Saturday, August 9, 2014

Jumbo-Gardeners: How elephants affect weather


Jumbo-Gardeners:
How elephants affect weather
Mega-Gardner

The tropical rainforests of Africa and Asia play a crucial role in keeping our planet healthy.
They moderate our climate, absorb the carbon we produce, and act as a major source of atmospheric moisture – which can fall as rain many miles away.
One of the biggest tropical forests in the world is in Congo.
Its huge size and incredible biodiversity is partly thanks to an unlikely ally – the elephant.


These are few lines from BBC Film titled Jumbo-Gardeners.

Every Sri-Lankan should see this video and show it to their children.

It is far better than watching Kandy, Perehara eating a Jumbo-Peanut imported from China.


1. Elephant is our nature's biggest gardener who help to disperse seeds in the rain forest.
If they a tied to a coconut tree or Kithul tree and chained, they cannot do that, even if they outlive their jungle cousins.

It is a SIN to domesticate elephants.


2. Elephant do not remain in one place.
Because they carry wide range of seeds, it helps to conserve the biodiversity of the forest.


3. They carry a packet of fertilizer with them to help germinate seeds.
We do not have to import fertilizer with concoction of poisons, and increasing our national debt.


4. More seeds that germinate more trees we have.
Trees help to make moisture that turns into rain.
 
So elephants help us to have rain, indirectly.
 
They were pushed to the dry zone forcibly by the British.
They should be in the Wet Zone, the rightful place for them foraging up to, Piduruthalagala and Samanal Kanda. 
 
They destroyed our elephants and our rain forest to cultivate tea and coffee.
Now our experts are growing Ganja (hashish) in the name of vegetable gardens, including Monaragala.

We had trees covering 90% of our land in early 20th century.
We have destroyed the tree cover rapidly after independence.
That is why we have drought NOW.


5. Unlike us elephants have a poor digestive system.
So they need more fruits and vegetation.
So they need more trees (currently less than 20% not enough to sustain rain) for their survival.

If the monsoons fail, it affects everything in this country.

My estimation is that they will be extinct in one family's desire (or a singular dynasty is sustained) is satisfied for over 20 years.

After the war we have lost over 100 baby elephants and their mothers, while capturing.

It is a craze to display elephants in Perahara or any political or religious parade.
 
These are things I will include not the “20 or more ways of killing our wild elephants” in my third book, “Elephant Talks”.

Credit goes to;

The Nature Conservancy’s lead scientist Dr M Sanjayan, Dr Valerie Kapos of the UN Environment Programme, and tropical field biologist and conservationist Dr Ian Redmond reveal the crucial role that elephants play in keeping these forests strong and resilient, and how elephants are the most important player when it comes to the diversity of tree species in the rainforest.



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