Today, the world's rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 6,000 acres an hour, this equals to about 4,000 football fields per hour. Deforestations have resulted in animal and plant life being being destroyed, and certain species at risk of extinction. Lumber harvesting of the rainforests continues to distrupt the balance of earth’s eco-system.
"Our collective macro-economic consuming behaviors are like a cancer cell killing away from the inside, eroding the balance of life and if not stopped, planet earth’s ecosystems will die and this is happening as we speak," said Gurminder Singh, CEO of EnTV.
"We, as a world community, need to understand and appreciate that it is necessary for rainforests to produce oxygen and clean air to help us breathe. This is absolutely vital, and there’re no two ways about it. We also know that the earth's climate as well as water cycle can be affected by deforestations. Furthermore, rainforests are earth’s most precious natural resource that has and can further provide us with many medicinal herbs and plants, as well as a probable source of cure from some fatal diseases," Mr. Singh, who is also an adviser and consultant to an environmental company, SaveTheWorldAir Inc.
Since 1998, deforestation of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, has increased more than 30 percent. Within the same period, Southeast Asia has been losing its rainforests faster than any equatorial region, and presently has the fewest primary rainforests remaining.
Central Africa holds the world's second largest rainforest. To the south east, the island of Madagascar was once densely forested but now much of it is gone. Africa contains areas of cloud forest, mangrove swamps and flooded forests. The island of Madagascar is home to many unique plants and animals not found anywhere else.
The Southeast Asian rainforests are the oldest, dating back to 70 million years ago, consistent rainforests on earth. It has a biological diversity and richness unrivalled by that of the Amazon or African rainforests. However, it is projected that most of the primary of Southeast Asia’s rainforests will disappear in the next decade due to unrelenting deforestation.
Often overlooked are the millions of people who live in the rainforests. It has been reported that there are about 50 million tribal people living in world's rainforests but they are rapidly declining. These people very much depend on the forests for their food and shelter. As more and more trees and forests are destroyed, more and more of these indigenous people are not only deprived of their rights to live in their ancestral home, but of their lives as well.
"Rainforests can be effectively managed without putting in danger the lives of rare species of animals and plants and without risking global environmental damage. New methods and eco-friendly technologies to do this have to be conceived and developed. We have to be wiser than before, the earth has suffered enough because of our apathy and ignorance. As citizens of earth, we must be prudent not to take for granted the resources that we and our children will need in the future," Gurminder Singh further added.
Mr. Singh has been invited to attend and present at the United Nations sponsored Summit in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development Summit (nrg4SD) will be held on March 10th to March 12th.
Source: Earthnetworks TV