Cure for Thee

 

   Ecosystems, the hotspot for living and non-living things to coexist to survive. An area where diversity is a great factor in how it will survive or last long. Ecosystems vary in sizes, forms, types, and biotic and abiotic features, Earth is composed of countless terrestrial and marine ecosystems. . Each factor depends on every other factor to grow. Temperature, weather, geographical location and much more can be a factor. Sudden shifts in the factors can make drastic changes to our ecosystems, it can be good or it can the worse imaginable changes can happen sooner or later.

  We are living in an ecosystem where we depend on and almost all of our resources are formed within. Our chances of survival depend on how healthy our ecosystem is, how healthy the earth is, and taking a step back and looking around our surroundings, we can say that things have changed and it is for the worst. As the human population continues to grow, we have overtaken many ecosystems and the diversity that once was visible, slowly disappeared as we industrialized every land we see without taking into account the different life forms that will be affected. Most human activities act as a threat to all the ecosystems known, for example, is the wildfire that occurred in California that originated from what was supposed to be a simple baby shower that ended up in a tragedy. In the end, it caused massive destruction of an ecosystem that is the habitat of many wild lives. Sometimes, we humans create our destruction, we are fighting a battle that we started.

   Now here we are, facing the irreversible effects of global warming, the ocean level continuously rising, the extinction of various wildlife, the destruction of natural habitats, countless wildfires, and so much more. These are all major problems that could’ve been avoided. These are all effects of the slowly deteriorating ecosystem that we failed to save. Some can still be saved if we act now and not wait for another year to go by.

   As a student and a civilized individual in society, I can contribute to saving the ecosystem by doing simple things such as practicing proper waste management, following the three r’s, reduce, reuse and recycle and limiting the use of single used plastics. As an alternative, I use tote bags instead of plastic bags in going out to buy my necessities, instead of using shampoo and conditioner that is sold in sachets, I use an eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner bar. The same with eating junk foods that come in sachets, and avoiding the use of single-use plastic straws instead, opting for metal straws. These simple but helpful things are just basic compared to what ecologists are trying to do to save what was left in our ecosystem.

   Ecosystems can still recover, however, the majority of marine ecosystems are at risk because of the rising of the ocean level and the constant temperature change. Ecologists believe that years from now if we keep on ignoring how bad our ecosystems have become, the earth will not be habitable as it was before. That is why various organizations worldwide had started to take drastic measures to lessen the destruction of our ecosystem. The UN Ecosystem Restoration is one of the organizations created to halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems and help maintain their diversity which is a vital part of stability. One of their many programs is seeding 100m trees to restore Borneo’s Rainforest in Asia and the Pacific. Organizations like this contribute a lot of help, but with the cooperation of individuals like you and me, the impact will be greater.

   In a search for the solution to save our home, our cooperation is needed. That is why as a student, I encourage each and everyone to wake and be aware that our future is at stake. We may not want to live to a brighter tomorrow, let us do our part into making other’s futures brighter and much cleaner. We have to be the solution and be the reason why everything has come to a halt. Because in the end, we are still accountable for what has happened to something so beautiful.

 

 Photos retrieved from:

http://www.ecosystematic.com/ecosystem-strategy/

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/publication/urbanization-reviews

https://www.planettemalade.com/ecosystem-restoration-is-the-key-to-revive-our-degraded-planet/