Protecting the earth’s resources means we can take things that we need but we will need to restore

them somehow. IT DOES NOT mean that we cannot take anything from nature, we need to enjoy
its resources in a more responsible way, little by little restoring the Earth in the process.

To start now, this will require spending large amounts of money on researching mitigation
measures, this way esources will be used in a more balanced way.

If everyone had an idea about how much they can take from Earth, they would know having a big
family is not the best of ideas. This plan will require us to environmentally educate people around
the world. Fortunately, poor countries don’t need much education in reference to the environment
due to the low quantity of resources they use (See statistics in population growth). Developed
countries need to be educated in protecting the environment and its resources and decrease
consumerism. There is much attention upon more sustainable ways of living in present times,
therefore educating people should not be a very difficult, although a lot of patience and passion is
required.

No net policy worldwide! Big organizations would not be able to overuse a shareable resource
(water, trees, food, etc.), this would be more fair for the environment. As seen in Germany,
individuals can start to create their own sources or energy and food, without misusing the finite
resources but depending more on the renewable ones.

If current consumption levels keep increasing as they have for the last 40 years we will need TWO
earths by 2030 to fulfill all our requirements. Currently trees are being cut down to make products
such as chinese sticks, water is being used up to water our beautiful foreign grass, fish are being
overfished, ecosystems are decreasing in number and size; So please, when buying your
necessities, choose wisely!

A kind of trade should be established along with money. Consumerism would decrease. Useless
items would not be created. If the Earth is restored, future, safe and sane survival would be
assured.

Increased use in renewable resources will create new technologies that depend on these kinds of
resources. We should focus on replacing non-renewable energy or minimize its usage, and at the
same time use these non-renewable resources as back-up for renewable resources.

We need to start focusing on seriously protecting the Earth, not as it is happening today. For
example, the failure of the Kyoto protocol, specifically, the reduction of emissions by 2012 by the
nations who agreed to it. Because of this they are not taking the protection of the environment
seriously enough. Hopefully they start seeing the need for change soon.

-----> Go to Actionable items to learn more regarding how to minimize your footprint!

Protect, restore and manage the environment -

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2216&page=1
No net loss policy - the public will not lose access and enjoyment of the water -
http://www.law.ufl.edu/conservation/waterways/waterfronts/pdf/no_net_loss.pdf

Over Consumption Video

shr1388l.jpg

Conserving our Forests

With close to 4 billion hectares of remaining forests left it is more important than ever to ensure
their protection. Some of the benefits of a healthy forest include reducing rainfall runoff which
lessons flooding, soil erosion also, reforestation can help to restore local aquifer levels.

http://blog.sustainablog.org/earth-policy-institute-protecting-and-restoring-forests/2/

Looking at the damage caused by hurricanes in Haiti vs the Dominican Republic shows just how
effective forests can be at minimizing damage. Because more than 90% of tree cover in Haiti has
been demolished due to deforestation when hurricanes come through the island the damage to
Haiti is often much more severe since there are no trees to stabilize the soil and prevent landslides
and flooding.

In the past reforestation practices have helped industrial countries like the USA to restore some of
their previously lost forests. Early settlers cleared much of the forest in New England and as
people started moving into the interior more suitable lands were found for agriculture, because of
this farming in New England lessened, permitting the forests to return to their natural state. New
England’s forest cover has increased from about one third two centuries ago to about four fifths
today.

Planting Trees to Sequester Carbon

It is estimated that a direct result from the shrinkage of forests in tropical rainforests in recent
years has resulted in a release of 2.2 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. Conversely,
expanding forests in temperate climates have in the same time have absorbed about 700 million
tons of CO2. This clearly shows that planting trees is a good method for temporary storage of
climate changing CO2.

Rainforest.JPG

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has estimated that trees in tropical
regions on average can sequester 50 kg of CO2 each year during a 20 – 50 year growth period.
This is much higher than the IPCC’s predicted carbon sequestering capability of trees grown in
temperate regions (13 kg per year). Therefore carbon sequestration due to forests has the greatest
effect when repopulating forests in tropical countries.

Achieving Net Zero Deforestation

To achieve this goal the major factors that must first be addressed include: rising population
growth, increased affluence and the lifestyle this brings, growing bio-fuel consumption, and the
increased use in wood and paper products. Of these issues, the most pressing issue that must be
resolved is population growth. The less people there are on the Earth will result in fewer resources
required by humanity.

Conserving and Rebuilding Soils

It is generally agreed that soil erosion is in majority caused by “loss of protective vegetation”.
Over the last 50 years people have removed much of the protective vegetation due to overgrazing,
over ploughing and clear cutting. Because of this, soil that has accumulated over hundreds of
thousands of years is quickly being lost. Large scale agricultural practices in the early 20th century
in the interior of the USA have been linked as the cause of the 1930s dust bowl which threatened
to turn the US plains into a vast desert. Nationwide changes in these practices managed to halt the
threat, these included: planting tree shelterbelts (rows of trees planted beside fields to slow wind
speed which reduced erosion) and strip cropping (planting wheat on alternate strips with fallowed
land each year).

Regenerating Fisheries

In the past the chief mode in which governments tried to sustain fish populations was by
restricting the catch of individual species. In general this method did not work and has resulted in
the collapse of many fisheries. Recently another approach in maintaining fish populations has
been devised – creating marine reserves or parks. These reserves completely ban fishing in
specifically selected areas which are key to fish populations in the oceans. The reserves act as
natural hatcheries, which help to repopulate the surrounding area.

