Deforestation, Soil Erosion, and Overfishing in Samoa and How Information Technology Revolutionizes All Spheres of Life
Samoa faces a major environmental threat from deforestation because of agricultural use and logging. Deforestation is the destruction of vast areas of forest without planting new growth i.e. unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel. According to Samoafs Second National Communication in 2006 data, Samoafs total land area is about 285,000 hectares with more than 170,000 hectares categorized under forest areas where a majority of its forest areas can be found on its two main islands, Upolu and Savifi. Upolu and Savifi are Samoafs most inhabited islands and are essentially targets for logging and using forest resources for everyday purposes. According to the Global Forest Coalitionfs national workshop on the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Samoa, the major underlying causes of deforestation include, but is not limited to, gthe heavily daily dependency of Samoans on firewood as fuel and energy sources for cooking, poverty in the villages have forces them to cut their forest resources for cash, and unrealistic penalties defined in law and regulations which fail to distract loggers to cut only the selected treesh (Elisara). In other words, Samoans are highly dependent on forest resources for monetary and energy purposes. In particular, logging occurs because of a significant shift in land tenure. In Samoa: Customary Individualism, scholar Tom OfMeara found in his study that land tenure shifted to a more individualized holding, thus giving titleholders the authority and ability to cut down trees to convert to land; the more one cuts down forest and plant crops, the more land one has (76). Land essentially allowed people to plant crops such as taro, an emerging export crop. In other words, agricultural practices contribute to forest land degradation. Because Samoa was transformed into a cash-oriented economy with the rapid population growth, it abandoned its more traditional land use and cultivation and adopted a more intensified and extensive cultivation of root and tree crops at the expense of the forest. Consequently, intensified agricultural practices, logging, and need for fuel underpin the rapid rate of forest depletion in Samoa. This, however, has adverse effects. Without resourceful forests, Samoa will not be able to sufficiently maintain and protect biodiversity, birdlife, fauna and flora, as well as conserve endemic species of trees and plants in its sensitive ecosystem.
The increasing rise of population and demands for food and monetary income force Samoan famers to abandon their traditional farming methods to adopt more intensive farming systems for unsustainable land, consequently resulting in soil erosion and depletion. Soil erosion is the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, etc. Soil erosion in Samoa is mainly human induced and a large part of it stems from water erosion. To be more specific, substantial amount of soil depletion and erosion occurs from deforestation and climate changes i.e. hurricanes and tsunamis. For example, key findings from Deposits, Flow Characteristics, and Landscape Change Resulting From the September 2009 South Pacific tsunami in the Samoan Islands show that in result of the 2007 tsunami, gwhere available for transport, mud, and gravel size material, as well as vegetation and man-made debris, were move by the tsunami and formed distinct sedimentary deposits i.e. gravel fields, sand sheets, organic and man-made debris ramparts, and surface mud depositsh (4). In other words, because of Samoafs susceptibility to tsunamis, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall, erosion was and continues to be widespread and results in the transport of sediment and debris in both land and seaward. Logging of virgin primary forest for agricultural use and/or for construction use is another prevalent contributor to soil erosion. Trees and their root systems allow for photosynthesis to occur and soil to remain intact and steady, which is essential during rainfall. Without trees and their root systems, forests and lands become unproductive and risk being entirely barren.
Because reef fish is an essential part of Samoansf diet, overfishing occurs and causes substantial and detrimental effects to the coral reefs that surround the Samoan islands. In, Samoafs Second National Communication to the Unites Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1999, it is stated that gfisheries are critical both for commercial purposes and the sustenance of the populaceh (21). In other words, because of the rise in population and production, villagers are practicing extensive fishery which in effect, has profound consequences. The reefs around Samoa are in generally poor conditions because of man-made factors which include top-soil run off deforestation, construction, and agriculture. Overfishing, however, result to ill coral reefs because of poor and often hazardous fishing techniques utilized by villagers. According to Coral Reef Crisis: Causes and Consequences by Franklin Moore and Barbara Best, gcoral reefs are in serious trouble from a powerful combination of stresses that are threatening their survival, including overexploitation of resources for subsistence and commercial fishing, destructive fishing practices that degrade and destroy the habitat itself, and poor land use practices and runoff of pollutants, sediments, and nutrientsh (5). In particular, in Samoa, villagers have utilized blast fishing, a method of trapping using specific harmful tools i.e. eel baskets, and subsistence fishing; all in which may pose a threat to both coral reefs and reef fishes. For example, blast fishing means to throw dynamite into the reef where the compression of the explosive kills and stuns fish. Fish then float to the surface where they are collected. This form of fishery causes severe damages to the coral reefs by damaging and eliminating the corals, which essentially results in susceptibility to high seal levels and high tides. Overfishing is a dangerous threat to Samoafs environment because the consumption of fish exceeds the oceanfs ecological limits which have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. Overfishing results in dramatic changes in the ocean, reef fish extinction, and coral reef damages.
