Introduction

Welcome to my first blog!

‘Forests in the Anthropocene’ is a course project for Global Environmental Processes (GEOGG131). I take this opportunity with great enthusiasm to explore the relationship between forests and this new epoch of the Anthropocene. Through my posts, I aim to cover several aspects with regards to  forests and their interaction with humans through the concept of ecosystem services as well as their ability to mitigate climate change.

First things first! I come from the island of Cyprus, where I have the benefit to appreciate nature through land and water. My love for nature gave me the drive to study BSc Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham and my concern about the future of humanity as far as environmental change is concerned, urged me to be currently studying for my Master’s degree in Climate Change at University College London. I find forests fascinating due to their complex interactions with air, water and life.

Enough about me! Forests are considered to be the ‘lungs’ in terms of atmosphere and the ‘heart’ of biodiversity of the Earth. They are biomes dominated by trees and woody undergrowth. There are three distinct types of forest. The Tropical Forests are the most ‘popular’ consisting of high biodiversity on fauna and flora located in the tropics, Temperate Forests are located in the Mid Latitudes and the Boreal Forests are occurring mainly in the Northern Hemisphere between 50 and 60 degrees (ucmp) . Overall, they account for 90% of life that is based on land (WWF). They are a source of income to millions of people around the world adding up to services such as food, fuel and shelter (ucmp; WWF). Forests used to cover the majority of the land’s surface. Today, it is thought that it has decreased by 80% and half of it was vanished over the last 30 years. It is estimated that there is a loss of forest area equal to the size of England. Could this be all natural? What are the consequences of the shrinking of forests (ucmp; WWF; theguardian)?

We live during the Anthropocene, the epoch whereby human activity has become a geological force (Steffen W., Crutzen P.J and McNeill J.R.) .  Could anthropogenic effects cause this rapid decrease in forest area? Is there a negative relationship between the two?

These are questions that I hope to answer by exploring this topic, in addition to highlight their importance and to discuss the different views of scientists, reporters and politicians. This blue planet we are living in is a wonderful world and it is important to conserve it so that future generations can enjoy what we can.

I will leave you to a short video from WWF that will remind you to the feelings that evoke through forests (WWF).