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View from a woodland path: New England wood
I stood there on a narrow path with nothing but the sound of the wind rushing through the trees. A small stream provided percussive accompaniment, with the flow of water bouncing off the rock bed and muddy banks. Streaks of sun light pierced through the canopy, streaming down towards the vegetation below, illuminating even the darkest of corners. Vibrant greens and earthy browns filled my vision, the intricate patterns on the bark appearing and disappearing with the flickering of the light. This was a place worth fighting for.
I encourage whoever reads this article to go out and experience nature for themselves. Understanding is the key to engaging with any cause.
It is of little surprise that increasing population sizes across the globe are resulting in a destruction of planet Earth’s ecosystems, the resulting effects being beyond our collective comprehension. A statistic does little to help us realise the sheer extent to which our local wildlife has and is being destroyed. The reasons behind this merciless eradication are numerous and far too many to describe in detail. Housing developments and extraction of valuable resources are among the most common explanations, as well as the rapid expansion of farmland to accommodate an increasing demand for agricultural produce. We are growing ever greater in number as a species and with that we demand ever more from a planet not built for our insatiable appetites. There is a futility associated with curtailing such an expansion; It would be impossible to regulate population growth and equally unthinkable to begin rationing the fruits of our labour. A lack of frugality in certain parts of the world does little to help the problem. Consumerism is largely at fault, with the ultimate goal being to attain a bounty of valuable items, few of which are essential. Not all of us are able to exploit such a system, but for the wealthy, we rarely see them limit their own consumption - beyond a certain threshold, excess has become fashionable. It is important to note that wealth can go a long way towards protecting our wildlife, and that the wealthy are not solely responsible for its demise. As a British citizen I benefit from the extraordinary luxury of being able to waltz in to a store and within moments quell my appetite for a wide array of food stuffs or material goods. This very action would be impossible without industrial scale agriculture and mass production by corporate powers, leaving us in difficult situation.
As an environmentalist, I like many others, find myself caught in somewhat of a quandary. I vehemently care about the protection of our local wildlife and wish to do my part for organisations such as the Woodland Trust. With that said, some of my daily actions suggest otherwise, mostly without me being entirely cognizant of their damning effects. Would I forgo the opportunity to start a family with a view to stabilize global consumption? Would I practice subsistence living in an attempt to turn my back on the devastation caused by agriculture? Would I resist purchasing a new home in the hope of preventing housing developments being constructed on ancient woodlands? These questions encompass only a few that have crossed my mind. One might describe my quandary as a period of cognitive dissonance: a conflict between my beliefs and my thoughts and actions. I feel a strong sense of guilt in my inability to give up some of these creature comforts, but despite this, willingly persist in other ways to lessen the extent of our negligence. Once you have wrestled with such questions you are then left wondering why you even care at all? You may scoff at such a question. You may lambast those who ask themselves that very question. Climate change is the obvious and most common riposte, and with good reason. Many have covered the issue of climate change, with experts coming out in their droves to address its imminence – I strongly suggest reviewing what they have said. I however, want to tap in to the more personal reasons that drive my motivation.
What makes nature so captivating?
