Our entire lives are completely dependent on natural resources. The increase in population and human demands can cause depletion of natural resources fasten than the ability of nature to naturally replenish them. Depletion refers to the process where the quantity of natural resources available of a certain kind, reduce and are not as available as they were for human consumption.
Sustainability helps in solving the problem of rapid depletion. This refers to a practice where we use natural resources in a responsible way in order to fulfill current needs while also ensuring that future generations are taken care of. Forest preservation is one of the most commonly practiced yet important sustainable measure that is followed as forests make up about 30% of the earths landmass yet are constantly decreasing. Forests are destroyed and trees are cut down to increase the availability of land for agriculture and lumber for constructions. This leads to the major problem of deforestation that is faced by every country in the world.
Deforestation destroys the habitat of animals, plants and all living organisms and creates an imbalance in the biodiversity of an area. Humans use forests and its contributing factors such as fruits, mushrooms and animals for our own consumption in food or medicine. Heavily relining on forests for all our demands leads to an increase in soil erosion and limits the growth rate and productivity of trees that are in the forests.
Thus comes the role of sustainable forest development. This practice refers to the process of preservation of the ecosystem by reducing the human dependency on forests. The most common yet effective sustainable practices are planting new seedlings in areas that have been deforested and reducing the total number of trees that are cut down for human needs.
As the human population is on a constant rise it is essential that we reduce our dependency on forests that causes its massive depletion, precious metals as well as all other natural resources. To help assist in the reduction of this dependency on various fossil fuels, scientists across the world are constantly searching for renewable sources of energy and reducing human dependency on external factors. Development in the solar energy field is a major breakthrough for us as it removes the entire focus from fossil fuels and makes the process of electricity generation cost effective and affordable even in the long run. There are various tests for making vehicular fuel from algae instead of petroleum that can also help in reducing the burden on natural resources.
Concerns relating to fresh water sustainability and long-term availability have led to the development in practices such as rain water harvesting, desalination equipment’s and carious other inventions that help in providing clean water for human consumption and daily activities without causing any hinderance in the natural biodiversity and ecosystems. As the time and effort spent on creating these inventions increase, it is important for us to integrate these inventions in our daily lives as well to ensure that their effects are felt from the start.
