Natural disasters are not an uncommon phenomenon. We see them every day in one form or another, be it hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or forest fires. Over time, we also have developed many defences against them or to minimise the damage as much as possible. However, what we fail to understand is that nature is self-sufficient in itself. If it can destroy, it also has the power to heal or mitigate the disasters as well. Forest fires, for example, are very destructive, we can see that from the recent burning of the Amazon rainforest; but on the other hand, it makes way for new life to flourish in the region and also fertilises the soil.
“There’s been a lot of research that shows that natural habitats like salt marshes are far more environmentally beneficial than seawalls and (other) artificial structures,” Steven Scyphers, assistant professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences, at the Marine Science Center in Nahant, Massachusetts says in an article published by Northeastern University’s blog post. “What we’re focused on with this study is to understand the role of these different types of structures in coastal protection, and that’s an area where a lot more science is needed. We hope this work will help communities prioritise ecosystem restoration efforts in areas that may reap the greatest benefits.”
We need to focus on restoring the balance of nature instead of trying to find man-made solutions. This was also observed after Hurricane Michael that the damage could have been drastically more, had it not been for coastal and upland green spaces, such as marshes and forests.
Any ecosystem is self-sufficient in itself. We, as human beings must learn to adjust according to nature and not the other way around. Nature is not going to adjust according to our needs. Restoring the balance of nature should be amongst the foremost of agendas.
Anushka Singh