NASSAU, The Bahamas, March 19 2015 – Prime Minister Perry Christie said the message of tree and forest preservation “is falling on deaf ears.”
“Perhaps, Gandhi said it best when he opined, ‘what we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.’ It is imperative that a progressive Bahamian society do better in all things to leave a good legacy for the next generation,” said Mr. Christie.
He explained that forests are integral to a small island nation like the Bahamas adapting to and mitigating climate change since they contribute to the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity in the air.
The Bahamas is home to substantial natural forest resources, which comprise pine forests, with approximately 80 percent of forest resources on Crown Lands and the remaining 20 percent on private lands. The three largest islands: Grand Bahama, Abaco and Andros respectively possess 30, 50 and 130 acres of arable forest and pine trees.
Research conducted by the United Nations says deforestation is progressing at a rate of 13 million hectares (or 32 million acres) of forest being destroyed annually. Deforestation, suggests the report, accounts for 12 to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
