Lori Uhacz
Warner Pacific College
January 11, 2012
Each and every day, we are one step closer to running out of natural resources. Every country in the world vies for one resource or another whether it is gas, natural gas, hydro power, crops or a variety of other things. We are becoming so dependent on oil especially in America and places like China and India that before we know it, these resources will be gone. We as a society cannot stand by and watch our precious resources be depleted. We have a responsibility to protect them and the land around them and to see that they are not abused.
In the Pacific Northwest, we have large forests full of beautiful old trees. Because the need for timber is so great, we are at risk of losing some of the most amazing forests we have. Yes, the U.S. Forestry Service has taken measure to insure the protection of many parts of Oregon and Washington, not everything is safe however. Deforestation has been come a problem. Our book defines deforestation on page 318 as “the clearing and loss of forests” (Brennan & Withgott, 2011). From personal experience I have seen how deforestation has affected the beautiful Oregon landscape. If you drive through the coast range on the way to say Cannon Beach, you can see how over logging has completely changed how everything looks. To me some places are not even nice to look at, let alone be a place for wildlife to live and survive.
In other places around the world, deforestation has become a much bigger problem than it is here in America. In an article for the Washington Post online, Joshau Partlow talks about the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Parts of the “Bom Futuro National Forest” are being destroyed despite efforts by people like Antonio Elson Portela “an environmental official responsible for protecting the forest from settlers and loggers (Partlow, 2009). As members of a global society we need to find a way to protect these forests. Partlow states in his article that “through May of [2008], Brom Futuro had lost nearly 170,000 acres of forest, roughly a quarter of the park. At the current rate of deforestation, environmental officials estimate, half the forest will be pasture in five more years. By 2021, it will be all gone” (2009). Why is nothing being done to stop this? We need to create stricter laws that protect the land in and around the forest. Unfortunately it going to be a lot more difficult than just creating laws. The impact of these laws however would endanger the livelihood of many people who live in Brom Futuro. Even though living in the national park and logging it is illegal, they still pursue their dream of having their own piece of land. Partlow goes on to say that the people who live in the forest know what they are doing is illegal, but they have lived in this place for so long that they will do anything to stay there. Cleofas de Oliveira, is one such person who Partlow writes about. “Oliveira and others say they are willing to plant trees and police themselves and the loggers in return for legitimate claim of their land” (Partlow, 2009). Partlow goes on to quote Oliveria, “If they (the government) try to move people and do not offer something of value, people would burn the rest of this forest in protest: Okay, if we have to leave, the forest goes with us” (2009).
While deforestation continues to be an issue across the globe, is there really much we can do to stop it. With the population around the world continuing to rise, soon we will have to start cutting trees in places that have been protected for a very long time. Honestly I don’t think that regulations against deforestation will stand for much longer. We are desperate for resources and trees and other natural resources will be some of the first to go.
Resources
Brennan, S., & Withgott, J. (2011). Environment the science behind the stories. (4 ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education.
Partlow, J. (2009, February 6). A protected forest's fast decline. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503199
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