Global Deforestation
The Long-Term Impact of Global Deforestation on the Fresh Water Cycle
(Photo- Deforestation in Uttaranchal, India, December 2005)
The important role that mountains and mountain forests play in the Global Fresh Water Cycle is not generally known about. Considering how important fresh water is, it is surprising how little the general public knows about things such as: how it is formed, what factors it is dependant upon and how to preserve it. It is even more surprising that among those who have been well informed, that this issue is not given more urgent recognition.
(Photo- Deforested slope, Dharamasala, India (H.P) 2004)
"The results of mountain ecosystem degradation through clear-cuts and unsustainable forestry and agricultural practices are tremendous and costly to downstream water users. They include drier aquifers and wells, siltation of hydropower and irrigation reservoirs through hillside erosion, and less water in the dry season." (Bishkek Global Mountain Summit 2002)
Research has shown that the environment of the Tibetan plateau, at an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level; which is the highest plateau on Earth, affects the global jet-streams. These in turn affect Pacific typhoons, the El Nino (warm ocean current) phenomenon and monsoon patterns. These patterns affect all of Earth's weather systems and climates. (Elmer Reiter)
"Despite all of the great benefits that mountain forests provide they have been disappearing at a startling rate in the last decade." (Bishkek Global Mountain Summit 2002)
(Photo- Dharamasala, (H.P) India 2006)
As mountain forests disappear, less rain falls, less snow is made, land drains more quickly, and soil temperatures rise. In 1945 ancient forests covered 221,800 square kilometers of the high Tibetan plateau, which is 25 million sq. km, whereas by 1985 they had been reduced to134, 000 square kilometers (Tibetan Bulletin). They have undoubtedly been reduced even more since then. This is an enormous loss of high altitude cloud forests and yet it is only a fraction of what has been happening globally.
A group called ‘Mountain Forum’ speaks of protecting the remaining 25% of high altitude forest. This suggests that mountain regions could have been deforested by as much as 75%.
This is an enormous loss and surely adds to the problems of climate change, when considering that these forests are the natural mechanism which would normally be making the mountain snows. They would also be normally feeding the waters into the underground aquifers and absorbing carbons. The stability of Earth’s fresh water system depends upon maintaining the integrity of watersheds. These, in turn depend upon the health of the high altitude indigenous mountain forests.
(Photo- Bhagsu Nath, India (H.P) 2004)
To sustain these important mechanisms, Earth’s mountain regions need to be reforested fast. To effectively do this, it is vital that remaining forests are protected and sustained and that action is taken to restore as much as is possible of the natural biodiversity.
A vital point that needs to be remembered when approaching any kind of environmentally sound reforestation is that monoculture is not a option. It creates more long term problems and is not long-term sustainable.
The idea of mass planting a monoculture of a single species of fast growing trees may in theory seem like a good idea. However when looked at in practice, it is clear that it generally causes a lot of harm. The two species of tree most commonly used for monoculture are Alpine Pine and Eucalyptus. Both of these drain a lot of nutrients out of the soil and do not put much back. These are both very greedy for water and will destroy habitats for most other plant life and their inherent insects, birds and animals.
(Photo- Dharamasala, India (H.P) 2004)
It is very disturbing to see massive areas of land that from a distance look green and lush, yet when studied at close quarters it is clear that the land is bare and parched and almost dead.
There is also the fact that after only a short period of time of this kind of monoculture scheme being implemented the land will be so acidified and drained of nutrients, that it cannot support much new growth without a lot of effort spent on soil regeneration.
Generally very little of the riches gained from draining these mountain resources goes back to the indigenous mountain people and so they stay one of the poorest peoples on Earth.
“Mountain peoples, many with thousands of years of experience living and working in their rugged environments, are overlooked stewards of fragile landscapes that support over ten percent of the Earth's population, and protect the watersheds that ensure freshwater for more than half of humanity. The high variability of mountain ecosystems makes them home to irreplaceable global treasures of biological diversity -- a diversity that is protected by mountain communities whose traditional lifestyles depend on intimate knowledge and sustainable use of their natural environment. However, there is a marked "vertical gradient of poverty" in mountains that makes them home to some of the poorest people in the world. Their poverty is increasing in most places, as development investments either ignore or exploit them.” (Owen J. Lynch and Gregory F. Maggio Center for International Environmental Law Washington, USA)
(Photo- Pauri Garwal, India (Uttaranchal) Feb 2007)
The huge extent of forest depletion in so many of Earths’ mountain regions has not been caused simply by the foraging of mountain villagers. This scale of land desertification is the result of unregulated, large scale, commercial deforestation. However now that these forests are in this fragile state, the cutting of local mountain villagers aggravates the problem. In needs to be recognised that this recent environmental poverty has reduced these mountain communities to an impoverished state. In this state they are forced to deplete the scarce forest resources that remain.
Downstream communities are learning that investing in watershed protection provides direct economic benefits, as well as ensuring environmental services such as clean water (Owen J. Lynch and Gregory F. Maggio Center for International Environmental Law Washington, USA).
(Photo- Pauri Garwal, India (Uttaranchal) Feb 2007)
This work needs to be done recognizing the severity of the situation and the huge loss that will be suffered if it is not effectively done. It needs to involve governments, scientists and equally importantly, the grass-root communities. So the methods used, need to fit with the needs and traditions of these different social groups.
If a method is not used that involves these different groups, then there is not a chance of effective re-forestation of the scale that is needed.