An exchange between NICLAUSEL from the Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu and Mayank kr sagar from Xavier Institute of social\u00a0service,\u00a0India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Subject: How far can deforestation and modifications to conventional agriculture methods in the name of development be sustainable?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are increasingly aware that deforestation and changes in traditional agricultural practices are raising concern at the world level, as it is directly connected to climate change. We are cutting trees in the name of development, without any restriction. We all know that being developed is important, but who will decide the equilibrium point between development and the uses of natural resources? The same goes for agriculture: due to modern agriculture, no doubt production is being increased, but the quality of soil is being degraded like anything. All these are happening as a result of overpopulation and due to the unending demand of humans. India is home to nearly 1.3 billion people, and accommodating them and fulfilling their needs is a huge task and it will require a lot of resources. And to provide basic amenities to people i.e food, shelter, and clothes in the name of human rights, we are altogether over-using non-renewable resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is very difficult to predict the value of a forest, as it is simple to understand but sometimes tough to quantify. It is an open secret that, when forests are cleared, less CO2 is absorbed by plants, and atmospheric CO2 concentration increases with the passage of time due to unavailable sinks. Also, there is a marked reduction in soil organic carbon with the loss of vegetation cover, thereby affecting the productivity of the ecosystem. Clearing tree cover and vegetation leads to an increase in the albedo of the region as bare soil reflects more solar radiation than vegetation, which again is a factor for altering regional radiation flux. This again is disturbing the quality of soil and leads to adding more fertilizers to obtain the soil quality at which food grains and vegetables can be grown. It is a vicious cycle and we can see that forest and agriculture are very much interrelated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forests also play an important role in maintaining watersheds. The degraded or degrading watersheds can be recovered by forestation, but once the forest or vegetation cover is lost, the watershed becomes vulnerable to erosion. And indeed moisture of the soil is directly affected by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I belong to Jharkhand, India, the name itself \u201cJHARKHAND\u201d connotes the \u2018area of land covered with forests’ and has been exhibiting a unique relation with forests since time immemorial. But in the name of construction of infrastructure, trees are being cut ruthlessly. And the day is not very far away, when no trees will be left. Deforestation also has its social influence in the form of long-term effects. Development is a serious concern for the indigenous community. Jharkhand is the land of tribals and \u2018development\u2019 certainly leads to a change or shifts in their culture and tradition. The cultural and religious aspects of the community are seldom preserved amid infrastructural advancement that leads to land and social conflict. In a study based on household surveys from rural areas of Jharkhand, it was found that the poorest of the local community gained about 30% of their living from forest produce, which was claimed to be even higher than the returns from agriculture. Also, the forest provides an option as a safety net during the period of crisis in rural areas. Various ecological services provided by the forests have been lost due to deforestation which in turn has immediate effects on the local communities dependent on these services for their daily needs. The inclusive approach to the sustainable management of forest resources is a vital consideration that considers the economy as a subset of the society which in itself is a subset of the environment. Such considerations can help sustain the constantly declining forest cover and its long-term impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Government of India has been continuously putting significant efforts in terms of conserving forest resources and promoting afforestation. They have not only taken measures to conserve the present forest cover but also have initiated several measures to increase the forests and tree cover of the country. Both the national and state governments are jointly responsible for the sustainable management of forest resources in India. Various steps, rules, and