World Nature Conservation Day 2021: Act Now to Save Natural Resources and Environment

The World Nature Conservation Day is observed on July 28 across the world. The day is dedicated to conserve the things which we have acquired from nature. The day is being celebrated to safeguard these natural resources that are directly or indirectly helpful to us. This day acknowledges the importance of stability of a healthy environment and lays a foundation towards a healthy society. In today’s world, awareness regarding this day is very essential because when present generation understands the significance of conserving the nature then only future generations will be able to avail the benefits of our natural resources. So, in this article, we have tried to highlight the need to celebrate the World Nature Conservation Day 2021.

History of the World Nature Conservation Day 2021

From a tiny drop of water, to oxygen and to food, we get many vital resources for living directly or indirectly from our mother earth. We must acknowledge this fact and World Nature Conservation Day 2021 is a reminder of the same. There is no history behind this day but earlier people used to worship the natural things like sun, water, air, soil, etc. The motive behind this was to make nature happy and to keep receiving its blessings. Nature kept showing us its different forms like causing rain, storm and sometimes natural calamities. That’s why people feared nature and started worshiping it to make it happy and calm.

As time passed, the behavior of people also changed. When logics and reasoning came into the existence, humans started seeing the world differently. Some people used the things received by nature in a constructive way while some started misusing it. The population has grown and need for food, shelter and other necessities have also increased. With the increasing demand, humans are also becoming greedier. So, to fulfill their needs and greed, people are consuming and degrading natural resources in much greater quantity. Therefore, to conserve nature and to create awareness about it among people, the World Nature Conservation day was started.

Significance and Need of World Nature Conservation Day 2021

“There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” – Mother Teresa

As a result of our activities, we have disturbed our environment. Due to natural imbalance, we are facing several problems like natural disasters, global warming, outbreak of diseases, etc. Some natural resources including flora and fauna are getting exhausted. So, to make proper use of resources, to distribute it among people with equity and to save it for our future generation, it is necessary for us that we should preserve nature. The World Nature Conservation Day 2021 encourages people to save and protect natural resources. Because of over-exploitation and misuse, these resources are depleting at a fast rate.

If we do not start worrying about it, there will come a time when it will not be possible for human beings to survive. So, to make people understand the significance of natural resources and its efficient use, it is important that we not only celebrate the Nature Conservation Day 2021 but also make an effort to save our mother earth. We need to follow the path of sustainable development to protect the natural sources.

Effect of Human Activities on Natural Resources

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Human wants or wishes are never-ending. To fulfill their wishes, they often perform several activities that cause a change in the environment. Factors like overpopulation, pollution, burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation have triggered the problems of climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water, etc. Here are some effects of human activities that cause damage to the natural environment:

Deforestation and Soil Erosion

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Cutting of trees in huge amount from a particular region is called deforestation. In this process forest land is turned into farmland, ranches, or for public usage in urbanization process. Trees are the main source of oxygen but people cut them down for personal and commercial purposes. Sometimes, trees are chopped down to increase land availability which is required due to an increase in the population. Setting up new industries and cutting of forests has led to an ecological system imbalance consequently decreasing the oxygen levels.

Moreover, when there is heavy flow of water caused by rainfall or floods, roots of the trees hold soil to prevent soil erosion. But fewer amounts of trees could not hold soil and this phenomenon is creating the problem of soil depletion which is not favorable for the agriculture.

Pollution

Human activities are also increasing pollution whether it is pollution of air, water, land or noise. You can understand the seriousness of this problem by looking around yourself in the today’s environment. Earlier where people were used to drink water directly from the nature without paying any price, today they are purchasing it to drink.

Humans are facing several agriculture problems because of the land pollution. Our atmosphere is not clean that’s why we are witnessing different types of diseases and due to poor air quality and increasing level of other kinds of pollutions, conditions such as stress, irritation, anxiety, etc. are quite common among people these days.

Exploitation of Marine Life

Due to the massive scale of commercial fishing as well as sea pollution, several species of marine life have become endangered. Water degradation has become the greatest hazard for aquatic life. Several activities of humans also render the life certainty of marine organisms.

Extinction of Habitat

Human activities are triggering extinction of flora and fauna on a mass scale. The main cause of their extinction is the destruction of their natural habitats. Activities of humans are causing environmental hazards and global warming. Poaching and trafficking of animals for the commercial gains by animal products has also led to the extinction of various species. As natural habitat of flora and fauna is constantly being threatened and destroyed, it has now become difficult to save our wildlife.

Global Warming

Rapid rise in the temperature of the earth surface causes global warming. The main cause for this phenomenon is the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2 and Methane) by burning the fossil fuels. These gases including Chloro Floro Carbon (CFC) are also the cause of the depletion of ozone layers that prevent us from harmful UV rays. As a consequence of this, earth’s temperature is increasing and ice caps of mountains are melting. Therefore, the weather patterns have changed, the sea level is increasing that trigger disastrous situations like tsunamis, cyclones, and other natural calamities.

How can We Conserve Our Environment?

To conserve the natural environment is not the responsibility of an individual or an organization. Collective efforts are required for this issue. Apart from government, NGOs, big companies and everyone of us need to act towards nature conservation and protection. There are several ways by which we can conserve environment. Some of them are:

1. Use the motto Reduce, Re-use and Recycle for all the possible products.
2. Optimised use of every form of energy whether it is nuclear, thermal, electrical or mechanical.
3. Make our environment greener by planting trees.
4. Try to grow or plant vegetables and fruits at home, as this is a big step towards nature conservation.
5. Try to avoid littering and practice composting.
6. Make people more and more aware about the use of conservation of nature, environment, and energy.
7. You can participate in several activities to conserve the environment. People are also participating on several social platforms by using #worldnatureconservationday to celebrate the day.

Nature works in its own way. It can gift us so many things to survive. However, if we disturb the balance of nature, also it can result in huge disasters. To keep the required balance, we must conserve our beautiful planet and its blessings. We just cannot keep digging out resources from earth or destroying them at the cost of development without facing nature’s fury. We must not forget the long-term harms for the short-term gains.

Frequently Asked Questions about World Nature Conservation Day

1. Why is World Conservation Day celebrated?

World Conservation Day acknowledges the importance of the stability of a healthy environment and lays a foundation towards a healthy society, that is why this day is celebrated.

2. What is the theme of World Nature Conservation Day?

The theme of World Nature Conservation Day lies in its aim to conserve things of nature such as minerals, plants, soil, water, and wildlife that are on the verge of going extinct.

3. When did World Nature Conservation Day get started?

The day is observed every year on July 28. There is no such particular date that when it is started but people celebrate this day to safeguard our environment.

4. How we can conserve Earth?

We can conserve Earth by-

1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.
2. Keeping our surrounding clean
3. Conserving natural minerals
4. Educating people about the importance of nature in our life
5. Planting more and more trees

5. What is the significance of conserving nature?

Conservation means caring and protecting things. So, conserving nature is important to save those things which are needed for our future generations and it also maintains a diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems.

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