Trees: The Caretakers of Our Planet 

Trees are the lungs of our planet. They complement all the other living beings on the planet. Humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide while all plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. 

Human beings and trees cannot live without each other. Trees are important for our survival so it is our duty and responsibility to protect and plant trees. We should take tree planting very seriously. Tree planting should be done scientifically. Our environment follows the process of natural selection. According to Darwin’s theory, nature selects the best adapted and eliminates the ill-adapted. 

Nature dictates; nature tells—who should be and who should not be. 

Think of this at the world level. There is the Equator and there is land above the Equator and below the Equator. 8 degrees north and 8 degrees south of the Equator are important as the sun visits this part of Earth more than the others. This is called the doldrums. As you go further up north or down south of the Equator, the heat reduces. In the doldrum belt, the biodiversity is rich. 

Biodiversity is the number of species of plants, animals, insects and birds. As we go further away from the Equator, the biodiversity decreases. The region on both sides of the tropical region is known as the sub-tropical region. Diversity is very important because different species have to interact with each other. This interaction between different species of living beings such as animals and plants and non-living things such as heat and water is called the ecosystem concept. This leads to a concept of a food chain whereby once species eats another creating an energy flow every species has a biological role an ecological role in the ecosystem, i.e. eating a fruit and dropping the seed somewhere is an ecological role, where as being eaten by another species is a biological role.

The presence of diversity is important for the ecosystem to be stable and sustainable. If any component of this system is removed it will create a lacuna. For example when sandal wood trees are cut birds and organisms dependent on them for food and shelter are displaced. In continuation insects dependent on them which help in pollination and providing fertility to the earth are also displaced. Micro-organisms also suffer and this is how species get wiped out.

It is our responsibility to protect plants and vegetation to protect our environment. Planting trees in the right way will create a better planet in the years to come.