Information and Technology is vital in terms of environmental health and sciences because it makes data and information obtainable, sustainable, and highly accessible; it has revolutionized life. The role of information technology in environment heal include but is limited to remote sensing, database, human health, and online information. For example, according to Northern Arizona Universityfs Department of Geography and Public Planningfs The Remote Sensing Pages, gthe instruments used for special technology are known as remote sensors and include photographic cameras, mechanical scanners, and imaging radar systemsh (NAU). All of these instruments noted are designed to both collect and record and collect specific data pertaining to environmental health. For example, satellites can detect changes in the climate and by doing so, gives environmentalists the ability to initiate plans to counter changes. The changes in a particular environment can be assessed easily through these instruments. Accordingly, as described in a required course reading Habitat Monitoring with Sensor Networks, g[sensor] networks are beginning to provide a view of often subtle changes in a given landscape at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutionh (34). Hence, sensor networks allow environmentalists and scientists to see landscapes in whole new scope; a scope which is profound under various climates and situations.
In addition to sensor networks, information technology increases database accessibility. Database is the collection of inter-related data on various subjects in computerized form which can be we accessed at any desired time. This is particularly important in terms of collecting data regarding birth and death rates, immunization and sanitation programs, and increasing accuracy within data. Database also includes data on diseases and environmental issues like biodiversity loss, forests, waste, wildlife, flora and fauna, etc. Database not only allows for accurate data collection but also increase data accessibility. Data accessibility can be seen in terms of having the ability to access data from years ago to being able to share onefs data with many other people. All in all, because of information technology, databases have a profound effect on present and future environmental data collection which, in result, influences future implementations of particular programs, infrastructures, or laws that seek to minimize environmental and health problems.
Deforestation, soil erosion, and overfishing are all increasingly dangerous environmental issues that evade Samoa. All, however, are influenced and often reinforced by humans and can be minimized if effective laws and programs are enacted. Logging and agricultural practices lead to deforestation, which then has a profound effect on soil, resulting in soil depletion and erosion. Overfishing is a result of extensive fishery practices and high consumption in reef fishes. Sustainable and healthy forests, rich soil, and clear coral reefs are vital in maintaining biodiversity, wild life, flora and fauna, and human health. Information and technology allows for sensor networks and database collection; both in which increase data accuracy and data accessibility. Information technology essentially revolutionizes all aspects of life, specifically in the realm of environmental health and science.
Works Cited
1.Department of Geography and Public Planning. "The Remote Sensing Pages."?Northern Arizona University(n.d.): n. pag. Web.
2.Moore, Franklin, and Barbara Best. "Coral Reef Crisis: Causes and Consequences."?2001 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science?(2001): 5-10.?Global Trade and Consuner. AAAS. Web.
3.O'Meara, Tim. "Samoa: Customary Individualism."?The Pattern of Change in Pacific Land Tenures. Web.
4.Samoa. Global Forest Coalition. Ole Siosiomaga Society Inc (OLSSI).?World Forest Movement. By Fiu M. Elisara. Global Forest Coalition, 12 Dec. 2012. Web.
5.Samoa. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Department of Lands, Surveys And Environment.?Government of Samoa First National Communication to the UNFCCC. UNFCCC. Web.
6.Samoa. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Department of Lands, Surveys And Environment.?Government of Samoa Second National Communication to the UNFCCC. UNFCCC, Web.
7.Szewczyk, Robert, Eric Osterweil, Joseph Polastre, Michael Hamilton, Alan Mainwaring, and Deborah Estrin. "Habitat Monitoring With Sensor Networks."?Communication of the ACH. N.p. Web.