I have always found myself drawn to nature. It seemed to be an endless source of weird and wonderful creations, carved out by the never-ending march of evolution. Fauna and flora has many a species on show, each exhibiting their own unique characteristics, each one being no more predictable than the last. Every species of plant and animal has toiled for millennia, hoping to establish its own niche within the chaos, resulting in adaptations that would exceed our own problem-solving abilities in such situations - this may be one of the reasons as to why I deem them all to be so precious. A species exists much like a fingerprint, moulded only by its own will to survive, preserving its specialist traits for future generations. It narrowly escapes a barrage of environmental pressures that could so easily bring it to its bitter end, forcing it to remain adaptable even in the most formidable of times. The man-made aspects of our existence, although understandably brilliant, have done little to capture my imagination. Nature seemed so much more miraculous by comparison, existing with little in the way of definitive explanation. We bend and cast various materials to our will, producing all manner of everyday items which facilitate our lives – all of which owe their existence to the genius of human minds past and present. A woodland however, has spawned from a state of nothingness, compelled to exist by forces unknown and for reasons that remain largely unclear – this being the case if you are a believer of evolution and not creationism. We find it almost impossible not to establish some sense of meaning from nature, and yet its very existence may be due to a game of chance, with no discernible motives or goals in sight. A tree strives for dominance in order to assure its own survival, and yet we can seldom explain why – even with a plausible explanation, it takes little time for new questions to arise. To pass on its genes? To what end? Does the tree itself care for the future, knowing that its DNA is the key to its species continued existence? It is this that ignites my state of endless curiosity. What? Why? And of course, how? You need not watch a programme by Sir David Attenborough to bear witness to nature’s extraordinary diversity; a trip to your local woodland would suffice. I was certainly left in awe when I first began exploring the wildlife local to my home. I presumed that nature was something that could only be found in places far from the UK, where the ecosystems appeared to be less tame. I found myself proved wrong once I explored my local environment. A short look through a book on local wildlife would perfectly demonstrate the abundance of species present in our very own gardens.
The ecosystems at home and abroad have been in constant development from the earth’s initial conception. An endless battle rages on with no intention of slowing down, obeying only the Darwinian laws of natural selection. Around 3.8 billion years of endless turmoil, and with one fell swoop it could all be decimated; not by a game of chance I might add, but by the careless greed of a single animal. We regulate other species that rage out of control and threaten the ecosystem’s delicate balance, and yet the most threatening of all species remains largely unregulated. This destruction does not occur as the result of a single act, but due to the many acts that we all partake in on a daily basis. Woodlands are being converted to concrete inch by inch, meadows are being cut down to pasture, ancient trees are being felled due to their perceived inconvenience. Quite simply I see nature as a fragile masterpiece, devised over a length of time far too long for us to truly interpret and understand. I like many others am wary of its destruction. We owe our very existence to its capacity for design and creation, and its subsequent nurturing of our ancestors. Early sapiens certainly had to overcome the many obstacles thrown at them, for peril existed at every turn, but in the absence of nature they would not have existed at all. And yet, our actions are indicative of our own failure to see that nature has given us almost everything we are and everything we can be. The large Hadron collider was born in the minds of humans, but the minds of humans were born in nature. Beyond this somewhat philosophical interest in our ecosystem lies a more tangible appreciation of its importance.
I have felt a victim of our own technological advances. This feels like a ridiculous statement as I benefit so greatly from the work of society’s greatest thinkers and doers. The agricultural revolution, industrial revolution and scientific revolution, have provided some of us with an existence that previous generations would consider to be utopian. A hunter gatherer probably wouldn’t believe us if we described some of our modern-day developments. Many people still don’t live in such a state of luxury, and the effects of that are all too clear to see. We surround ourselves with bricks and mortar, shielding ourselves from the elements, this being done with good reason. The elements are fraught with danger and our protection from them is somewhat vital – this is most noticeable during the UK’s freezing winter months. I am largely unmarked by nature’s wrath, for which I am very grateful, but the other less positive effects of my sheltered lifestyle began to reveal themselves. I became all too comfortable lying on the sofa with my phone in hand and the TV blaring away in the background. It felt so natural and yet equally ruinous to my well-being. This sedentary behaviour came with many consequences, most of which I desperately tried to counter through exercising behind another set of four walls. It is this very disconnect from the outdoors that led to my sense of complacency with its protection; It is hard to protect something that you unwittingly ignore. I live in a region filled with rolling green fields and pockets of magnificent woodland, and yet for all intents and purposes, to me it did not exist. I had cocooned myself in to a life of comfort and refuge from the elements, and they consequently disappeared from my consciousness. We see the destruction of local wildlife as deplorable, and yet we scarcely immerse ourselves in the very thing we are so afraid of losing.
