An early warning!
6.1 August 2017
“Forests are the ornaments of the earth…they teach mankind to understand beauty and attune his mind to lofty sentiments.”
“Why destroy the forests? Millions of trees have perished…and many beautiful landscapes are gone forever.”
“Man is endowed with reason and the power to create… until now he has not created, but demolished!”
“The forests are disappearing, the rivers are running dry, the game is exterminated, the climate is spoiled, and the earth becomes poorer and uglier every day.”1
Our little life
6.2 August 2017
While hiking recently along the white cliffs of southern England I realized that the chalk beneath my feet was made up of the remnants of billions of micro-organisms laid down on the seabed some 145 to 65 million years ago. Against such an immense perspective I perceived the smallness of my own life.
The Earth formed from the coalescence of gases and dust some 4600 million years ago. It was initially lifeless. Research suggests that single-celled organisms, similar to blue-green algae, appeared some 3600 million years ago. 2
It was much later during the Silurian Period, some 438 to 408 million years ago, that life emerged from its womb in the oceans onto the land. That life was green. Early plants, such as club mosses and forms resembling ferns, began to colonize the Earth during the Devonian Period 408 to 360 million years ago.2 Plants continued to evolve over the millennia to achieve the rich diversity that we see today.
Homo sapiens are late comers to the Earth appearing only some one hundred thousand years ago.3 In this relatively short time humanity has occupied nearly all parts of the planet. Our intelligence has given us knowledge and power and with these we have achieved “near-absolute domination of the biosphere”3 – and the ability to destroy:
“Human actions are fundamentally, and to a significant extent irreversibly, changing diversity of life on Earth.”4
Primeval forests once covered 6 billion hectares of the Earth’s surface. It is only in the last 10,000 years that humans have begun their widespread clearance. But it is especially in the last 50 years that forests have been systematically felled:
“Forests have fared especially poorly…the global area of forests reduced by roughly half over the past three centuries.”5
“Ecosystems…particularly in the tropics are rapidly being destroyed”6
Amongst the most important and endangered regions are biodiversity hotspots. These contain high species endemism – that is at least 1500 local plant species. There are some thirty 35 hotspots and most are located in the tropics. Such hotspots although representing a small fraction of the Earth’s surface are estimated to sustain over half of the world’s terrestrial species.6
“Tropical forests have been diversity hotspots for… 250 million years” 7
Tropical rainforest “are the most diverse vegetation types in the world.”2 Yet despite their longevity and importance such forests are disappearing at an average rate of over 90,000 km2 per year.5 This loss of this habitat is one of the most important drivers of species extinction.
For example the Brazilian Atlantic forest has been substantially cleared and only some 12% of the original remains. West African rainforests have also been severely reduced and degraded. Islands such as Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea, while they still retain expanses of forest, are losing it at an alarming rate.7
Commercial agriculture is estimated to be responsible for 73% of tropical deforestation for the period 2000 to 2010.8
For example large expanses of the Amazon Rainforest are currently being cleared for industrial-scale cattle ranching and soy cultivation.6 Other important factors include logging, mining, and infrastructure developments. Such “pressures to clear forests are expected to increase”9 and the future does not look bright:
“At current rates of deforestation …the wet tropical forests of the Amazon and Congo Basin – will be gone by the end of this century.”3
Global deforestation reached 13 million hectares per year in 2010. This mainly occurred in the tropical and subtropical regions.10
Are we going to continue with “business as usual” until the last stand of old forest vanishes under the chain-saw forever?
Are we going to remain apathetic while the remaining fragments of primeval forest are cut down ending 250 million years of evolution?
The majestic trees that form the rainforests typically live from 200 to 1000 years.11 In comparison we can anticipate that “the days of our years are three score and ten.”12 This short lifespan inevitably determines our very short perspective of time – and our hubris.
Humanity needs to reconnect with the Earth and recognise that our lives are extremely brief and unimportant. Then we may discover the wisdom to exercise humility and restraint and act to protect the Earth’s amazing diversity of animals and plants.
