The Cry Of Nature

Is it fair?
What you’re doing to us?

Is it fair?

For you alone to be joyous?Is it fair?

Selfish and arrogant,

Is what you are.

All of us around you,

Will never be valued.

We give our loudest cry,

Yet never to be heard.

Treat us like trash,

Dump more on us.

There will come a time, 

When you are filled with remorse.

But it’ll be too late,

We’ll already be gone.

You’ll miss it all,

The trees, the animals.

The fresh air and calming water.

The world, just barren and deserted. 

Let’s not forget,

We are the reason you’re still here.

Not an ounce of gratitude.

The ego of Mankind!

Oh! What have we done?

To deserve this harsh life?

If only you could see,

If only you weren’t so blind.

We laugh out loud,

What a joke man has become!

Born to be the wisest,

Yet have become so foolish.

You’ve destroyed us,

And hindered our lives.

Made what was once beautiful,

Into a hideous landscape.

But the future will be our turn,

To give you what you deserve.

What goes around,

Comes back around.

Let there be no sun.

Let there be no rain.

A world without our existence.

A world filled with your pain.

Humanity-A Religion

Conservation manifests itself into several different and meaningful branches. There are several needs of the hour but what the human species has to conserve is unity. The humanitarian aspects of human beings are vanishing day by day as one tends to become more selfish, without a thought to spare for others. The mental state of the human mind has become a prey; a prey of self-obsession – I, me and myself (perhaps at times, family and close friends are included, to a certain extent). We would not desire to help a stranger unless we know the individual. We are the most advanced species existing on the face of Earth and we have the capability to perform miracles, yet we limit ourselves due to the egocentric state of our mind.

The amount of suffering people undergo in certain countries is extremely heart wrenching and the conditions they live in are deplorable. Humanitarian acts do not necessarily have to always be about helping the poor, donating large sums of money etc. They can be as simple as just being compassionate to a person who is down! Teenagers especially, have a great capability to perform humanitarian acts. Take a walk down the street and visit some houses, collect old clothes, books, utensils etc. and give them to the orphanage nearby! Help an elderly person to cross the road or simply just spend 5-10 minutes of your day conversing with them.

These elderly people live in a cocoon of solitude and ardently desire that someone converses with them, to bring about a variation in the monotony of their lives. Helping the underprivileged should also be done since childhood since it is a key learning lesson all children should understand. We live for a very short time period, so let’s spread the message of humanity and conserve it.

Make Sure Mother Earth Is Out Of Danger!

Every breath of air we have ever taken, every drop of water we have ever drunk, every square meal we have ever eaten and everything we have ever owned; we owe it all to nature.  To quote Gautama Buddha, “The tree is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence and makes no demand for its sustenance, and extends generously the products of its life. It offers protection to all beings, offering shade to even the axemen who destroy it”. We demand so much of nature, which in return asks nothing of us. Over the years, we have indiscriminately exploited nature for our sustenance and if we continue to recklessly do so, we aren’t going to last very long. This is where conservation and sustainable development come in.

Conservation and Sustainable development are two terms that go hand in hand. Conservation is the act of guarding or protecting something and Sustainable development is the idea that development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generation. Unless we practice conservation, the generations that succeed us will be forced to pay the price of degradation and anguish for the progress of our time. The resources we use are all limited and are not replenished so easily. Conservation of resources and sustainable development is an issue that is advocated on the global level today. There are many organisations that handle task of conserving the variety of nature and wildlife or Biodiversity. Conservation Biology is the branch of science which deals with the study of the Earth’s Biodiversity with aim of protecting it.

We say that conservation is to protect and manage nature, when it is really more of managing humans and their activities to prevent further damage and decay to the environment. Nature can take care of itself and can get along fine without our help, but people need nature. Take for example, bees. If all the bees on our planet suddenly vanished or turned extinct, the human race would lose out on more than a third of its food crops and vegetation would start to decline rapidly. Within a few years the human race may be entirely wiped out along with many species of animals and plants. However, if the same were to happen to humans, if our race were to disappear of the face of this planet, then life on earth will flourish. Nature will always find a way, but humans are in big trouble.

For the continuity of our race to prolong, it is essential we change our mindset and work towards our future without causing harm to our environment. In the end it is true to say that, “We haven’t inherited this world from our forefathers, rather we have borrowed it from our children’’.

Duty For Beauty

                      When we look around us we see several incidents of nature being harmed. Either on purpose or due to an act of carelessness of a human, natural resources get damaged day by day. Over exploitation of forests by private companies has been a major cause of rapid decline of natural water sources, soil, trees and other aspects of nature. This leads us to think : Would it be possible to prevent or at least reduce natural degradation?

