As climate change remains a global menace, Africa has for years suffered a significant blow. According to the UN Environment, Africa has high chances of experiencing severe climate change in the future. This means a lot needs to be done to make the African forests great again. To achieve this the continent should join hands and up their game. Though sometimes it’s hard to get back what is lost, coming up with ways to protect what is left and increase it can help recover what was lost. And African forests are not an exception.
Proper measures need to be laid out to ensure the forests have been restored not only at the national level but also across the continent. Failure to that, Africa will continue getting burned by the same flame called climate change. But they say, “You can never know how to take care of something when you do not know its value.” Before we take you through these measures, first let’s have a look at the importance of forest conservation.
Importance of conserving forests
Trees play a significant role in rainfall patterns, global climate, and human life. Forests bring rainfall which means every drop of water that goes into the glass, is a tree product. Aside from food and climate, conserving forests also provide jobs for professionals who have specialized in the field.
Better still; trees can prevent natural disasters like strong winds which may cause death and loss of property. However, when we cut trees, the climate will change, and rains will delay which will eventually affect food production, and before we realize it, food insecurity and drought will have stricken the continent.
This has been evidenced in many African countries, but it seems that we do not learn our lesson. But the question is who is to blame? Is Africa not doing enough to protect its natural resources? Or are we using the wrong measures?
Well, climate change isn’t a one-day thing, but with proper strategies, we can overcome this vulnerability. But how, just check out some of the measures Africa ought to do to restore the forests.
- Educating the public and creating awareness and increase civil society involvement
- Teaching the young generation the importance of forest conservation
- Planting more trees to recover what has been lost
- Securing forests and putting up strict measures
- Establishing climate change directorate and climate change commission
- Make use of data collected in previous years and any relevant information to decide on climate change
Conclusion
Forests host over 75% of the earth’s biodiversity, and we cannot sit back and ignore the fact that trees are part of our lives. They hold a treasure which we cannot afford losing. As we celebrate the world international forest day, more needs to be done to restore our forests. This is a wake-up call for Africa to up its environmental forest governance system to ensure a better future for the younger generations.
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