Exploiting

Exploiting

In your local market, timber products from a forest or honey produced by bees are available for purchase. These material goods are a service of our ecosystems. However, there is no market for the “immaterial goods” provided by nature: relaxation for forest park visitors, the pollination of plants by bees, even fresh air for breathing. If natural resources are overexploited, an imbalance in the ecosystem occurs. If resources are overexploited to the point of disappearance, it is a phenomenon known as “The Tragedy of the Commons.” All natural resources are considered threatened by overexploitation, including fisheries, mining, and water to name a few.

“Deforestation” is an example of overexploitation that heavily affects Palestine. Forests provide many “ecosystem services,” such as improvement of air quality, regulating climate, and conserving soil against wind and water erosion. If deforestation continues, urban expansion, drought, soil erosion, and pollution will likely occur as a result. These factors will increase health problems for humans, such as respiratory illnesses and infectious diseases. New infrastructure that harms wildlife and fewer green spaces as urban and suburban areas will take over. These are just some of the many examples of how deforestation will impact our lives negatively.

Nature is a positive influence on our life. Green spaces, like forests, gardens, and vistas provide us with innumerable benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing, especially psychological benefits to alleviate stress and fear.  Many traditional notions about beauty are derived from our experience of nature. In fashion, many desirable colors, patterns, and designed shapes are made to resemble something in nature. A space without access to nature may feel artificial and seem suspicious to us.  Humans have lived in nature since the beginning of our existence. In fact, there is growing evidence that suggests hospital patients recovering in rooms with visual sight of natural elements do better in their recovery, in comparison to patients who do not. The idea of nature and health has been linked together in many fields.