‘The last Stand’ is a documentary film directed by Peter Von Puttkamer, that deals with the environmental issues and the need to save the world’s last remaining ancient forest at Fairy Greek, British Columbia, Canada. Experts like Wade Davis and Leila Salazar Lopez speak about the impact trees and plants have on our atmosphere. The film reveals the need to protect the habitat while utilizing the resources in our territories. It also talks about the solutions like building Carbon retaining technology from Silicon Valley Companies and about the things average citizens can do to save forest and the planet.
Unfortunately with in a few centuries, one third of the world’s old growth forests have disappeared. As trees act as biological pumps pulling water from the soil then moving it into the atmosphere, they have a cooling effect. Thus it controls temperatures allowing animals to survive and sheltering abundance of life from fungi to millions of insects. Having realized this, a battle was waged in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to protect the last precious old growth forests in Fairy Greek water shed, against the logging Company Teal Jones, that was granted permission to cut down the rare old cedars and Douglas Firs there. However, even after getting a court injunction by the logging company, Steve Andrews, the environmental photographer and other activists continued their protests.
Similar protest is done by Amazon watch, headed by Laila Salazar Lopez along with Amazonian indigenous people to prevent industry and agri business from destroying Amazon forests. They have brought to the jungle the celebrities like director James Cameron and Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and have invited the world attention to help stop rainforest destruction. The similar tropical jungle destruction is also going on in south east Asia for the wide spread of palm oil plantations there. Teal Jones logging company and others have replanting programmes. But as they grow woods with monoculture seeding, it can’t conserve and preserve the integrity of ecosystem. So, there happens an ecological down grade. Little brown bat like creatures can’t survive. Lichen like things have been affected. Thus, the damages done are beyond healing. So, prevention is better than cure policy should be followed here.
According to Herb Hammond, a professional forester, wheat fields are actually grass lands that lack biological diversity but an old growth forest is a self-sustaining eco system. So, they should be preserved. Moreover the trees that are thousands of years old have gained the power to be resistant and resilient and they have over come the climate changes. Wild fires in Amazon are unfortunately intentional that are set to make way for agribusiness. With in 30 years in Brazil alone cattle ranching driven by international meat packing companies has destroyed more than 7,30,000 square kms. of rain-forest. Soya bean cultivation too, does the same there. Moreover, the Amazon forest fires are leading to the drought.
Maddie Hall and Patrick Mellor of Silicon Valley company ‘Living Carbon’ are progressing with their creating genetically engineered trees that will hold more carbon to face the climate change. The non-pollinating, safe, fast growing trees are capable of having large carbon removal. In this way technology will find a solution to the problem we face. But it is up to all of us to do something we can do, to save the tree, to save the forests, to save the nature and thereby save ourselves and our generation.
Thulasidharan V.
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