“People need wild places…it reminds us that our plans are small and somewhat absurd”13
Awe-inspiring trees
6.3 September 2017
“Trees in particular were mysterious and seemed to me direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life.”
“For that reason, the woods were places where I felt closest to its deepest meaning and to its awe-inspiring workings.”1
Neo-nemeton
6.4 September 2017
I am part Scottish and part Irish by decent and therefore like to consider that I have Celtic blood in my veins.
The Celts were one of the main tribes to inhabit the British Isles prior to the invasion of the Romans. They were an agrarian people who lived close to land. They believed that certain trees were sacred and they often worshiped in sacred woods called nemeton.1
“The Druids …chose oak-woods for their sacred groves”2
Firstly under the Romans and later with the introduction of Christianity all such pagan beliefs, like the worship of trees, were suppressed…but perhaps not entirely forgotten.
There were no trees in Britain prior to about 11,000 BC because much of it lay under deep ice sheets. As these retreated a bare landscape was revealed which allowed plants and animals to recolonise from the south.
For thousands of years Britain was covered with a continuous forest called the “wildwood.” It is estimated that this occupied some 75% of the land area. Research suggests that only around 4000BC did Neolithic peoples begin destruction of the wildwood. Clearance was undertaken for agriculture and by browsing by domesticated animals. This process continued up to the early Iron Age. “Half of England had ceased to be wildwood by 500BC.”3
The Doomsday Book was the first real survey of England. Undertaken by the Normans this shows that in 1086 only some 15% of the land was wooded.3 Over the following centuries the destruction of woodland continued and many woods were grubbed up by landowners for agriculture.
By 1900 the woodland of England had been reduced to just 5%.4
Tragically about half of this remaining original woodland was destroyed during the Twentieth Century. Most was due to afforestation with conifer plantations, followed by agriculture, then much smaller areas for quarrying, housing, roads and industry.3
The few areas that still survive are known as ancient woodland. These now only cover some 2% of the United Kingdom.5 The majority are small, isolated fragments within the dominant agricultural landscape.6
“England’s ancient woodlands…are our richest wildlife habitat”5
Ancient woodlands have high ecological value because they have the highest levels of biological diversity. They support over 40% of the species within the UK.6 For example Bradfield Woods in Suffolk boasts 350 types of plants, including 42 native trees and shrubs. It is also noted for a wide range of mammals, birds, insects and fungi.3
Such ancient woodlands are unique and irreplaceable and we need to protect the fragments that still survive.
A recent example of people’s passion for trees was the protests which reversed government policy to sell off the nation’s woodland. The English Public Forest Estate comprises of over one thousand woods covering some 258,000 hectares.
It represents 18% of all the woodland and some 44% of accessible woodland in England. Significantly some 24% of the Estate is designated as ancient woodland.7
In October 2010 the UK Government announced its intention to sell-off large areas of the Public Forest Estate to assist in Governmental budget savings. The result was widespread public opposition. The normally silent majority across middle England gave voice to their concerns and a desire to protect “their” woodlands. A YouGov poll found that 75% of respondents were opposed to the sale.8 A vigorous public campaign included half a million people signing an online petition against the proposed sell off.9 In February 2011 as a result of this widespread criticism the Government suspended the sale of the land.
An Independent Panel on Forestry was established to review the matter and its final report of July 2012 recommended that the Public Forest Estate “should remain in public ownership.”7 As a result the Government rescinded its proposed policy of selling of England’s woodlands and confirmed that all would remain in secured public ownership and be held in trust for the nation.4 The government also announced new policies to protect the nation’s trees and woodlands, improve their resilience and expand the area of woodland cover to 12% by 2060.4 The UK Government was forced to recognise how deeply the British people care about woodlands…or in their own words:
“People love trees”4
The UK Government faced a passionate and unanticipated outcry in protection of the nation’s woodlands. It had failed to understand the deep feelings of the British public hold for “their” woods… or that just maybe:
“Sacred groves become sacred again”10
Living tree
6.5 October 2017
“He laid his hand upon the tree…never before had he been…so keenly aware of the feel and texture of the tree’s skin and the life within it.”