                       Companies are not the only cause of natural degradation but us as well. Some of the daily activities that we carry out either directly or indirectly harm the environment. Usage of vehicles like cars and motor cycles increases the amount of harmful gasses released into the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and more. These gasses affect the nature by making the air unsuitable to breathe in for both us and other animals that share this living space with us. Carpooling and using public transports are some ways by which the amount of pollutants released could be reduced. Using a bicycle or travelling by foot are better methods since these methods do not cause harm to the nature and hence are extremely Eco friendly.

                    Littering and improper waste disposal is another concern that several countries are looking into. These wastes are one of the biggest environmental hazards. Litter like plastic bags and plastic bottles take a long period of time to decompose. They get buried under the soil and at times block roots, preventing plants from getting the essential minerals. Sometimes animals scavenging for food come across these wastes and mistake them for food. These animals die upon consuming the harmful wastes. It is thus necessary for us to understand the proper disposal of was waste. Using trash cans and bins to dispose of plastic bags, bottles does make the difference. It is better at times to not use plastic at all. substitution products like a bag made of cloth instead of plastic is better as such bags can be used multiple times and are easier to dispose.

                    Illegal activities are carried out in forests everyday despite the monitoring of government agencies. Illegal trafficking of animal products from animals of the endangered or vulnerable category is still at high. Poaching to obtain products by killing animals which are of low numbers is a horrific act. Forest rangers do their best to keep these poachers away, yet it is not an easy task. Goods like elephant tusks, horns of rhinos, tiger skin are sold in the black market outside the control of the government. It is our responsibility to not buy illegal products as such. Notifying officials of these trades if any has been identified could be considered a great help in putting a stop to this illegal chain of activities.

                  It is not hard to identify activities that would lead to degradation and those that would assist in conservation. Any activity that may cause harm to the nature could be avoided. we should not see nature as something to be exploited for our benefits but rather as something that supports all life forms. It is our duty to protect and prevent any further damage to the nature.

A Tree's Tale

I am a tree in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and my name is mangrove. I am here for the past 21 years. Proud and firm, I stand on the ground with several migratory birds visiting me often. People from all walks of life come to my habitat to discover my neighbors such as mudskippers, crabs, shellfish, water snakes, birds, spiders, monitor lizards and otters

remember the time when I was young, slim and trim and my desire that one day I will grow and give shelter to everybody and today that desire of me has come true. When there was rain, I was in high spirits as I use to feel fresh and after the rain, when sun use to shine, it was a pleasant sight for me.

While I was taking a short nap after a tiring day, I was awakened by the deep voice of Mr. Crab. I fluttered open my eyes to find a huge group of animals near my foot. They were frowning and from their facial expressions, I could clearly say that they were having an important discussion. Being bored of doing nothing, I decided to eavesdrop about what they were discussing about.

Mr.Crab: I am extremely annoyed with the attitude of those humans visiting our home everyday.

Miss. Water snake: Yess… I feel the same way.  Children coming to see me act as if they had never seen similar creatures like me and without hesitation, they start poking my tender scales with sticks and whatever they find around. They are making such a nuisance out of themselves...urgh…

Mr. Hummingbird: I do not have any privacy here. People keep taking pictures of me, hurting my delicate eyes.

Mr.Crab: We need to find a suitable solution for this and end this before it’s too late.

Mangrove: Don’t jump into any conclusions. I have been eavesdropping to what you guys were saying. Though there are many humans who do not show any care or concern to us, there are others who understand our feelings and appreciate our existence.

Mr.Crab: Don’t be silly mangrove. There is no way humans could be caring towards us…

Out of the blue, a young girl came running towards us and was extremely impressed to look at us. With a charming look on her face, she called out to her parents who came rushing behind her. She jumped with joy. But suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. Choking with tears, she told her parents that she is very depressed when she realized that the lives of these flora and fauna are in danger due to several factors such as deforestation etc. If these harmful actions of the people continue, there wouldn’t be any more trees and species of animals found. Her parents consoled her and advised her that she should always play her part in conserving the forests. Soon, they left the place.

Looking at what had all happened, Mr. Crab and other animals gave a sigh of relief.

Mr.Crab: Well, Mangrove you are right. There are some kind people around us who are struggling very hard to save us but still, it involves the participation of each and every person in conserving our habitat and saving our lives from getting extinct.