laws have been brought and implemented in order to conserve the forest cover of India. Some of these rules and laws are :<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Indian Forest Act, 1927<\/strong>: The act is an amalgamation of laws relating to forests. It defines the procedures for declaring an area of a reserved forest, a protected forest, or a village forest by the state government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Forest Conservation Act, 1980<\/strong> (with an amendment in 1988): The main purpose of the proposition of this act was to conserve the forests. With the implementation of this act, prior approval of the Central Government is required for any sort of diversion of forest areas for non-forestry purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006<\/strong>: The act was framed with the purpose to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation of forest land in forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from these acts, the Government of India has also established the Forest Survey of India (FSI),<\/strong> an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, whose primary work is to gather and evaluate the country\u2019s forest wealth through a nationwide survey to measure forest areas and many other acts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In my point of view, all these are good but not enough as we still follow the top-down approach rather than a bottom-up approach. We need advocacy at the very root level so that it becomes part and parcel of the lifestyles of people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, fulfilling the basic rights of people is important and developed countries must see to this as more than 60% of the greenhouses are emitted by them, and when it is the turn of people living in developing and underdeveloped countries, to be developed they are putting restrictions. So we have to come to an equilibrium point, where every prospect is fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I tried to convey my points most appropriately. Hope that it will provide you with a new prospect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiting to know your point of view, I have a few questions for you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanking and looking forward to your letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regards <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mayank Kumar Sagar<\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n J\u2019ai eu \u00e0 lire ta lettre avec tellement d\u2019attention et j\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 trop content de voir qu\u2019il y a des humains qui ont toujours cet amour franc \u00e0 notre tr\u00e8s ch\u00e8re m\u00e8re nature. Je suis fier de votre pays qui a d\u00e9j\u00e0 mis en place des lois permettant de sauvegarder les for\u00eats qui sont les poumons de la terre. La question est si cette loi peut \u00eatre appliqu\u00e9e partout dans le monde. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La RDC a la chance d\u2019h\u00e9berger la deuxi\u00e8me for\u00eat au monde apr\u00e8s l\u2019Amazonie. Je suis fier d\u2019\u00eatre dans ce pays qui est un poumon de la terre. Mais malheureusement chaque ann\u00e9e il y a des milliers d\u2019hectares abattus. Ce n\u2019est m\u00eame pas un dixi\u00e8me de cette for\u00eat mais \u00e0 un moment certaines esp\u00e8ces et arbres rares, ainsi que certaines esp\u00e8ces animales, disparaissent. Par exemple, dans les ann\u00e9es 2003-2004, quand on \u00e9tait enfant, on partait chez nos grands-parents dans nos villages. En cours de route on pouvait voir des oiseaux, des singes, des gorilles, des hippopotames, certains carnivores sauvages \u2026. Mais avec ces probl\u00e8mes de d\u00e9forestation qui s\u2019aggravent chaque jour, maintenant ces animaux ne sont retrouv\u00e9s que dans des parcs et r\u00e9serves naturelles. Nos petits fr\u00e8res qui sont n\u00e9s \u00e0 cette nouvelle \u00e9poque n\u2019ont pas eu ces privil\u00e8ges d\u2019avoir ces belles images dans leurs yeux, car ces animaux ne sont plus \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9tat sauvage au vrai sens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Je voudrais t\u2019\u00e9crire par rapport au th\u00e8me suivant : Instauration de l\u2019agriculture urbaine dans ma ville (BUKAVU) pour la redonner son ancienne nomenclature de \u00ab BUKAVU LA VILLE VERTE \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment d\u00e9crire Bukavu? Moi je peux dire que c\u2019est la meilleure ville au monde, oui. Bien s\u00fbr on n\u2019a pas de b\u00e2timents ou d\u2019infrastructures bling-bling mais notre joie de vivre est grande, malgr\u00e9 les soucis socio-\u00e9conomiques