ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION

Today is World Environment Day 2021, Our planet has been gone under so many changes since then. So many decades passed and our Environment still trying to stay strong in spite what us human being has done to it . I believe that human beings, plants and animals life goes parallel with each other .Yes they belong to living things but look at other aspect .

we born as a baby , then we become adult , grow old and die. A plant is born from a seed , grow becomes a tree, its green leaves becomes dry and fall . The cycle is similar , we all see same seasons , adapt habitat as season changes , work for our bread butter and so do animals .Animals also does hard work to built their houses, hunt for food. Its a cycle . We all grow together in the same environment and dependent on each other . THIS IS ECOSYSTEM

We should not break our ecosystem chain. As we all know we have done enough harm to our ecosystem by creating nuisance such as pollution .

MY CHILDHOOD MEMORY

When I was a child I visited many cities of India because my Dad is in Army , so every three years he was posted in different states . I have spend almost 6 years in Punjab . When we were in Pathankot there was a small pond in front of our house . Every rainy season that pond used to be freshly filled with water and surrounded by green grass . I was always so joyful to see the pond because in 4-5 days there were fishes swimming in the pond . Me and my friends we used to play near the pond and we used to watch fishes. After the arrival of fishes , soon frogs joined them . We used to wonder how come these pond have fishes in it ? From where do fishes comes in pond, and other small animals why they show up when fishes arrives.

And boom in school we came to a word 'ECOSYSTEM' our science teacher taught us about ecosystem , how it is formed and how life cycle goes in it . Then I understood that we have a small ecosystem in front of our house . Being a part of large ecosystem ,we also have small ones , which not only looks so much beautiful but also balance our cycle. Nowadays honestly I barely see a pond in surroundings . I know we have consumed the lands for constructions , buildings all around but I miss nature . This part of my memory about that small pond ecosystem sometimes make me feel go back to the good old days , Back then we were so much connected to nature and now its totally different . To find nature we have to go tourist places . Why cant we get back our ecosystems which are lost?

Earth need help

The climate emergency , the loss of nature and deadly pollution threaten to destroy our home and eliminate many of the species that share this beautiful planet with us . This degradation is not inevitable. We all have the power to reverse the harm and restore the earth.

The United Nations has declared the decade on ecosystem restoration , starting on World Environment day 2021. Individuals ,groups, governments, business and organizations of all kinds can join forces in a global movement to prevent , halt and reverse ecosystem degradation and secure sustainable future .

Ten years is a long time but by 2030 we must nearly halve green house gas emissions to prevent devastating climate change . Restoring them is a massive challenge but more and more people should realize that we must change our ways and more urgently to protect and rebuild nature forn the sake of future generations and out of love for the world we live in.

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION

Ecosystem restoration means assisting in the recovery of ecosystems that have been destroyed or damaged , as well as conserving the ecosystems that are still intact . Healthier ecosystems , with richer biodiversity , yield greater benefits such as more fertile soils, bigger yields of timber and fishes and larger stores of greenhouse gases.

You can take action by :-

• Announcing an ambitious restoration project.

• Volunteering for an existing restoration effort .

• Greening homes, business, schools or public places .

• Cleaning up lakes , beach ,park or other natural areas

Smart choices:-

• Pledging a donation for restoration.

• Halting purchases of products and services that are not certified as sustainable .

• Using sustainable and plant rich products.

Raise your voice:-

• Participating in exhibition of poster , or art showing the beauty of local ecosystems .

• Writing a letter to your local newspaper .

• starting an online campaign.

WHY ECOSYSTEMS ARE IMPORTANT?

Ecosystem provide us with priceless benefits . they include a stable climate and breathable air. Supplies of water , food and materials of all kinds and protection from disaster and disease.

Natural ecosystems are important for our mental and physical health. All over the world , ecosystems face massive threats . Forests being cleared , rivers and lakes polluted . Wetlands and peat lands drained , coasts and oceans degraded and overfished , mountain soil eroded , farmlands and grasslands overexploited .

Unless we change our ways and protect restore our ecosystems, we will not only destroy the landscape we love , we will undermine the foundations of our own well being.

SEVEN ECOSYSTEMS

1- FOREST AND TREES

Forest and trees provide us clean air , water , capture vast amount of climate heating carbon and are home to most of earth's biodiversity . Supply food and fodder , fuel and materials.

Forests are homes for many species . It provide them a home. This animals have maintain a balance of ecosystems on their own .

Ecosystem face intense pressure from rising population and hunger for land and resources .

Restoration forests involves returning trees to formerly forested land, including settlements and agricultural areas and improving condition of degraded forests .

HOW?

1-Plant trees

- Tree plantation is simple and hugely popular restoration activity.

2- Forest landscape restoration

- Well resourced projects can secure bigger restoration gains by looking at a whole landscape.

3-Supporting sustainable farming in some area to reduce pressure on forests and let trees regrow.

2- Rivers and Lakes

Freshwaters ecosystems supply food , water and energy to billions of people , protect us from droughts and floods . Provide us unique habitat for many plants and animals including one third of all vertebrate species.

