From rainforest's and waterfalls to desserts and sand, from oceans and waves to mountains and mountaintops, from grasslands and prairies to the icebergs in Antarctica humans have put their foot onto just about every place imaginable on Earth. Planet Earth is thought of by some people to be what they call a “Gaia”. A Gaia is essentially a prospective view of the world as a living organism. In the Gaia view, it is believed that the Earth is relative to how the human body works. Like the human body, Earth has many vital “organs” that help make it possible for the Earth to function and remain habitable. These “organs” that I am talking about can be geographic features such as oceans, lakes, mountains, plains, volcanoes, rainforest's, etc. The veins in the human body are thought of to be like the rivers and streams that flow throughout various places on Earth giving life to these ecosystems. The idea is that these various geographical features make up an ecosystem that sustains itself and allows it to function properly on its own. Without these vital “organs” the world would not be habitable, just as the human body and its incapability of living, breathing, or operating without its functioning parts. Throughout the life of a human body, the body is exposed to many viruses and diseases that try to kill the body. The viruses and diseases can be correlated to the many disasters and human influences that our Earth’s ecosystems encounter. Although this is only a hypothesis that has yet to be proven a fact or by any means fictitious, what I have found in my research is that it could go one way or the other.
From looking at various sources, the summary of the arguments made were that there are many reasons why biodiversity needs to be sustained, in order for our world to keep revolving. The argument made most about ecosystems in terms of its sustainability is that species depend on the environment and likewise for the environment and its species, so we must help sustain it. But how accurate exactly is that statement? Can the ability of natural services be kept sustained even without some species, kind of like how some of our bodies can live without an appendix, kidney, lung, or half a pancreas? Is there anything we can do in order to save our ecosystems such as the human body has a natural reaction to fight diseases and viruses?
The Appalachian region has one of America’s most diverse forests. Broadcasted on PBS, the televisions series, Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People, author Chris Bolgiano states that “One acre of cove forests in the Smokey Mountains has more species of trees than in all of Europe. … (The cove forests have) hundreds of species of trees” –Chris Bolgiano (Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People). Since this area is so diverse in plant life, we owe it to ourselves to stop clear-cut logging in this region. Clear-cut logging is the practice of obtaining lumber by cutting down trees in large block segments. With the vast variety of trees and the amount of use that tree’s have to offer, it only makes sense to preserve and learn from them. Trees have many uses all the way from cosmetics to more practical uses such as for medicine. There is still so much research that could be done on trees alone that we must give ourselves a chance to find appropriate uses for them instead of tearing it all down. Who knows? Maybe they are the source for the cure of some cancers that has yet to be found. Among these reasons as to why the forests in the Appalachian region are important, clear-cut logging along with other forms of logging creates a disturbance to the environment in and around the area being cut. (Kiminski) The disturbance is bad for the environment because it doesn’t allow the smaller mammals to cater to their daily activities. Throughout the area of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern North America, there are 255 bird species, 78 mammal species, 58 reptile species, and 76 amphibian species; not to mention Kartesz and Meacham’s list of over 6,300 plant species in 10 states of the Appalachian region. (Pickering) Clear-cut logging of the Appalachian forests could drastically lower these numbers due to the annihilation of their habitats. There is a law that states that a company can only log 25 acres in a given area, but companies found that they could find a way around that law. They would log 25 acres and then leave a cushion of trees, then log another 25 acres. (Maywhoor)
Although the clear-cutting method is extensive, there are other practical solutions given that our society needs to cut down trees for the numerous uses that we cut them down for. Though we will forever continue to cut down trees for general use, lumbering companies must use better sustainable forest management in order to preserve the life within the forests. The only way an ecosystem and its inhabitants are ensured to survive is to make sure it stays connected to other ecosystems that surround it. This would decrease the possibilities of inbreeding, causing fewer fatal diseases caused from genetic disorders to occur. These interconnected ecosystems also provide numerous natural benefits as well including the cleansing of air and water, the reusing of nutrients, the renewal of soil, and the sustainability of its climate. (Pickering)
Not only is logging a hazardous disease caused by the human race, but the process of mountaintop removal has potentially just as much damage to the environment. Today, over half of the electricity used in homes is generated from burning coal. It is understandable that the demand for energy used these days’ makes it hard for one to weigh out the pros and cons of obtaining coal, which is why it makes sense to use coal as our main source of energy. (American Power) Because in today’s world it would be barbaric to live without flat screen televisions, top of the line computer systems, high-speed wireless Internet, high frequency stereo systems, blue-ray players, etc., mountaintop removal is one of the fastest and easiest ways to acquire the supply of our demand. Mountaintop removal is a type of mining that coal companies use to extract coal by means of blowing up the tops of mountains to get to the coal. There are many disastrous effects of extracting coal this way. Mountaintop removal buries head water streams, causes erosion and flooding, degrades water quality downstream, kills aquatic life, shakes walls and cracks of the foundation of homes, and wipes out huge portions of diverse ecosystems. (Reece,1-86) Understanding that our country is in need of this resource, we must at least move back to conventional ways of extracting coal, such as deep underground mining in order for us to stop the destruction of the neighboring ecosystems. This way we can maintain the jobs that are made from coal mining and also preserve our mountaintops.