et sociopolitiques. On se suffit de ce qu\u2019on a, c\u2019est le plus important. Car il en faut peu pour \u00eatre heureux. Ceci fait de cette ville la plus belle au monde. J’esp\u00e8re qu\u2019un jour, cher Mayank, tu viendras faire une petite exp\u00e9rience touristique dans notre tr\u00e8s belle ville. Bukavu est le chef-lieu de la province du Sud-Kivu, son nom sortant de la langue traditionnelle le \u2018\u2019shi\u2019\u2019 et signifiant \u2018\u2019le lieu des vaches<\/strong>\u2019\u2019. La ville a \u00e0 peu pr\u00e8s un million d\u2019habitants avec 19 833 km2<\/sup> comme superficie. A l\u2019\u00e9poque elle \u00e9tait une des villes r\u00e9f\u00e9rences sur le plan \u00e9cologique au niveau nationale et continentale d\u2019o\u00f9 ce nom \u2018\u2019Bukavu la verte\u2019\u2019, mais du jour au jour dans ces deux d\u00e9cennies cette ville a commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 planter, oui, mais pas des arbres; plut\u00f4t des b\u00e2timents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bukavu est une ville agricole poss\u00e9dant une tr\u00e8s bonne terre qui est apte \u00e0 toute culture (on cultive des vignes et on est dans une zone tropicale). Ici nous cultivons toujours les haricots, les patates, les sorghos, les maniocs et les bananes, pour ne citer que les plantes principales. Les colons y ont introduit des arbres fruitiers de toutes sortes. L\u2019\u00e9levage est aussi une activit\u00e9 cl\u00e9 dans les traditions de Bukavu, car tout habitant de Bukavu doit avoir au minimum une vache. Au fait, la vache est la principale richesse dans nos coutumes, mais aussi on peut trouver des petits b\u00e9tails. Les vaches produisent du lait avec lequel on fabrique le fromage blanc \u00ab mashanza \u00bb, mais aussi elles permettent \u00e0 un homme de doter une femme lors d\u2019un mariage et \u00e0 cimenter l\u2019amiti\u00e9. Les campagnes proches de Bukavu sont riches en sous-sols: il y a de l\u2019or, du diamant et du coltan (mati\u00e8re premi\u00e8re des plusieurs appareils \u00e9lectroniques de nouvelle g\u00e9n\u00e9ration).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cher Mayank, je vais te faire une anecdote. Quand j\u2019\u00e9tais enfant chez nous on avait un jardin o\u00f9 on mettait quelques cultures vivri\u00e8res (choux, oignons, laitue, carotte\u2026.). Je m\u2019en souviens lorsqu\u2019on allait voler des jeunes carottes qui ne sont m\u00eame pas \u00e0 maturit\u00e9, je ne sais pourquoi (c\u2019est l\u2019enfance). On avait un endroit o\u00f9 on a plant\u00e9 quelques arbres fruitiers et quand on jouait au foot le manguier et le citronnier \u00e9taient le poteau de but. Il y avait m\u00eame un arbre qui servait aux parents de fouet (ici tabasser un enfant c\u2019est normal) quand on faisait des b\u00eatises. Aussi dans nos quartier les cl\u00f4tures des maisons \u00e9taient faites et entour\u00e9es de cypr\u00e8s et d\u2019autres sortes d\u2019arbres. Mais en 2012 les parents ont d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de construire une grande maison, et malheureusement on n\u2019a plus cet espace vert qui m\u2019avait donn\u00e9 cette passion d\u2019agronome. Au moins nous avons eu \u00e0 construire, mais d\u2019autres propri\u00e9taires voisins vendaient \u00e0 tort et travers leurs parcelles sans tenir compte des normes l\u00e9gales des superficies d\u2019une parcelle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ces fl\u00e9aux sont caus\u00e9s par les exodes ruraux. Premi\u00e8rement, la population fuit le milieu rural car dans les villages il y a beaucoup d\u2019instabilit\u00e9 s\u00e9curitaire. Un autre facteur qui joue est que pour les creuseurs des minerais qui ont eu leur jackpot dans les carri\u00e8res mini\u00e8res, avoir une maison en \u00e9tage en ville, dans un quartier de renomm\u00e9, est l\u2019objectif: ils veulent se montrer riches. Ensuite, il y a la corruption chez les autorit\u00e9s locales qui autorisent \u00e0 construire comme on veut sans tenir compte des normes de cadastres et de l\u2019\u00e9cologie, \u00e9gocentriques qu\u2019ils sont. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Quels sont les cons\u00e9quences de cette situation pour la diminution des espaces vertes \u00e0 Bukavu ? Premi\u00e8rement c\u2019est la perturbation climatique. On est en mars mais les pr\u00e9cipitations sont de plus en plus rares ; la temp\u00e9rature moyenne augmente de 19o<\/sup>-21o<\/sup> C \u00e0 25o<\/sup>-28o <\/sup>C, les \u00e9rosions et \u00e9boulements se font \u00e0 chaque pluie causant aussi la d\u00e9gradation ou la diminution de la richesse p\u00e9dologique. Deuxi\u00e8mement, la ville devient d\u00e9pendante aux villes voisines pour certaines denr\u00e9es alimentaires. Les vaches comme \u00e9tant une richesse traditionnelle se font de plus en plus rares; ils n\u2019ont pas d\u2019endroit o\u00f9 brouter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Et donc l\u2019instauration d\u2019une agriculture moderne et urbaine est tr\u00e8s importante pour rendre encore cette ville plus belle qu\u2019avant en vert. C\u2019est pourquoi je lutte avec certains autres \u00e9tudiants de notre universit\u00e9 quant \u00e0 cette situation qui est trop alarmante. Notre objectif est de redonner aux habitants de Bukavu cette passion d\u2019agriculteur qui est et restera en eux. <\/p>\n\n\n\n La question qui peut \u00eatre pos\u00e9 c\u2019est de savoir comment peut-on introduire ces genres de technologie dans cette ville qui est toujours focalis\u00e9e sur les pratiques coutumi\u00e8res. Nous avons commenc\u00e9 par la cr\u00e9ation des clubs \u00e9colos dans des \u00e9coles pour ainsi rendre les jeunes plus soucieux de la situation d\u00e9labr\u00e9e de la ville. Nous comptons gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 cette optique aller chez les autorit\u00e9s politico-administratives locales pour qu\u2019il y ait un projet de loi pour qu\u2019il y ait au moins un arbre dans chaque parcelle ou autour de chaque maison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n En bref, j’attends donc de conna\u00eetre votre point de vue par rapport \u00e0 mon sujet. Et aussi si vous avez certaines id\u00e9es et suggestions \u00e0 me donner, elles sont vivement les bienvenues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Je vous remercie d\u2019abord pour la pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente lettre et je suis en attente de la prochaine <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cordialement N.I. Clausel<\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n How are you? I am hoping that you are doing great. I am good. I found reading your message to be quite enjoyable. After reading, I was pleased and amazed by how someone can think in a pivotal way to protect earth. Additionally, I learned a lot of brand-new information about Bukavu, and the efforts being made to reclaim its reputation as a green city. And I sincerely hope that I will go there one day, tour the area, and meet you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, forest cover is reducing like anything. But on paper, if you look at the data, they will reveal something else. This shows us the manipulation done by agencies. If you investigate the root causes, you will discover that we people alone are to blame, and it won’t be long until humans become extinct, much like many other plants and creatures. The driving force behind multinational companies\u2019 decision to slash Mother Earth in order to take natural resources used to create everything manufactured for humans is excessive population growth and our insatiable desire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I talk about my country, as a rising nation, India’s government work now appears more credible. However, what may be done is to substitute a more sustainable method for the conventional one. As an illustration, take the “GREEN CORRIDOR<\/strong>” idea, which was developed jointly by the Indian government and the World Bank for the creation of green National Highway corridors. The goal is to promote safe and environmentally friendly highways while considering climate resilience and the use of green technologies. To accomplish this, provisions for the conservation of natural resources will be made, including the use of lime, fly ash, waste plastics, etc., as well as, most importantly, the planting of trees along the entire length of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, my friend Niclausel, our generation is seeing the most rampant cutting of trees and we can easily relate as our generation was the last one to see the greenery across places. The current generation tends to visit parks and reserves to witness ample greenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I therefore want to propose this<\/strong> THEME<\/strong>: promoting green growth to mitigate the ill effect of climate change in India <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our country is working hard to promote and attain the SDG goals set by the UN. By 2030, net carbon emission is to be reduced by 45% and by 2070, we want to achieve zero emission. This can only be achieved through a participatory approach. People need to be both educated and informed about sustainability and its importance. Our country\u2019s budget also tends to move in the same direction, under the banner of \u201cGREEN GROWTH\u201d. This tends to promote thrust on ecosystem development for green hydrogen, infrastructure strengthening for utility-scale renewable