A friend is someone who cares, shows love, and demonstrates this not by mere words but in deeds and actions.
And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth’ according to Genesis 1:26-28.
We are admonished, according to the scriptures, to have dominion over nature. Having dominion over something encompasses loving and caring for the thing as well and not necessarily lording yourself over it and destroying it.
There is an adage that says that water, a molecule that is made up of two atoms of Hydrogen and an atom of Oxygen, is life. This is because it forms the basis of our existence. After all, without it, there will be no survival for man, animals, and plants.
In the past and even now, some water bodies and forests are revered and given the best care; sanctions were placed on fishing on particular days of the week and farming as well. These ascribed reasons were mythical and superstitious rather than scientific and fact-based. Fast forward to today, we have realized that the reason was purely for conservation.
Nature conservation in water bodies promotes big catches of fish and leaves the water bodies very clean, free from dirt and impurities, making them safe for drinking. In addition, nature conservation and protection of our forestry are necessary for climate stability, protection of wildlife, and food restoration.
What do we see these days? The story is different in our era. The water bodies are not safe anymore for drinking due to unlawful ‘galamsey’ activities, unlawful use of chemicals in fishing, etc.
Deforestation and unlawful cutting down of trees have left both our water bodies and forestry depleted, leaving no hope for future generations. The greediness and having-it-all attitude of some people in this country are major contributing factors.
Nature can never be a friend if you don’t care, protect, and preserve it for yourself and the future.
My multi-million dollar question now is, are our current crop of leaders, ranging from Chiefs, Government officials, other local authorities, and all those bearing all those hubris titles, concerned about the future of our land through the conservation and protection of our water bodies and forestry?
If they do, why have they sat aloof for them to be contaminated and desecrated? Why are they not conjoining with environmental protection agencies under the various municipal and district assemblies just as they have been doing concerning claiming royalties for stool lands to clamp down on industries, real estate developers, households, and farmers who have polluted our water bodies of and forestry with their unlawful practices.
Instigating actions against these reckless practices that are putting up unfriendly environmental practices would help bring all our beautiful water bodies and forestry back to their previous states, which will make our country a sight to behold. By doing this, tourism will be enhanced thus generating revenue for the community and the country as a whole.
It’s a call to action to ARISE! and collectively act as nature ambassadors to preserve and protect all these natural resources. Enacted laws for nature conservation must be strengthened and applied without any discrimination. We ought to speak against and punish all culpable ones who are found guilty by the law.
Let’s continue to preserve and protect our environment. It’s a duty for all!
Authors: Eric Peprah, Seth Rosso Laryea
