World Nature Conservation Day 2021 : July 28
Nature Conservation, a need of the Hour

N. Munal Meitei *

The Earth is what we all have in common. Forest is the disguise of the Mother Nature. On Earth there is no heaven, but plenty of such places in the form of nature.Switzerland is calledthe heaven of earth and Kashmir as the paradise.

Japanese said for Manipur, ‘Takane No Hana’ means ‘a flower on lofty height.’ Mr. Lord Irwin, Mrs. Clair Grimwood and Pandit Nehru also praised a lot about Manipur. The major problems in the world are the result of the differences between how nature works and the way how people think.

Amidst the pandemic, the nature has started to give warning signals including the powerful nations. The United States declared state of emergency this week for draught and higher temperature in Washington states and there was again a devastating flash flood in Germany claiming many lives and huge properties and also the recent cloud burst at Darmasala, Shimla which really are the red alarmsfor the whole humanity.

The World Nature Conservation Day is observed on July 28 to promote conservation, encourage sustainability, and increase awareness about protecting nature and natural resources. This day acknowledges that a healthy environment is the foundation for a stable and healthy society.

The nature is characterized by the wonderful diversity of living organisms that exist in various parts of the earth, as well as the unique terrain of mountains, water, plateaus and forests.To ensure the well-being of the present and future generations, we all must be responsible in protecting and conserving our nature and to educate people about the best practices to safeguard our natural resources as the planet has it limitedly.

Nature comprises of everything that surrounds us. The trees, forests, rivers, rivulets, soil, air all are the parts of nature. Keeping nature and its resources integralis very important for the continuation of life on earth. It would be difficult for us, if we spoil our natural environment.

We are all protected and governed by the nature. A healthy environment provides nutrients that flow up the food chain, from plants to animals, to provide energy. By preserving nature, the planet and all its inhabitants are guaranteed a constant supply of clean water, soil and fresh air.

This year with COVID-19 pandemic, a forced change has brought about, which gives more perspective on what are really important in life. We need to bring nature back from the brink, as the future natural disasters may have an even greater impact on societies and economies. We all need to play a part in the recovery of nature and reducing our profound impact on biodiversity.

For spreading consciousness among the people, observance of the World Nature Conservation Day each year is considered essential. Nature and environment need to be protected and we needto accept our responsibility towards them. Thus, we all need to play a vital part in the protection, conservation, and sustainable practice of the world’s limited natural resources and then we can work together and overcome this global issue.

Nature conservation means protecting the nature so that it is not overexploited. It also mean for use of natural resources judiciously so that the need of present generation can be satisfied without compromising future generation’s ability to maximize their own needs.

A report from WWF states that since 1970, the pressure that we exert on the planet has doubled and the resources upon which we depend have declined by 33 percent. Thus if we continue to consume the natural resources at this trend, then mankind will require two Earths by 2030.

Human beings were sent to live on this earth by utilizing nature including water, air, soil, minerals, trees, animals, fire, and gas. All these gifts of nature make our earth a place worth living. Existence on Earth would not be possible without any of these. With modernization and being wedded to economic pursuits, now humans started to exploit nature.

The natural resources may be renewable such as air, water, and sunlight that refill naturally. And non-renewable like fossil fuels and minerals that do not restock and reform immediately. The biotic resources originate from living beings and organic material like plants and animals.Abiotic resourceswhich come from non-living things and non-organic material such iron, copper, and silver etc.

Human prosperity need not cost the earth. Everyone must promote environment-friendly activities in their daily life to lead for a green lifestyle.Global warming, diseases, natural disasters, the melting of freshwater glaciers, and rising of sea levels are all examples of a natural imbalance.

Clean air and water are limited resources. The tree canopy and vegetation serve as critical filters for our air. Wetlands that border our rivers, lakes and streams filter pollution before it reaches to human body. The environment is the key to existence of thelife on the planet, and for a better future environment, we need to conserve the nature.

The most important reason to conserve nature is to protect wildlife and promote biodiversity; for enabling future generations to witness the flora and fauna of the present time of which many are about to extinct and thus maintaining for a healthy and functional ecosystem. A lot of medicines are provided by nature in the form of chemicals from plants and animals, thus conserving the natural habitat enrich andkeep our planet alive.

Some of the steps for conservation of nature are; reducing dependence on fossil fuels to reduce carbon footprints. We should buy need-based items, be it food or any other things. This will certainly reduce the wastage of our resources. We should avoid single-use plastics like polythene bags etc. which decay in thousands of years.

Plastics not only choke our drains but also pollute the water, air, soil and oceans, killing millions of lives. Planting trees and increasing forest cover is the best key for our survival and can curve from environmental degradations including theclimate change and the global warming. Water will be the bone for a 3rd World War. Thus to savewater, themost precious gift of nature, we should use it judiciously.

Therefore, with coming of World Nature Conservation Day, 2021 let’s to take upthe appropriate steps to conserve the nature for the sake of the future generations andit must be the priority for this generation to save the nature intake in its purest form.