There are many lessons to be learned from the ongoing situation in Haiti. One of these is the dire consequences facing a country that for many reasons has been decimated ecologically.
Deforestation and over-farming have taken a toll on this island nation. Most of the country is eroded and barren, which in turn makes farming difficult to impossible and makes the nation vulnerable to natural disasters.
In a land with few trees or forests and soils that are all but destroyed, planning a turnaround is difficult, but a comeback is possible.
One of the big lessons of Haiti, unrelated to but exacerbated by the earthquake, is that human beings ultimately pay a big price when the natural world is completely disregarded.
Haiti, and many other places on the planet, will benefit when people take a stand for more trees and healthier ecosystems and less overuse of resources. Haiti is not the only example of a land that has been grotesquely overused, but in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake it’s in the spotlight.
It is important to remember the lessons of the lives of men like Theodore Roosevelt and take a stand for conservation and intelligent land management that places a premium on the value of developing land use policies for agriculture, as well as maintaining wild places and promoting biodiversity.
Biodiversity is important not just for the health of plants and animals, it’s important for the health of humans too. Without healthy ecosystems, all living things suffer.
Tags: CalRecycle, Conservation, Haiti, San Diego, STAND FOR LESS, Theodore Roosevelt