| Vast destruction of forests spells doom | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 15 May 2010 21:13 |
|
We are experiencing rapid deforestation and should we fail to take drastic steps now to replant trees and conserve vegetation, we are in for a rude shock. You might say 100 years is a very long time we need not worry about now, but look at it this way; it’s only three generations away. Tanzania, whose size is 945,087square kilometres, has a forest cover of 385,000sq km. However, this is not much when you compare it to, say, Kenya, whose size is 582,646sq km, yet it boasts an equal area of forestland. According to a survey carried out by an American environmental organisation, Conservation International, some 2,300 sq km of Tanzania’s forests are being destroyed annually. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) paints an even gloomier picture with its findings, which indicate that we are losing a whopping 4,200sq km of forests yearly! It means that we are cutting down trees at a rate that is; let us face it, suicidal. By destroying that many trees, we are literally killing the environment that sustains our very existence. According to a study conducted by the Dar es Salaam-based Centre for Energy, Environment, Science and Technology (Ceest), about 70 per cent of the deforestation talking place is due to fuel wood harvests. Now, this is what scares environmentalists, for it means the rate of tree felling is bound to go up in proportion to the increase in population. The population is growing at 2.1 per cent, which is on the higher side, for the global growth rate stands at 1.1 per cent. It is not that our people prefer firewood to other forms of fuel, for in any case it is cruder, smoky and more cumbersome compared to the alternatives. But a vast majority of Tanzanians, who must cook and light up their village homes, cannot afford other forms of fuel. Calls by environmentalists for the use of gas to save our forests sound like a cruel joke. It is cruel because few Tanzanians can afford gas, when it costs up to Sh45,000 for a 15kg cylinder that can hardly last a month for an average family. Paraffin, the erstwhile poor man’s option for lighting and decent cooking, is increasingly getting unaffordable, with a litre costing Sh1,200, up from about Sh100 in the 1990s. We should not even talk about electricity since only about six per cent of Tanzanians have access to this source of energy. What is more, even the middle-income families can only afford to use it for lighting and not for cooking. Now, if we must fell trees since it is an unavoidable source of fuel, then we must take tree planting more seriously. It’s a pity that these days, we hear little of the catchphrase of the 1970s, “kata mti panda mti”, which, roughly translated, meant: “plant a tree immediately after you cut one”. That call made a lot of sense, and was somewhat effective. Tree-planting campaigns became the order of the day. But the enthusiasm has since waned, with more and more people getting keener on trading on tree products than planting trees. Efforts by the government to curb the wanton tree felling around the country is bearing little fruit, if the reports on the rate of forest destruction are anything to go by. Logging is rampant, and huge trucks loaded with forest products, heading to the cities and ports, are not an uncommon sight. The question is: are the loggers and timber businesspeople being charged enough tariffs to raise ample amounts of money for reforestation? We doubt it. One thing is certain. The high rate of deforestation must be put in check. The example seen in Kilimanjaro Region, where tree-planting campaigns in the 1990s involved ‘competitions’ sponsored by a businessman, should be emulated by other areas. Unless we reverse the destruction, our generation will be harshly judged by history, for we shall bequeath our grandchildren with a desert. ENDS Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
Latest News
Most Read
Gallery
- Businesses plead with govt to reduce huge tax burden
- Facebook shares in further decline
- Investing in non-financial services for business growth
- Potential high in banking despite mounting rivalry
- Tanzania trade with emerging markets ‘significant’
- Cement maker to build Sh264bn kiln in bid to cut costs