Wildlife isn’t merely there for our own entertainment, but we have lost that state of symbiosis with it, to the point at which, in our everyday existence, it could almost be seen as irrelevant. Many of us find it challenging to form strong connections to things that remain to be largely a mystery, with our lives making little time for us to explore what the ecosystem has to offer. And yet I seldom come across anyone who’s spirits are not lifted by the sight of winding woodland paths and towering trees. Many have found the faint trickle of water and accompanying chatter of birdsong among the tree tops, an extraordinary medium within which they can instil a sense of calm into their otherwise agitated minds. Life itself has become more and more about employability, false narratives on social media, political tensions, social injustices and other pressing issues – and rightly so, they all have their place. They do however, have the innate ability to leave us feeling anxious and despairing. We feel out of control when nations threaten war, and unfulfilled when compared to supposedly successful people.
Natures escape
The effect of society’s demanding nature is becoming ever clearer, as we struggle on for our own personal definitions of paradise. We deny ourselves the opportunity to fulfil some of our greatest wants and desires - mainly due to financial restrictions - instead jumping on the proverbial treadmill, desperately trying to reach the point at which we feel we have reached our worth. Many of us rage on against almost impossible odds, with the very nature of our own reality a frightening thought. We are bombarded with the paradigm of success, holding ourselves fiercely accountable when trying to achieve similar heights. Our expectations continue to balloon as we are promised a life filled with joy and a sense of fulfilment, dependant only upon the number of pounds that we are able to accumulate. Alas many of us fail to reach a place of such excess and financial security, left to continue getting by as best we can. We fall victim to our own judgments and the judgments of others, with our social status being constantly reviewed and criticised. This may all seem rather extreme to some, but to others it may resonate all too clearly. The existential crisis has become the common cold of the mind, with its impact often being devastating on our egos. Holidays and expensive goods are allegedIy our only form of escapism; I find myself strongly disagreeing with such a marketing ploy. Our place of refuge and retreat may lie just beyond our doorsteps. Nature does not discriminate as we do. It does not only allow entry to the select few who meet its rigid and unwavering requirements. It does not care for your social status or charms. It has no interest in your bank account or the car you drive. It does not demand that you undergo tireless self-improvement in order for it to then deem you acceptable for entry. It remains open to all who care to stumble across it. You needn’t impress it with your anecdotes or stories of success. You needn’t hide your most devastating failures. It remains open to all… providing that we let it.
Why do we care?
Why do we care? Climate change is the most obvious answer, but more personal reasons often resonate more clearly. It is a place of solitude or a place of shared enjoyment. It does not discriminate on the basis of character or creed. It thrives even in the most turbulent of times, continuing to fight on with an immutable mantra: Survive. It is beautiful and yet chaotic. It does not subscribe to our political landscape which remains fraught with a toxic thirst for power, a place where deception and lies often are rewarded with increased status and higher salaries. It provides a sense of what used to be, before the burden of responsibility for constant societal progression set in. It is a place of natural divinity, not bent and twisted to our liking; we have certainly changed its landscape through our actions over the centuries, but we cannot simply redesign its many glorious features. It never fails to fight back, shown by the never-ending battle we have to keep our gardens in perfect condition. We can only protect or destroy flora and fauna. There is a sense of honesty and simplicity in nature that we struggle to find anywhere else. It is worth preserving for it has defied all the odds, deserving our utmost respect and adoration, not to meddle in it, but to let it be, observing it from a distance. Nature connects us to the past in a way that little else can. For empires have fallen and been rebuilt, quarrels between nations have raged and fallen silent, cultures have continually transformed beyond recognition. Somewhere amongst the earth a sapling erupts from the soil with a lineage that pre-dates our own existence. As the arrow of time firmly points towards the future, the events of the past fade from memory, and the triumphs of nature strive on.