Wilderness.
We all have an image in mind of what that word means.
Some might picture the majestic mountains, glaciers, and towering conifers of Alaska, while others might imagine the vast expanse of the Amazon, teeming with all sorts of life.
Humans are of course part of nature, but these wilderness areas are places of refuge that remain remote from human cities, infrastructure, and encroachment. In the 21st century, such refuges are harder to find than ever.
Expanding agriculture, infrastructure, and cities mean the loss of forests and the degradation of wilderness areas worldwide. Yet forests are incredibly important to the continued well-being of everyone on the planet.
Rachel Brown.
In this piece for the DIY Garden, Rachel covers 3 main topics:
- What deforestation is
- Why deforestation is a major problem
- How we can prevent and reverse deforestation.
Author Rachel Brown, grew up on a farm in Buntingford, UK and was always close to nature. She writes:
The animals, the crops, the great outdoors; it really was nature’s playground to be enjoyed for any young child.
I could tell back then, my life wasn’t going to revolve around busy city life or a traditional office job. I knew I wanted to work with nature in some capacity.
Fast-forward a few years, and after getting a Horticultural degree at the University of Edinburgh, meeting my husband, and having two wonderful children, I returned home to Buntingford to write, work and enjoy my old stomping grounds.
As well as bringing up a family, I work in my local garden centre, grow crops on my allotment, and share my knowledge and ideas with the wonderful readers of DIY Garden!
Just like my summer strawberries, life is pretty sweet!
Thank you Rachel for your in-depth research on such an important topic. Here in Australia we are not immune to the effects of deforestation. In fact, Australia is one of the worse offenders. According to The Guardian, we are the only developed nation on the world list of hotspots for deforestation. Planting trees is great, but really nothing can compere with keeping our ancient native forests in the first instance.
Colleen Filippa | Founder & Director | Fifteen Trees.