energy power, and has furthered the push for storage solutions. The push for green hydrogen is to translate into a sharp growth in utility-scale power generation capacities from solar, wind, and hybrid projects. Renewable energy constitutes over 50% of the green hydrogen cost and a further decline in clean power shall prove beneficial for the emerging green hydrogen economy. This year $4 billion is being allocated for climate resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niclausel, in our country agriculture and climate change fall under 2 different ministries. But they are very much interlinked with each other. India used to be referred to as an agricultural-based nation since the vast majority of its citizens worked in agriculture and related fields. But this gradually changed as productivity dropped even after extensive use of chemical fertilisers, which caused soil quality to deteriorate, and water to become more scarce, because most farmers depend on the monsoon, which is affected by climate change and affects the monsoon cycle. To improve the state of agriculture and Indian farmers, the government of India implemented various missions and programmes. Let me present a few of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n National mission for sustainable agriculture (NMSA) <\/strong>aims to enhance <\/strong>agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and synergizing resource conservation. In India, the adoption of organic farming is increasing as it ensures long term sustenance of soil fertility and protection of the environment. This year the United Nations, at the behest of the Government of India, declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. India tends to be the largest producer of the millets in the world and contributes 19% in the world production. Therefore, an effort was made to raise awareness and boost consumption and production of millets, as it is essential to India’s ecological and economic security. In our culture, the cow is being worshipped and we try to utilise everything that we get from them. So a program of the government is Gobar-Dhan<\/strong>, which entails cow dung being used to produce biogas. The scheme aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste. The scheme also aims at creating new rural livelihood opportunities and enhancing income for farmers and other rural people. We are trying to minimise carbon emission as much as we can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, Niclausel, basically I reside in Jharkhand, a state in India. \u201cJHARKHAND\u201d by the name means land of forest, a beautiful place for tourism, surrounded by many falls, a must visit place to see the diversified culture, tradition, and nature. So, in my state a program named JOHAR <\/strong>which is a World Bank funded dedicated livelihood intensive project,<\/strong> is running to promote the rural areas. Its objective is to increase the productivity and the diversity of agricultural and non-agricultural livelihood related activities by providing producers with financial assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niclausel, we cannot halt urbanisation or people’s desires since it is now fashionable to be referred to as contemporary or to appear to be modern. As a result, people are building large homes and spending more money than is necessary for a happy existence. In the end, nature is being greatly impacted by all these things. In the modern period, we argue that educated people tend to care more about or comprehend more of the problems that our planet is facing, but in reality, they use the resources more intensively than the ignorant. Due to global warming, we are currently experiencing an unsettling scenario where the weather is too hot for April and seems more like June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The major issue is that we constantly think but seldom get the confidence to act. We are solely dependent on other people, whether it is the government or other businesses that use natural resources to manufacture their products. We need to alter this because we never take the initial step; otherwise, the planet will soon boil over and we will suffer more serious repercussions. Making the present generation of people more sympathetic and increasing their propensity for sustainability will therefore lead to a shift in conduct, and once this change takes place, half of our problem will be resolved. As per your question, how to preserve tradition and still implement new technology its answer is simple, and it is people. If they tend to inculcate in their habits, it will automatically be carried forward and will reach the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope that I was able to address your concerns and provide some context by talking about recently launched programmes that are being implemented in my nation to safeguard resources and encourage sustainability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, your concern is vital and your wish to transform your city is obvious. In a nutshell, what\u2019s your viewpoint on our country’s approach towards climate change, and do you feel this to be appropriate to be implemented or replicated by other countries?