Stories of the forest if put to the music of the rustling trees, could easily make the top ten bestselling album list. Songs about the treasures they bear and the secrets they hold close.
And if the people that spend time there join in, what a chorus that would be!
Baby Lou was a woman in her late fifties. She would set up her tray on the corner of Main Street and Back Way, the longest alley in our village.
Why a mother of five grown children would be called Baby anything, is anyone’s guess. Especially since her real name was Mary!
That’s a whole other story.
From her prime location on the corner, Baby Lou offered seasonal fruits to passers-by. A parcel for $2. Two grafted mangoes. Ten sweet sort mangoes if you liked. All types of apples. Sugar, custard, marmee, bell, golden…if it was in season, she had it! Everyone knew it.
Baby Lou made the corner smell like an orchard.
The forest thrived and the people thrived.
“Conservation and sustainable harvesting – best ways to protect the forests and ourselves”.
Life was different back then!
Today the 5,260 hectares known as the Central Forest Reserve National Park in St. Kitts and the forest hills of Nevis Peak, Butlers Mountain, Saddle Hill, and Round Hill (Windy Hill) have experienced the negative impacts of land clearing and intense storms.
Almost everything you use in your daily life originates in the forest
“The world is losing 10 million hectares of forest each year due to deforestation”
-FAO
This includes St. Kitts and Nevis. The removal of trees is a challenge on both islands.
3 Unsung Stories of the Forest
Can you think of things in your life that you take for granted?
The forest fits into that category. It’s there and we know it is. But generally we don’t think about it.
STORY 1 – THE AIR WE BREATHE
Some of the major things we count on release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Electricity generated from fossil fuels, and all those vehicles on the road each day, release carbon dioxide into the air. Forest trees capture carbon dioxide from the air, store in their trunks and deposit some of it below the soil. The forest cleans the air so we can breathe freely.
Now you can appreciate the danger associated with deforestation. When people cut down or burn trees, they release stored carbon back into the air.
And one more thing…trees keep us cool. If removed, they cannot release moisture back into the air. That moisture creates a cooling effect.
“Over 1.6 billion people in the world depend on forests for food.”
STORY 2 – MAN AND THE FOOD HE EATS
World Wildlife Fund
STORY 2 – THE FOOD WE EAT
I will never forget the day that Teacher Monica walked our class to the brink of the forest to show us the source of our food. Along the way she picked a cocoa pod. I’d never seen one before, and doubted very much that the golden yellow object in her hand could produce the beverage that was my morning staple.
Imports have replaced many of the products and by-products we used to find in the forest. This means that cultural dishes are disappearing as well. Local coffee and cocoa are among the flavors that the present generation doesn’t know.
Trees also captured the water that we used in our morning brew. How great is that! They filter out pollution and chemicals to give us pure drinking water.
“Forests provide a home to over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity.”
STORY 3 – A PATH TO HEALTH
Healthy forests and people is the 2023 theme for International Day of the Forest. And it’s very fitting! Forests and human health are inextricably linked. For decades, people who suffer from cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and other chronic ailments have reported improved health conditions after spending time in the forest.
But for forest health to improve, we need to take care of several species.
Various publications carefully document the biodiversity of St. Kitts and Nevis. While a more recent inventory is necessary to capture losses, the most comprehensive list includes 926 plant species; 1 native mammal species; 207 bird species.
Hundreds of locals and tourists visit the forest each year for food and exercise.
Thousands more can benefit with your help.
Who can help?
A broad range of stakeholders can help restore our forests
private sector actors, including in the financial sector, and consumer goods companies
farmers and foresters
non-government organizations with a focus on environmental sustainability
local communities
decision-makers in land use, forestry and water management
advocates and groups involved in land, forest, and water-management decisions
government officials at the national and sub-national level; and
civil society, including conservation groups.
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