go up 1. çıkmak, yükselmek. 2. artmak. 3. tiy. (perde) kalkmak.
107 LOSING FERTILE LAND
Every year in many developing countries large areas of land that once produced food become completely unproductive, causing the residents of these areas to suffer. They have to move to other places or die of starvation. The problemis not caused by pollution; it is not the result of poisonous chemicals which contaminate the land. Pollution is not the only way to destroy the environment. It can also be destroyed by humans who disturb the ecological balance of an area in other ways. in any area there is a balance in nature. Each part of the natural system depends on other parts. If one part is disturbed, then the balance of the system is disturbed and other parts begin to suffer. Today, many people all over the world are threatened with this problem. The lives of these people, as well as the lives of their children and grandchildren, are put in danger because of environmental destruction.
Let us look at the example in Nepal. A number of years ago, the population of Nepal began to increase, especially among the people who live in the small farms in the mountains. More food and fuel were necessary for the larger number of people, so the farmers in the mountains bought more animals. For fuel and animal food, they cut down more and more of the trees and plants which grew on the sides of the mountains. These plants and trees served a very important purpose. They protected the hills from the weather. They held the top soil in place and prevented it from being pushed down the mountain sides by wind and rain. Now without the protection of the trees and plants, the top soil is being washed away by heavy rain. The farmers are losing their land. More and more have to move to the lower areas of Nepal, which are already overpopulated and cannot support a large increase in population.
To solve problems like this one, it is important that people understand the consequences of their actions. It was not clear to the hill fanners of Nepal that they were responsible for the destruction of their own land. Today environmental scientists are teaching the farmers about ecology: They are also showing them ways to protect their land with new trees and plants. Problems which are similar to the problem in Nepal exist in many countries around the world, but they can be solved. Ecologists are proving to us that actions which supply short-term solutions to problems can have disastrous long-term consequences. By paying more attention to these scientists, governments can avoid making the same type of mistakes that were made in Nepal and in many other countries.