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiting for your insight in the next letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With regards<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mayank kumar sagar<\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n J\u2019esp\u00e8re que tu vas bien. Moi je vais bien, malheureusement nous avons eu un grand deuil dans notre r\u00e9gion et j\u2019aimerais t\u2019en parler dans cette lettre. J\u2019\u00e9tais trop enthousiaste quand je faisais la lecture de ta lettre envoy\u00e9e, voyant que vos autorit\u00e9s se soucient de l\u2019avenir \u00e9cologique de notre ch\u00e8re plan\u00e8te et qu’ils travaillent avec conscience et non pour leurs poches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mon ami, tes lettres m\u2019ont permis de conna\u00eetre ce beau pays qui est l\u2019Inde et ces activit\u00e9s r\u00e9volutionnaires qui permettront de diminuer l\u2019\u00e9mission de gaz \u00e0 effet de serre et le r\u00e9chauffement climatique et d\u2019avoir une agriculture durable sans produits chimiques qui d\u00e9gradent le sol du jour au jour. Mais aussi en voyant la disparition des diff\u00e9rentes esp\u00e8ces animales et v\u00e9g\u00e9tales nous devons tous lutter, pas seulement les autorit\u00e9s mais aussi toute la population mondiale pour \u00e9viter la d\u00e9t\u00e9rioration de notre terre qui est aussi notre maison. Mais bien s\u00fbr l\u2019autorit\u00e9 joue un r\u00f4le tr\u00e8s tr\u00e8s important dans cette lutte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mon pays est le plus b\u00e9ni naturellement avec ses for\u00eats, les terres totalement fertiles (je t\u2019assure chez nous on peut pousser toute plante existant dans le monde), ses cours d\u2019eau en abondance, ses sous-sols riches en minerais (saches que seulement dans notre pays qu\u2019on trouve le coltan, un minerais permettant d\u2019avoir tous ces engins technologiques dans ce monde). Mais malheureusement cette b\u00e9n\u00e9diction est devenue mal\u00e9diction parce que nous, la population, nous n\u2019en profitons m\u00eame pas et nous ne sommes pas conscients de ces potentiels que la terre nous a offerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comme je l\u2019ai dit au d\u00e9but, notre r\u00e9gion a eu un gros deuil d\u00fb \u00e0 une catastrophe naturelle \u00e0 50 km de notre ville Bukavu le mercredi pass\u00e9 causant plusieurs morts, deux villages se sont an\u00e9antis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Je ne voulais pas donner une lettre tragique pour la fin mais j\u2019aimerais que tu saches les b\u00e9mols \u00e9cologiques qui sont dans notre r\u00e9gion, aussi me permettant d\u2019avoir des id\u00e9es venant de toi sur cette pr\u00e9occupation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ainsi donc mon th\u00e8me sera : LA CONS\u00c9QUENCE DE COUPURE D\u2019ARBRE EN RDC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n La coupe incontr\u00f4l\u00e9e des arbres entra\u00eene plusieurs cons\u00e9quences sur l\u2019\u00e9cosyst\u00e8me. Les experts rel\u00e8vent notamment la disparition de certaines plantes m\u00e9dicinales et autres produits forestiers non ligneux, la raret\u00e9 des pr\u00e9cipitations, la transformation des for\u00eats denses en savane, les \u00e9rosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Et comme je l\u2019ai dit au d\u00e9but, notre pays est en deuil. Nous avons eu l\u2019une des plus grandes \u00e9rosions jamais v\u00e9cues au pays, les bilans sont trop catastrophiques et d\u00e9primants. Des villages an\u00e9antis, des pertes de vie humaine allant de plus 500 personnes mortes et 1000 disparues jusque-l\u00e0, et le cas de mort accroissent des jours au jour. La question que tu te poses qu\u2019est ce qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 la cause de ce drame. D\u2019apr\u00e8s les rumeurs une montagne s\u2019est fragilis\u00e9e par les eaux des pluies et qui a provoqu\u00e9 des d\u00e9g\u00e2ts en aval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n En 2020 nous avons fait une petite enqu\u00eate dans ces villages et sur ces montagnes nous avons remarqu\u00e9 une d\u00e9gradation du sol qui \u00e9tait alarmante, surtout que le taux de d\u00e9gradation \u00e9tait trop \u00e9lev\u00e9 