Forest belong to everyone… they must not be privately owned!

Natural resources, including forests, do not belong to private
individuals but to the community as a whole, and are held by the state
in custody for present and future generations. Many urban dwellers,
and even rural inhabitants, may live a whole lifetime without ever
seeing a forest. Trees, grass, bushes, and vegetation of all kinds
(which are a common sight to all of us) are one thing; but forests are
something else.

To the environmental scientist, a forest has the same
appeal or attraction that a tourist site has for a traveller. But to
the ordinary man, his interest in forests is probably limited to
particular forest products supplied by game hunters, wood hewers and
fruit gatherers which he uses and enjoys. The environmental research
scientist is attracted by the rich diversity of animal, plant and
insect species, for which forests are the natural habitat. It is said
that rainforests alone are home to half of the living plant and animal
species on the planet. A major reason against the depletion or
destruction of forests is that it destroys the natural environment of
wild life, including some valuable rare species which are the object
of world conservation efforts. In recounting the benefits to be
derived from forests, the first thing that comes to mind is forest
products. Of these, probably the most familiar is timber. For
construction and various installations, certain tree species are
especially important, and are a useful, and much cheaper, substitute
for metallic materials. Forests remain a major source of natural,
unprocessed foodstuffs. These include game meat, insects-originated
nutrients such as honey, fruits and apples, plus some plant roots and
herbs.Many forest products also have medicinal value. Before the era
of modern medicine, people relied extensively on medicinal roots,
herbs, and tree barks to treat various ailments. Tropical rainforests
have been called the `world`s largest pharmacy` because over
one-quarter of modern medicines originate from its plants. It might
well be that one of the undiscovered secrets for the treatment of
tropical diseases lies hidden in this tropical forest environment,
whose huge `pharmacy` still has much potential, waiting to be tapped
by future researchers. Some parts of the world are naturally devoid of
forests, notably the polar regions, the tropical deserts, and most of
the savannah grassland areas. There are, however, large expanses of
territory which were once under forest but which have now become
deforested. Partly this has been due to sprawling urban development,
but also to agricultural encroachment, reckless tree-felling and
incidental forest fires. With population growth, reliance on these
valuable forest products is on the increase. To cope with the
increased demand, it is necessary to encourage planned tree planting
and reforestation. Apart from forest products, the reason why forests
are such a valuable asset for humanity is because of their impact on
the environment. http://ippmedia.com/cgi-bin/ipp/print.pl?id=128179

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