A Continuing Contingency

Scientists estimate that one fifth of the world's tropical rainforest was destroyed between 1960 and 1990, as you will see the same problem that plagued early island settlers around the world is still continued into present day. In the book, A New Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations, the author Clive Ponting discusses the issues of Easter Island having only limited resources to support human society and all of its demands. Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands, located near the coast of South America. More than six hundred years ago the island's population was 20,000. It was a lush forest of palm trees, rivers, and streams. In just a few centuries man's ambitions proved to be greater than the island's resources. Because of the island's environmental degradation due to extreme deforestation and the need to expand villages on the island its resources quickly diminished causing the loss of civilizations. Although the island was built from an extremely limited resource base it became one of the most advanced societies in the world during that period of time.

Unfortunately we have not learned by our past mistakes. A prime example of this is Madagascar. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot in which over 30 percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The islands diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by human settlement. Current and future generations in Madagascar are faced with the challenge of striking a balance between economic growth, equitable development and natural conversation. Studies have shown that since the arrival of humans 2,000 years ago, Madagascar has lost more than 90 percent of its original forest.

The definition of deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Some examples of deforestation are the changing of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. Just as with Easter Island no effort was made to replant as they used the forest’s resources to build canoes, villages, etc.

Another example of more recent deforestation is the increasing of road building in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a significant concern because of increased human encroachment upon wild areas, increased resource extraction and further threats to biodiversity. Deforestation is a contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect.

In the book Ecosystems and Well-Being, issues involving the major problems associated with our management of the worlds eco systems are addressed. Such as over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel. Also, the changes that have been made to ecosystems have contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development, but these gains have been achieved at growing costs in the form of the degradation of many ecosystem services, increased risks of nonlinear changes, and the exacerbation of poverty for some groups of people. These problems, unless addressed, will substantially diminish the benefits that future generations obtain from ecosystems. In conclusion we must acknowledge that there are limits to our resources here on earth. Expanding our civilizations but not preparing for future generations will result in more examples such as Easter Island.