par rapport aux autres sites. Cela montre qu\u2019\u00e0 chaque coupe d\u2019arbres il y a diminution de la qualit\u00e9 du sol et la v\u00e9g\u00e9tation devient de plus en plus d\u00e9sertique \u00e0 un endroit qui \u00e9tait dans les ann\u00e9es d\u2019avant un grenier agricole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Une autre cause c\u2019est l\u2019entassement des villageois dans un m\u00eame endroit poussant d\u2019avoir plusieurs maisons sur un m\u00eame site et qui par la destruction des arbres pour pouvoir construire des maisons contribuent aussi \u00e0 cette \u00e9rosion. Parce que les racines des arbres maintiennent le sol en place dans les terrains en pente, ils permettent de stabiliser et de r\u00e9gulariser l\u2019hydrologie et le niveau de la nappe phr\u00e9atique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dans les ann\u00e9es 2010 le gouvernement congolais avait mis en place un projet intitul\u00e9 MISSION DE LUTTE ANTI \u00c9ROSIVE <\/strong>qui avait pour but de former et d\u2019informer les paysans sur la dite lutte, d\u2019installer des haies anti \u00e9rosives et aussi pousser les paysans \u00e0 pratiquer les syst\u00e8mes d\u2019agroforesterie qui permettra d\u2019avoir des cultures vivri\u00e8res en association avec la culture des arbres. Cela permettrait aux paysans de limiter ces genres de d\u00e9g\u00e2ts. La Banque Mondiale a donn\u00e9 plus de 10 millions de dollars pour ce projet, mais nos autorit\u00e9s locales qui sont toujours \u00e9gocentriques ne pensent qu\u2019\u00e0 leurs vies et leurs poches et non de la population. Malheureusement ce projet n\u2019avait pas \u00e9t\u00e9 satisfaisant dans les r\u00e9gions cibl\u00e9es et aux populations b\u00e9n\u00e9ficiaires et voil\u00e0 nous subissons les cons\u00e9quences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Une autre cause de ces genres des trag\u00e9dies est que seulement 20 % de la population congolaise utilise \u00e0 la cuisine l\u2019\u00e9lectricit\u00e9 et 80 % utilise le charbon issus des bois. Chaque m\u00e9nage utilise donc au minimum quatre arbres de 15 ans d\u2019\u00e2ge de moyenne par mois, ce qui constitue une tr\u00e8s grande perte pour la biodiversit\u00e9. Il y a des organisations qui luttent du jour au jour contre ces activit\u00e9s en montrant \u00e0 la population d\u2019autres techniques moins ch\u00e8res que celle-ci dont l\u2019utilisation des briquettes ayant les d\u00e9chets comme mati\u00e8re premi\u00e8re. Par contre ces organisations se heurtent \u00e0 plusieurs contraintes dont les manques de moyens, et elles ont une faible notori\u00e9t\u00e9 dans le pays. Qu\u2019\u00e0 cela ne tienne, elles luttent pour l\u2019avenir \u00e9cologique de notre nation particuli\u00e8rement et de notre plan\u00e8te en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Comme je l\u2019ai dit, la RDC est un pays trop b\u00e9ni par ses richesses potentielles, ses paysages trop accueillants et ses cours d’eau en abondance. Cela fait en m\u00eame temps sa mal\u00e9diction par ces probl\u00e8mes naturels qui se forgent chaque fois et ce manque de responsabilit\u00e9. Ces genres d’\u00e9v\u00e9nements nous donnent encore plus de courage pour continuer notre lutte, car une tr\u00e8s grande partie de notre population n’a pas cette chance d\u2019\u00eatre form\u00e9e et inform\u00e9e sur les cons\u00e9quences des gestes anti-\u00e9cologiques qu\u2019ils pratiquent. Je sais que c\u2019est un grand challenge qu\u2019on se donne mais nous devons le faire pour notre bien-\u00eatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cher Mayank, j\u2019esp\u00e8re que cette lettre te permettra de comprendre que notre lutte est trop primordiale et que nous devons mettre notre contribution pour le bien-\u00eatre de notre avenir et celui de nos enfants. J\u2019esp\u00e8re aussi avoir r\u00e9pondu \u00e0 tes diff\u00e9rentes pr\u00e9occupations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Enfin je ne peux que dire merci pour ces \u00e9changes qui je suis s\u00fbr \u00e9taient mutuellement b\u00e9n\u00e9fiques. Je suis confiant que nous garderons contact pour d\u00e9battre sur ces sujets et accro\u00eetre de plus en plus connaissances \u00e0 propos de nos r\u00e9gions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mes salutations <\/p>\n\n\n\n NDUSHA IRENGE Clausel (NICLAUSEL) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An exchange between NICLAUSEL from the Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu and Mayank kr sagar from Xavier Institute … <\/p>\n\n
Chers Mayank, re\u00e7ois mes salutations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dear Niclausel, <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cher Mayank,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n