Mangrove: I fully agree with you and there are several ways in which humans can play a part in saving us. For example, they can control the occurrence of forest fires, focus on reforestation or afforestation, check over Forest Clearance for Agricultural and Flabitation Purposes and proper utilization of forest produce and products. In a nutshell, please save us and our habitat before it’s too late!

Story Of An Otter

Early in the morning at about 6.00 am , my mother gave me a cuddle and woke me up. I refreshed myself in the cool Buloh Besar River.

My father gave me fresh catch of fish from the river, and my breakfast is complete. As usual me and my brothers started playing by the riverside. We played Hide And Seek, running and catching, and later we were tired and our parents groomed us.

It was noon and the Visitors started filling the wetland reserve.''The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve” ,is one of the Biggest wetland reserves in Singapore.Sungei Buloh was first opened as a Nature Park in 1993.  And in 2003, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve became Singapore's first ASEAN Heritage Park.

And my family wre shifted here by the wildlife conservationist in the year 2005. We were extremely happy as we were going to discover a new home. A lot of relatives of us are in places like Singapore Zoo, Bishan Park in the banks of the Kallang River.We are very much happy to live in a peaceful environment like Sungei Buloh together with various species which shows the diversified nature of Sungei Buloh.

Our daily life was happy but the best was on a Thursday when we met our friends from Yuvabharathi. They were on their trip to gain some information for their project on Conservation of Organisms. Well it was indeed a useful trip for them and gained knowledge.The Class students of 10th and 9th had paid their visit.

The students had come there for their Inter Disciplinary Thematic project.They discovered the flora and the fauna of the wetland. Me and my family were happy to see the innocent faces that discovered the diversified world. Also they jotted down the exciting information that was writtem about all the species in the information boards. But to our surprise they were surprised to discover the two of the species which is prominent in the reserve. It was not us but it was the Mudskippers and Monitor Lizards. Me and my family have maintained a good relationship with the Monitor lizards and the mudskippers. Both of them are very good friends of us. We all are living peacefully and happilly in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with other friendly Animals. I request the student to Let us live with the same peace through out our lives because we indirectly and directly depend on each other in many ways !

Trees-The Bronchi Of Earth

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A TREE

Hi I'm a banyan tree and I'll be presenting you the story of my life, narrating it in short with the most important events which caused drastic changes in my life and that of my species.

I was born on 21^st November, 1945, in a village called called Chikmanglur. My homeland is a dense forest situated in the northern part of the village. It also serves as the dwelling place of many of my wild friends such as the lions, tigers, wolves etc. The villagers took great care of me and often visited me to collect leaves and twigs. They considered me sacred and performed rituals. Their children play under my care and protection. I owe them my life.I was happily living with my family when suddenly my life took a drastic turn.

I was wondering how to pay back to the immense love and affection that the villagers poured on me. Suddenly, I felt a poke. On looking down, I found few axemen sharpening their axes, ready to cut me down. They were ordered to do so by two handsomely dressed gentlemen. I guessed they probably belonged to the upper class.

In a matter of few more minutes, I was going to be cut into pieces. I moaned about my fate. I was spending my last few minutes, after which I would be fallen down, dead. The most terrifying moment was when I realised that it wasn't only me who was going to be cut but also my entire family.

As the man drew his axe towards my mother, I shut my eyes, not having the courage to witness her death. But instead of a chop sound, I heard a girl screaming. It was Maya, my favourite, the one who plays hide seek with me and pleases me with her caressing touch. “Chop me first,” she cried. “Take my life but leave my trees alone.” I was moved by her affection but had no means to express my feelings. I could only shed a few of my leaves on her to show my gratitude.

The axemen were speechless but with the command of the affluent man, he tore her away from me and threw her on the ground. I felt sorry for Maya but I was helpless. She got up quickly and hugged me again. She cried and wept badly. Suddenly, hundreds of villagers, old and young, rushed towards me and other trees. Each one hugged one of us. Now even the affluent man was unable to do anything.

Soon, the village head arrived at the scene. He stood under me when the villagers begged him for mercy on me. He ordered the axemen to move out immediately. He further stated that the village shall no longer allow anyone to cut us for any purpose and hunting shall be strictly prohibitted in the village.

Today, even after so many years, I still stand there with my fellow friends, fresh and intact, sustaining the greenery of the village. The neighbouring areas have turned into urban cities and with no speck of verdure in their appearance. I feel proud to be a part of this oasis in the middle of the huge desert.

“Don’t destroy the greenery,

And don’t spoil the scenery.

Save mother earth.”

“Think of the long haul,

don’t let the trees fall ! ”