The final virus instituted by humans to the environment that I would like to talk about is the placement of dams in our waterways. From past experience, researchers have found that due to dam building in the Appalachian Mountains, extinction among the regions aquatic groups are over 10 times more probable than extinction of terrestrial groups. (Pickering) The placement of dams results to a number of issues concerning the ecosystem. First, it doesn’t allow for free water flow downstream. This in turn doesn’t allow fish to migrate up down the dam. Another damage that this poses is that the dam blocks the flow of sediments in the water that helps hold up soil. Without these sediments in the soil, it could lead to mudslides and erosion of the embankment downstream. Another issue that the dam poses to the ecosystem is its reservoirs. Reservoirs build up water killing all the plants and habitats that were once land. On top of these two problems, the dam makes it hard for animals to find a way up or down the area that is dammed.
Although dams cause many environmental problems, it is understood that they are needed for many reasons. Dams can provide an alternative source of renewable energy, also known as hydroelectric power. Dams are also a means of flood control. When the raining season comes, the dam can control the amount of water flow downstream resulting in the control of flood situations. Among these proactive results to the placement of dams, they also provide year-round navigation, improved water quality and water supply, recreation, and economic growth. (TVA Website) Although dams are needed, we must change the system so it works with the environment, not the other way around. The reliance that aquatic species have on the steady flow of streams is numerous. Their reliance on the streams to migrate in order to spawn is crucial to their survival and without a system that can allow them to do so, one of our main sources of protein may be in danger.
Overall, the Appalachian Mountains have an enormous amount of life within its ecosystems. From the moths that are taking over the area to the trees that help with our nitrogen cycle; from the natural resources that can be found in this area to the dams that are built for multiple purposes, the Appalachian Mountains needs these functions to work together to sustain itself. All in all these factors are interconnected, making an “organ-like” effect that makes the world habitable. Just as I have said before, the body cannot live without its organs, just as the Earth cannot function without its “organs” (ecosystems).
Bibliographies:
1. Reece, Erik. Lost Mountain A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation of Appalachia. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2007. Print.
2. Kiminski, Jeffrey A., Michelle L. Davis, Patrick D. Keyser, and Marcella Kelly. "Disturbance Effects on Small Mammal Species in a Managed Appalachian Forest." Disturbance Effects on Small Mammal Species in a Managed Appalachian Forest. 157.2 (2007): 385-97. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.
3. Tennessee Valley Authority home page. Tennessee Valley Authority. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.
4. Pickering, John, Roland Kays, Albert Meier, Susan Andrew, and Kay Yatskievych. "The Appalachians." Discover Life. P. R. Gil, R. A. Mittermeier, C. G. Mittermeier, J. Pilgrim, G. Fonseca, W. R. Konstant and T. Brooks, 6 Mar. 2006. Web. 07 Feb. 2010.
5. "Issues and Policy." America's Power - Home. American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, 2007. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
6. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. By Jamie Ross. Dir. Ross Spears. Prod. Paul Wagner. Appalachiafilm.org/ APPALACHIA: A History of Mountains and People. National Science Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Appalachian Regional Commission. Web. 7 Feb. 2010.
7. Maywhoor, David. "Buckeye Forest Council." Buckeye Forest Council. Ohio University, Athens. 25 Jan. 2010. Lecture.
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