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Sadhana Forest is an international volunteer-based not-for-profit organization that aims to teach local citizens and volunteers about environmental renewal and sustainable living. [1] [2] In 2003, Yorit and Aviram Rozin started Sadhana Forest in Auroville, India. [3] The project also targets reforestation and water conservation in two other rural locations: Anse-à-Pitres, Haiti, and Samburu, Kenya. [1] Sadhana Forest works as a long-term sustainable development project. [4]
All three Sadhana Forest locations focus on three main development and conservation projects: water, trees, and people. While the three locations have the same goals, they differ in their application.
In 2003, Sadhana Forest was founded in the community of Auroville, India. The main project of this location is the reforestation of the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest which is currently close to total extinction as only 0.01% survives. [5] Sadhana Forest India has a 'Children's Land' in which local children learn about sustainable living, conservation, and the appreciation of nature through the values of child-led learning or "unschooling". [6] Children often choose to garden, paint, draw, cook, build, play games and plant trees. [6] On April 8, 2010, Sadhana Forest Haiti was started in the community of Anse-à-pitres in the south-eastern corner of Haiti. [1] In June 2013, Sadhana Forest established its third locality in Samburu County, Kenya. [4]
Sadhana Forest works to combat water shortages through water conservation, permaculture, and education. [7] Sadhana Forest aims to plant indigenous tree species in zones that have been devastated by deforestation, which is commonly a result of increased urbanization, illegal logging, fires, and fuel wood harvesting. [8] [9]
Sadhana Forest recognizes the negative impact that increasing climate disasters and the depletion of natural resources have on communities. [10] These disasters and the depletion of resources are oftentimes human-created and result in farmers losing their crops and families having to migrate from their land. [11] Sadhana Forest works to address these issues through educating the thousands of local and international volunteers that they receive each year about sustainable living patterns. [11]
Volunteers live in eco-huts and the community relies entirely on solar and wind energy. Other sustainable practices implemented in the community are vegan organic nutrition, recycling and waste minimization, biodegradable toiletries, composting toilets and a gray water system. Those wishing to volunteer at the Sadhana Forest are expected to follow the organization's guidelines. These include the site being a drug, alcohol, competition and a tobacco-free environment. [12] These guidelines are in place to promote a healthy and cooperative community. [12]
On November 25, 2010, Sadhana Forest Haiti and India won third place for the Humanitarian Water and Food Award. [1] [13]
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests. About 31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests at present. This is one-third less than the forest cover before the expansion of agriculture, with half of that loss occurring in the last century. Between 15 million to 18 million hectares of forest, an area the size of Bangladesh, are destroyed every year. On average 2,400 trees are cut down each minute.
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation but also after clearcutting.
Resource depletion is the consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished. Natural resources are commonly divided between renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Use of either of these forms of resources beyond their rate of replacement is considered to be resource depletion. The value of a resource is a direct result of its availability in nature and the cost of extracting the resource, the more a resource is depleted the more the value of the resource increases. There are several types of resource depletion, the most known being: Aquifer depletion, deforestation, mining for fossil fuels and minerals, pollution or contamination of resources, slash-and-burn agricultural practices, soil erosion, and overconsumption, excessive or unnecessary use of resources.
Tree planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purposes. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture and from the lower-cost but slower and less reliable distribution of tree seeds. Trees contribute to their environment over long periods of time by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe.
Forestation is a vital ecological process where forests are established and grown through afforestation and reforestation efforts. Afforestation involves planting trees on previously non-forested lands, while reforestation focuses on replanting trees in areas that were once deforested. This process plays an important role in restoring degraded forests, enhancing ecosystems, promoting carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation.
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is an indigenous grassroots organization in Kenya that empowers women through the planting of trees. It is one of the most effective and well-known grassroots organisations addressing the problem of global deforestation. Professor Wangari Maathai established the organization in 1977 under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK). GBM's successes in forest conservation, education, and women's economic empowerment have gained the organisation worldwide acclaim. It is also noted for its advocacy of human rights, democratisation of access to public lands, and environmental justice issues such as the role of women's traditional ecological knowledge in addressing environmental degradation and desertification.
This article is the index of forestry topics.
Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural. Sustainable forestry can seem contradicting to some individuals as the act of logging trees is not sustainable. However, the goal of sustainable forestry is to allow for a balance to be found between ethical forestry and maintaining biodiversity through the means of maintaining natural patterns of disturbance and regeneration. The forestry industry mitigates climate change by boosting carbon storage in growing trees and soils and improving the sustainable supply of renewable raw materials via sustainable forest management. Successfully achieving sustainable forest management will provide integrated benefits to all, ranging from safeguarding local livelihoods to protecting biodiversity and ecosystems provided by forests, reducing rural poverty and mitigating some of the effects of climate change. Forest conservation is essential to stop climate change.
Deforestation in Haiti is a severe environmental problem. Haitians burn wood charcoal for 60% of their domestic energy production.
Forest, agriculture, and the collection of wood for fuel are cited as the leading causes of deforestation in the West African country of Nigeria. They are also the causes of deforestation in other parts of Nigeria like South East.
Deforestation is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in Costa Rica. The country has a rich biodiversity with some 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals, which have been under threat from the effects of deforestation. Agricultural development, cattle ranching, and logging have caused major deforestation as more land is cleared for these activities. Despite government efforts to mitigate deforestation, it continues to cause harm to the environment of Costa Rica by impacting flooding, soil erosion, desertification, and loss of biodiversity.
Rates and causes of deforestation vary from region to region around the world. In 2009, two-thirds of the world's forests were located in just 10 countries: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, India, and Peru.
Land restoration, which may include renaturalisation or rewilding, is the process of ecological restoration of a site to a natural landscape and habitat, safe for humans, wildlife, and plant communities. Ecological destruction, to which land restoration serves as an antidote, is usually the consequence of pollution, deforestation, salination or natural disasters. Land restoration is not the same as land reclamation, where existing ecosystems are altered or destroyed to give way for cultivation or construction. Land restoration can enhance the supply of valuable ecosystem services that benefit people.
Water scarcity in Kenya is affecting the Kenyan population who relies on water resources, not only for drinking but also for agriculture and fishing. For example, wetland grasses are used to feed and keep livestock. Human populations throughout Kenya have been affected by a lack of clean drinking water due in large part to the overuse of land and increases in community settlements. A specific example of this is in the Mau Forest, in the highlands of Kenya, that is a major watershed for the country. In the Mau Complex, individuals have used land for their personal gain, creating homes and farms at the expense of the natural biodiversity.
Kenya's forests are fragmented across the country. Combined, forests cover over 37 million hectares. Out of those 37 million hectares, 2.1 million are woodlands, 24.8 million are bush lands and 10.7 are wooded grasslands. Kenya's forests are important at a global level as they host 1847 species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles of which 4% are only found in Kenya. Beyond its fauna, Kenya's forest also hosts 6505 types of vascular plants, with 4.1% only being found in Kenya. Today Kenya faces high rates of deforestation which endanger both its fauna and flora. It has been estimated that since Kenya's independence in 1963, the forest cover has dropped from 10% of the nation to 6%, losing approximately 12,000 hectares annually. These levels of deforestation have impacted Kenya as they rely on the forest for the storage of rainwater, the prevention of flooding, the fertility of the soil, and the regulation of climate conditions. The World War II period and its aftermath made it clear to British colonial administration that reform was needed to sustain Kenyan forests. One of the first steps for conservation took place with the 1941 revision of the Forest Ordinance that passed legislation to create forest reserves and create a committee with professionals on matters of conservation. By 1950, the forest department had gained control of 100,000 acres, but it had a difficult time sustaining the conservation of these areas; it required meaningful policy to meet the constant attention these areas needed.
Plant With Purpose is a Christian nonprofit organization that works in developing countries around the world with the goal of improving the quality of the lives of people living in extreme rural poverty. Plant With Purpose uses a transformational development approach that brings together environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal. Plant With Purpose currently works in more than 1,100 communities in eight countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
Forest conservation is the practice of planning and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations. Forest conservation involves the upkeep of the natural resources within a forest that are beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem. Forests provide wildlife with a suitable habitat for living along with filtering groundwater and preventing runoff.
Eden Reforestation Projects (Eden) is a nonprofit NGO that works in developing countries to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation. Eden works directly with communities experiencing extreme poverty resulting from the deforestation and destruction of the land that sustains them. The organization employs thousands of local community members and provides them with the education and tools necessary to plant, grow, and protect to maturity, millions of trees each year. Eden currently plants approximately 15 million trees a month, and in 2020 reached over 423 million trees planted of which over 225 million are mangrove trees.
Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change, and climate change affects forests.