This ecosystems are particularly degraded. They face pollution from chemicals , plastics , sewage , as well as overfishing and over extraction of water. They attract real estate development and recreation.

Protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems can improve water quality , controlling how these ecosystem and the land next to them are used .

HOW?

1- Clean it up

- Gather trash and junk dumped or washed up so that people appreciate landscape and take better care of it.

2-Regulate access

Create agreed and easy to use access points instance, for animals to drink , boats to land or people to swim.

3-Restore vegetation

Plant indigenous species to restore rich habitats along the banks of river , lakes , create wildlife corridors .

3- Towns and cities

Urban areas occupy less than1 % of earth's land surface but house more than half of its people . Despite their steel and concrete , crowds and traffics , cities and towns are still ecosystems whose condition profoundly marks the quality of our lives .

Urban ecosystems are often highly degraded . Poor planting seals soils and leaves little space for vegetation's . Unchecked urban sprawl gobbles up and more and more wildlife habitat.

But authorities ,communities and citizens can use restoration to achieve environmental , social and cultural gains at the same time .

HOW?

1- Green public spaces

Design and support initiatives to restore waterways and wetlands , plant and create urban woodland and other wildlife habitat along roads and railways and in public spaces.

2- Cities for sustains

Campaign for sustainable urban planning including restoration of contaminated sites.

3- One micro ecosystems

Plant indigenous species , make composts.

4- Oceans and Coasts

Oceans and seas covers more than 70% of earth. These ecosystem regulate our climate and generate most of O2 we breathe.

But oceans and coasts face huge threats . Millions of tonnes of our plastic waste are harming creatures , including seabirds , turtles , crabs . Climate change are damaging coral leefs and we are clearing mangroves for fish farms and other activities . Overfishing threatens fish stocks , nutrient pollution is creating dead zones .

We can restore oceans and coasts by reducing the pressure on them so they can recover .

HOW?

1- Clean up

Mobilize all ages to gather the masses of households wastes and abandoned fishing gear that wash up on our beaches and shores . Recycle plastics and other materials to keep them out of landfill.

2- Restore vegetation

Protect and restore coastal ecosystem including saltmarshes . mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass and shellfish.

3- Use the ocean wisely

Bring together community , authorities to agree hoe to make coastal and ocean development and fishing sustainable .

5- Farmland and grassland

FARMLAND AND GRASSLANDS are perhaps our most vital ecosystems . As well as supplying food , fodder , fiber , fields and grazing land host a bewildering variety of organisms from bats and birds to beetles and worms as well as considerable tree cover.

Intensive ploughing and monocultures , overgrazing and removal of hedges and trees are degradation precious soil and vegetation . Excess agrochemical or polluting waterways and harming wildlife including bees that pollinate crops .

We can restore ecosystem by using nature to boost farm productivity and soil health and improver how they manage the land.

HOW?

1- Invest in nature

Use natural pest control and organic fertilizer.

2- Trust in diversity

Grow more trees , variety of crops and integrate them.

3- Keep grasslands

6- Mountains

Mountains harbor most of earth's biodiversity hotspots and supply fresh water to an estimated half of humanity . They include multiple ecosystems providing a home to unique species such as snow leopards , mountain gorillas .

Mountain regions are particularly sensitive to degradation from human pressure and climate change . Steep slopes mean the clearing of forest can cause serious soil erosion and habitat loss. Climate change and pollution threaten the supplies of water to farms , cities , industries.

Restoring mountain ecosystems means considering whole landscapes .

HOW?

1- Restore forest shields

Restore and replant forests and trees to protect soil , safe guard water flows and guard against natural disasters.

2- Limit extraction and excavation

Make sure landscapes are restores after mining operations have ended .

3- Let ecosystem migrate

Create or connect protected areas covering different altitudes so that species and ecosystems can migrate according to the shifting climate.

4- Farm for resilience

Promote and adopt sustainable farming technique.

5- Learn from experience

Have knowledge of how to keep resources sustainable .

7- Peat lands

Though they cover only 3 % of the world's land , peat lands store nearly 30% of its soil carbon . They control water supplies and prevent floods and draughts . Provide many people with food and fuel.

Despite their importance , peat lands around the world are being drained and converted for agricultural , infrastructural development , mining and oil gas exploration .

Peat land can be restores as a important ecosystem.

HOW?

1- Protect Peat land

Sensitive ecosystem in protected areas to prevent their drainage , conversion and overuse.

2- Dam the drains

Keep peat lands healthy by closing drainage channels and slowing water flows .

ex- putting rocks in ditches .

3- Accelerate recovery

Plant and seed peat land plant species .

ex- boost their natural regeneration

Here are some examples in India as well as different countries who restore some of the ecosystems

1- Bandipur- karnataka, India

2- Rainforest fragment in Anamalai Hills-Tamil Nadu, India

3- China

So after reading all this I am sure u guys understand what is ecosystem restoration . I hope you all can join me in such restoration projects to make our planet healthy again.

TOGETHER WE CAN