.
Here’s hoping that Scotland’s efforts to defend the country’s rich biodiversity becomes an example to be emulated all over the world.
Indonesia
Setting a precedent
Scattered over the Indonesian archipelago, Asia’s largest tropical rainforest, a wellspring of diverse flora and fauna, is facing a slow decline. Since the early 2000s, almost nine million hectares- an area the size of Portugal- has been cleared for palm oil plantations, agriculture, timber plantations, mining etc. In 2014, in an attempt to halt deforestation, the government took on the target to allocate a whopping 12.7 million hectares of forest land to marginalized communities under the Social Forestry Initiative. The same year, Indonesia signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade and with the EU which outlined measures to tackle illegal logging with financial assistance for the same from the EU. By 2017-18, the alarming rate of forest loss saw a gradual halt and since then, Indonesia has carried on its efforts to conserve the forest cover.
Here’s hoping that the shining precedent set by Indonesia is followed by countries globally.
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