My Response to Jane Goodall's Healing Earth's Scars: It's Never Too Late

Photo By Independent. Co: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8858997.ece/alternates/w620/larch-getty.jpg

"We have shared stories of species that, although rescued from the brink of extinction, are still endangered by the lack of suitable habitat in the wild." (Goodall 161) This sentence caught my attention from the beginning. It is very true in so many ways. As a country we have evolved so much, but it has been at the price of so many different animals. If you were to compare the old time to now, we look completely different and we have become a world less connected to nature. If we want a new home or a  new development, we just cut down trees, instead of thinking how it affects our wildlife. In my presentation for class, I am discussing how we are all connected and how in some ways what we are doing is hurting us in the end in so many ways. When we cut down our trees-also our oxygen-we are killing the habitat of so many animals. When we kill this habitat, the animals have no choice, but to wander. Some wander into towns, some into our very backyards, and some into farms. When they wander into farms, they kill off the crops that the farmers are growing to feed consumers (us). We are affecting ourselves without even realizing it. This can also be very dangerous because if we come into contact with this wildlife, then they can seriously hurt us. Their habitats are there so they can stay away from us, but cutting down their habitats only makes it worse for us. Tropical and old-growth forests, woodlands and wetlands, prairies and grasslands, moorlands and deserts-all landscapes-are disappearing at a terrifying rate." (Goodall 161) This does not surprise me at all. We all have failed to realize the many ways we are hurting our community, but then again it leads back to the need for environmental education. The people that are cutting down these many different forms of nature are probably not aware of the dangers of their jobs. They are just working and performing their daily duties. Goodall did make an excellent point of how we can restore our land. "Why it is I believe that human know-how and the resilience of nature, combined with the commitment and energy of dedicated individuals, can restore damaged environments so that, once again, they can become home to many of our endangered species." (Goodall 162) If we all work together, we can make a huge difference in our world. If every individual does a little, we will all be doing a lot. We are smart enough and once a lot of us are educated on the matter, I feel we would all make a conscious effort to help.