“He felt a delight in the wood, and the touch of it…it was the delight of the living tree itself.”1
From little acorns
6.6 October 2017
Adjoining our home we have a small plot of land where I have spent a good deal of time planting and tending trees. Despite losses due to wind, frost and in one or two cases a chainsaw there are today some 140 trees and shrubs of over 40 species. When we first acquired the land my daughter planted an acorn. Now some twenty years later it is a large…but not quite “mighty” oak.
For nearly thirty years Maathai Wangari mobilised the women of rural Kenya to plant 30 million trees. Her life’s work demonstrates the positive effect one person can make.1
Maathai Wangari was born in Kenya 1st April 1940. The daughter of a peasant farmer she led a remarkable life. As an academic she was the first woman in post-independence Kenya to earn a PhD and the first female head of a University Department.
But she is mainly remembered for her work for the environment.2
In Kenya under English colonial rule the emphasis had been on land clearance to plant cash crops. The result was a denuded landscape and forests were reduced to less than 2% of the land area.
In 1977, while serving on the National Council of Women, Maathai Wangari listened to the problems faced by rural women. She realised that all were rooted in this degraded environment 3 and developed the idea of healing the damage by implementing a nationwide tree-planting campaign:1
“Planting trees came to me as a concrete, doable response”3
The first tree nurseries were established in the Lang’ata area. Her work was initially vilified but with her persistence and commitment the idea grew and blossomed. She developed a technique of planting trees in rows of one thousand. It is from this that the organisation took its name…the Green Belt Movement (GBM). The GBM is a grass-roots non-governmental organisation that focuses on environmental conservation and development. It aims to encourage Kenyans to work collectively to save their nation from deforestation through an active participation in forestation and reforestation.1
“We resolve to save our land…through the planting of trees”1
A ceremony was held to mark the planting of the first tree in June 1977. Interest steadily grew. Farmers, schools, churches and many women were eager to participate.1
The initial idea was to help rural populations, especially women, by planting trees to provide food and timber for cooking and heating.3 Other benefits include an improvement to the local environment, 1 preventing soil erosion, regulating water cycles and promoting biodiversity. Planting trees also mitigates Climate Change through the sequestration of carbon.4
In 1981 funding from the United Nations Fund for Women and other international supporters allowed the movement to undertake more tree-planting. GBM established tree nurseries nationwide and by 1999 some 6000 tree nurseries had been established in 26 districts planting a wide range of indigenous trees and some exotic fruit trees.1
GBM also organised seminars to teach the basics of tree production, planting and care. One of the key values promoted was love for the environment. Wangari Maathai believed that such love should be the motivation to take positive actions for the Earth.3
“The simple act of tree planting…to heal the earth’s wounds”3
In 2004 the Nobel Committee awarded Wangari Maathai the Nobel Peace Prize. This especially recognised her work in “protecting the environment”1
In 2006 her example inspired the United Nations Environment Programme to initiate the “Billion Tree Campaign”. Thousands of individuals, schools, businesses and governments around the world planted trees. The billionth tree was an African Olive planted in Ethiopia in November 2007. Planting continued in over 193 countries and the campaign achieved another remarkable landmark in October 2011.4
“More than 12 billion trees have been planted” 4
Maathai Wangari died of cancer 25th September 2011 in a Nairobi Hospital.2 She had inspired a whole nation to plant millions of trees and then whole world to plant billions more…all one woman’s legacy to the Earth.
“Trees are a symbol of hope”1
By planting them by the millions Wangri Maathgai and the women of Kenya demonstrate that “a new greening is possible”1.Imagine what a difference it would make to the Earth if we all simply planted and cared for one tree…or in the words of Wangari Maathai:
“I would urge all…to plant a tree.”1
