Biodiversity: Nurturing Nature

By - Shreyas Sarangi (Grade 7)

Think for a moment-what else are you doing while reading this? You’re breathing, right? Where is all
this oxygen coming from? The obvious answer is trees. Without them, life would have disappeared long ago.

Now think again, how many trees do we have? Even if you say “lots and lots”, the truth is that we have much less trees than what we need to keep this marvelous planet green and healthy. Look at a paper you’ve drawn on, the furniture you may be sitting on or a pencil in your hand; a tree was sacrificed to aid your life.

 

To put simply, “biodiversity” means diversity in nature. By “nature”, I mean all types of life. This means
not just trees but also animals. Many rare animal species are already extinct as well as many more are
now at the verge of extinction. What we see today our children may not. Huge areas of forests are being cleared down to fulfill ever-growing need to human beings. The rampage of humans has not stopped here; they have tremendously exploited our natural resources by poaching rare animals for skins, costly bags and clothes. The pollution spread by humans has caused environmental imbalances that further threaten the habitat of the extremely distinct sea creatures and birds.

Seeing the doomed fate of earth, measures are being taken around the world to protect our planet and its biodiversity. Gladly, this year Hyderabad played host to the ‘International Biodiversity Conference’ that lasted for 18 days. Delegates of about 193 countries met to envision new ways to conserve biodiversity. The conference focused on increasing the area of protected land and oceans around the world.

In retrospect, if we are to live and keep the Earth beautiful, we must stop chopping down trees and
over hunting animals. Remember ‘clean earth- long lived and green earth’.

‘I envision a green tomorrow
Clear rippling stream and fragrant breeze,

Dreamy doves, chirping sparrow,
Nectaring bees, tender grass green…’