Water - trees - people Water The world is facing one of its biggest challenges at present regarding the sustainable supply of clean, sanitary water to its people. In the developed world, people take water for granted. It gushes “freely” from taps, shower heads, and sprinkler systems; its value going unappreciated. Globally, more than 884 million people have inadequate access to safe drinking water. Globally, it has been reported that 1.2 billion people do not have safe drinking water. Climate change is also having a drastic effect on the water supply. Many of the world’s most water-stressed areas will get less water, and water flows will become less predictable and more subject to extreme events. This is leading to the disruption of food production systems, exposing an additional 75–125 million people to the threat of hunger. At Sadhana Forest we try our best to combat these problems. A lot of our work with the forest centers on water conservation. We use a number of Permaculture techniques such as bunding, mounds, swales and sponges to retain and conserve water on the land and utilize it to its fullest capacity. We aim to educate both local people and our international volunteers as to the importance and preciousness of water. Volunteers at Sadhana Forest learn to appreciate its value as they need to pump their own water for showers and for cleaning. We also use only biodegradable cleaning products so that when returned to nature, they will not do any damage. Trees The reasons behind forests being cut down are many: from farmers needing more land to graze their animals and grow their crops, to local communities using material from the forests for firewood and charcoal, from a growing meat industry that requires more pasture land for meat consumers’ cattle to feed, to infrastructural undertakings of roads and highways that necessitate a migration of people toward uninhabited forest areas. While not all tree logging leads to deforestation, the data that has been collated over the last two decades suggests that we need to develop and practice educated ways of interacting with our world’s forests in order to prevent potentially disastrous consequences. The long list of negative effects arising from deforestation provides plenty a reason for us to educate ourselves about our consumption of trees: deforestation leads to an erosion of the top soil (top layer of the soil that is high in nutrients, organic mater and micro-organisms) that takes hundreds of years to restore itself naturally – an erosion that in turn affects the nutrient levels that are available to new trees that are planted in reforestation efforts; deforestation leads to a disruption in the local ecosystem’s water cycle, causing droughts that force local farmers to migrate; deforestation also leads to a loss of biodiversity in the region in which it occurs. If these reasons are insufficient to elucidate the negative consequences of deforestation, then one only need look at the ever present climate change that is being continually provoked by it. Given these hazardous effects, addressing the issue of deforestation is not quite as simple as planting more trees. Since existing damage to the top soil might already have rendered some areas as being hostile environments for trees, attempts at reforestation must include some insight into the current condition of the soil in specific locations, must invoke a consideration of the trees/plants that might be native to that soil, and must devise mechanisms to revitalize and rebuild the soil that might already be negatively affected by years of neglect and overuse. At Sadhana Forest we try to focus on planting only indigenous trees. Whilst we begin a project in a new area we invest a lot of energy in comprising a list of potential indigenous species that we would like to plant and distribute. People Environmental devastation, water scarcity and deforestation are issues that are not only having adverse effects on the earth, but on its people also. As the land is no longer able to support the communities living on it, people are being forced to leave rural areas which they once depended on for their livelihood. Farmers are losing their crops as a result of drought, soil erosion and the depletion of underground aquifers and entire families are left without a stable income. More and more people are forced to migrate to cities in search of employment but many times they are unsuccessful and instead find themselves living in poverty. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that “In the last decade, 2.4 billion people were affected by climate related disasters, compared to 1.7 billion in the previous decade.” Not only disasters, but the slow depletion of natural resources are also making communities vulnerable. Sadhana Forest works to try to address these environmental problems. Deforestation and desertification are one of the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Desertification threatens communities around the world. We believe that reforestation, water conservation and sustainability are the key elements to preventing or reducing the effect of environmental issues. There is now clear evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented collective effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits. For humans to live sustainably, the Earth’s resources must only be used at a rate at which they can be replenished. Through reforestation and water conservation, Sadhana Forest tries to aid this process so that future generations will not be forced to leave their lands. Sadhana Forest also tries to educate people about the part they can play on an individual level. We are involved in a number of local community outreach programs in which we try to support and preserve local knowledge in relation to the conservation and safe-keeping of the land. We aim to empower people by sharing sustainable living practices so that they can be more conscious of the impact that they can have on the earth and their environment. Sadhana Forest also receives over 1,000 international volunteers a year. These volunteers come from all walks of life to experience a different type of living here at Sadhana Forest. For many it acts as an introduction into many areas that they were previously unfamiliar with; reforestation, Permaculture, veganism, non-competition, unschooling and sustainability. Volunteers benefit from the diversity and knowledge that the community offers and also get the opportunity to experience a simpler lifestyle where they can feel connected to nature. On their return home, volunteers can then incorporate their knowledge and experience into their own lives and share sustainable practices and awareness with their local communities. Sadhana Forest has hosted school students, university students, foresters and many others seeking knowledge on reforestation, environmental restoration and sustainability. All of our workshops and trainings are given for free.