In this controversial race to save Africa’s natural resources, few have been more influential than the distinguished conservationist and primatologist, Jane Goodall. Her journey began with a dream of scientific research and a deep love for animals. With a pair of binoculars and a notebook, she began documenting chimpanzees in what is known today as Gombe National Park. Through her 55-year long study, Goodall’s research unearthed a darker side to the chimpanzees but also the humans they shared 98% of their DNA with. Over the course of five decades, Goodall witnessed the disappearance of the Tanzanian forests and the domino effect it was beginning to have on many unseemingly related factors. Therefore, with the threat of climate change rapidly approaching and consumption showing no signs of slowing, Goodall’s fight for the African forests may be one worth listening to.
Consequences of Deforestation
Over the past few decades, the lush green forests in West and Central Africa have been subject to rampant deforestation with more than 10 million acres of forest being cut down every year. This is twice the world’s deforestation rate and the hard reality is that once these forests are destroyed, there’s no bringing them back. The phrase, “lungs of the earth,” has an almost disconcerting degree of significance, with forests around the globe storing as much as 45% of released carbon emissions, while taking up only 30% of the world’s land mass. For instance, old trees and rocks contain the long-term capacity to store carbon for hundreds of years. By replacing them with crops or fields, less carbon can be stored leaving it floating in the atmosphere, hastening climate change.
But behind all the chaos, there is the undeniable power of the human mind and what it has been capable of producing over the last century, especially. But with these advancements has come a dependency on consumption, as Naomi Klein argues in her article that it is not human nature but the problem of an era. Whether it be the fault of dirty politicians or capitalism in its entirety, the disconcerting notion of complete disregard for the natural world is evidence that there is a growing disconnect between human and land. Therefore, the elite in developed countries consume from and play puppet master with developing countries, deciding which choices to make because abject poverty is not an issue.
Poverty and the Forests
With the relation between consumption and poverty in mind, Goodall’s message of hope is more relevant than ever, “We can’t leave people in abject poverty, so we need to raise the standard of living for 80% of the world’s people, while bringing it down considerably for the 20% who are destroying our natural resources”. In relation with Klein’s article, this “culture of the perpetual present” perpetuates the denial that it must change if the future is going to exist.
The roots of deforestation twist much deeper than simple statistics can show. Understanding more closely why the exploitation occurs and where the resources of the forests go can help in preparing effective solutions. For instance, most developing countries use wood fuel for cooking and heating. In Africa alone, 90% of the entire population uses fuelwood. This means that the socio-economic ties are linked to many different facets of life. For example women in the family do most of the cooking, while males do more marketing and formalized tasks creating jobs and revenue for rural people. But woodfuel accounts for approximately 92% of all African wood consumption connected significant economic value in other countries, such as the U.S., with a revenue of $6 billion. Bushmeat is also a factor in the over-hunting of exotic animals but in a land where nutrition is scarce, anything with protein is appreciated. By farming the same terrain over and over, the ground loses essential nutrients to grow plants resulting in soil erosion. All these factors are keyed into
Where is the barrier drawn on which course of action is used to help regulate the destructive practices that are the only source of livelihood? How can the importance of these forests be paramount by the people who utilize their resources when their struggle is at a day to day level?
What Would Jane Do:
The high-tech solutions are many: creating a more efficient energy source than wood-fuel or developed countries sending generous amounts of aid to the impoverished rural areas where bushmeat is a gift. But these are bandages on the major problem of poverty, where developed countries make decisions involving millions of dollars for their next venture do affect the problems in Africa. The key is not to seek aid from developed countries, the exploitation of Africa dates back to pre-colonial times and so a new approach must be taken.
Jane Goodall and Naomi Klein share a similar skepticism of this “buying out” or “away” complex that is meant to fix this sea of problems, and seek a much more holistic approach. One that just might work.
Having studied the behaviors of chimpanzees, Jane Goodall’s understanding of the connection between the heart and mind is convincing. She emphasizes the importance of regulating the logging industry, creating forest reserves that put pressure on governmental officials to conserve them and planting new trees where there has been extensive soil erosion. But she is looking to bridge the disconnect between the extraordinary ability of the mind and the love and compassion of the heart. The voices and needs of members of these communities need to be heard and internally changed. For instance, promoting that young girls attend schools that can empower them to make their own change whether it be in health or farming. The necessary tools of self-sustainability and growth are needed to bring up an impoverished people and it is doable. Klein exemplifies this idea also in her bullet train metaphor, insisting that humans wait and stop somewhere in order to forge a connection with the space. Therefore, the metaphor of the forest seemed appropriate, this ripple effect causing one block to fall after another, and the need to stand still wherever your “forest” might be. By reengaging with the space we inhabit, the coupling between heart and mind may in fact lead to innovative paths for world’s future.
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