Dr. Andrew Balmford, the leader of a team of scientists in the U.K. at Cambridge University
analyzed the costs of operating large-scale marine reserves. The team came to the conclusion that
managing reserves which would cover 30% of the world’s oceans would cost between $12 – 14
billion a year. To counter this cost the team stated that the global fisheries market would actually
stand to gain a possible annual increase of $70 – 80 billion in increased fish catch.
http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/book_files/pb4book.pdf

Regeneration Budget

Based on assumptions it is possible to estimate the cost of restoring the Earth’s forests, protect
topsoil, put in place fisheries programs, re-stabilize the Earth’s groundwater tables and protect
biological diversity. Table 8-1 below was taken from the book Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save
Civilization

It should be noted however that accurately calculating the cost of reforestation is very
complicated. For example South Korea has had a large amount of success with their reforestation
plan due predominantly to locally mobilized labor. On the other hand China has tried to
extensively restore its forests, unfortunately because of China’s more arid conditions compared to
South Korea they have had much less success.
Table_8_-_1.JPG
http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/book_files/pb4book.pdf

Ways to help protect and conserve Natural Resources

Use Flow-renewable resources are similar to renewable resources, except they don’t need to be
regenerated. Flow-renewable resources include; Solar Radiation, Tides, Wind etc.

Having people’s participation is important in helping conserve natural resources; educating and
making people aware of the high rate of natural resource depletion can encourage them to think
Green. Traditional knowledge has a sound base as it has been tested and practiced over
generations, these methods can be taught to today’s resource extractors in order to help conserve
and better the ecology.

Conserving and protecting our natural resources is important because some resources are not
renewable and the only way that they might be available in the future for future generation is
through conservation, such include the devastating destruction of the rain forests and the over
fishing going on all around the world.

Actionable Items
Turn off the lights! Turn off the taps! Recycle! Reuse! Ride your bicycle more often! Educate your
children, Share.
There are so many things individuals can do to protect the environment. From children to seniors,
we can all do small things to restore the environment, but more education on how to do these
actions is needed. At present, in developed countries basic environmental education is progressing
very well (separate your garbage, recycle, conserve the water, reuse bags, etc.). However, more is
still needed, such as: how to compost, decrease use of cars, home-made food garden, etc.

You could also contact those favorite brands that are not eco-friendly already. If you find
containers that cannot be recycled or products that could be less damaging, contact customer
services! Kindly recommend to change to more sustainable practices, so you can input these ideas
into the big companies' mind. You will not lose anything and you could gain much!
When buying your necessities, as a first option buy what you can reuse, and as second what can be
recycled. Do not buy more than you need, and donate what you do not need anymore. Most
importantly, think environmentally when living your life, chose wisely and spend less.

A great model that nations could use to reduce their ecological footprint is “A plan to keep carbon
in check” (environmental chemistry Baird & Cann). This article explains how, by organization, it
is 100% possible to reduce the use of non-renewable resources. It also warns nations that if
nothing is actually done, we will start suffering catastrophic consequences very soon (2050).
http://cmi.princeton.edu/resources/pdfs/carbon_plan.pdf

Conserving Forests
Just over half of all wood harvested from forests comes from the need for fuel, this accounts for
the largest single demand of trees. The U.S. Agency for International Development (AID)
sponsors fuel wood efficiency projects. One of their projects has been to distribute high efficiency
wood cookstoves to countries like Kenya. These stoves have the benefit of polluting less
compared to traditional stoves and use far less wood. So far AID has distributed 780,000 of these
stoves.

Sustainable forestry is a very effective way in preserving our forests while allowing there to be a
continued economic benefit from forestry harvesting. If only mature more vulnerable trees are
felled on a selective basis, a forest and its productivity can be maintained.

Forest plantations are an effective way of reducing deforestation rates on the Earth’s existing
forests. In 2005 there was about 205 million hectares in total of forest plantations. These
plantations are used mostly as wood for paper and wood reconstitution mills. The UN Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) believe that as plantations increase the harvesting of their wood
could more than double in the next three decades. They believe that eventually it is entirely
possible for plantations to satisfy almost all of the world’s demand for industrial wood.

Conserving Soils
Conservation tillage, this includes minimal or no-till practices. This practice involves changing
from traditional ploughing methods, which systematically harrow the land to prepare the seedbed.
Instead, farmers simply drill seeds directly through the crop resides and into the undisturbed soil
which controls weeds and herbicides. The majority of soil is thus undisturbed and covered by
previous crop residues protecting the land from water and wind erosion.

Mongolia has employed the practice of planting desert shrubs to stabilize sand dunes in an effort
to halt the advancing desert and reclaim land for productive uses. In addition, many places have
banned sheep and goats and replace them with dairy cattle, which lesson the damage of grazing on
the soil. Helin country, a region south of Mongolia’s capital has employed these techniques and
because of this the region has regained about 7,000 hectares of land.

Marine Parks
In 2006 The United States designated a marine park 140,000 sq miles located within the
northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The park, named Papah¯anaumoku¯akea Marine National
Monument, is larger than all U.S. land based parks combined. There are over 7,000 marine species
found within the park, one fourth of which are only found within the region. The region was
expanded in 2009 to include three more ecologically rich regions nearby increasing its size to
195,000 sq miles, making it larger then the states of Washington and Oregon combined. Within the
site fishing is limited and mining and drilling are forbidden.

http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/book_files/pb4book.pdf

Papah anaumoku akea Marine National Monument

Some tips to help conserve these resources

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse.
Thing Green, turn the lights off when not in use.
Use cloth made bags instead of using more and more plastic bags every time you buy groceries.
Try switching to solar energy sources instead.
Plant Trees! In your back yard or at a local park.
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071015063933AA7JFKp
http://greenanswers.com/q/42481/nature-recreation/why-it-important-protect-and-conserve-our-
natural-reso

recycle-logo.jpg
http://www.co.kandiyohi.mn.us/depts/recycle/images/recycle-logo.jpg

user-1509597991