Deforestation in Puerto Rico

        According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (U.N. FAO), 62.2% of Puerto Rico is forested. Although Puerto Rico is a small island mainly forested, it's actually a very modern country, especially in the metropolitan area. Many of the buildings in today's metropolitan area were not there in the past. Many of the forest have been eliminated throughout the years to make commercial buildings and homes. This problem of industrialization, due to globalization, is very common in Puerto Rico as in other parts of the world.

        Industrialization is part of the everyday world. I have the perfect example from were I live in Guaynabo. In 2010 a contractor came to our area with the idea of constructing a new building. People protested against the construction because they were eliminating a pasture that contained trees and animal life. The neighborhood met with the objective of avoiding the construction of the building, but ended in nothing because there was not much crowd to win the protest against the contractor. People of the neighborhood saw how the construction workers demolished the forest, and two years after, the building was finished. To sum up, right after the building was finished another contractor came with the idea of making a Walgreens in the corner of the street facing the avenue. The reaction of the neighborhood was of surprise. The people didn't that a business local would be constructed there because it was a residential area, not a place to develop a commercial project. The Walgreens was going to be constructed right next to the building, and also on a pasture that contained plant and animal life. This elimination of the pasture left many animals without a habitat, and is another example of the deforestation of plant life. Both projects are now finished so there is no solution to the deforestation they caused. For future projects on our area I hope the whole community gathers to avoid the deforestation of plant life.
    
        For me, deforestation is the worst action that mankind could do to nature. Nature is not supposed to be eliminated so that the people can benefit from its space, on the contrary, it’s there to
help humans mainly with oxygen. Why eliminate forests when they help us? Why eliminate them when it is essential for our bodies? We are affecting ourselves and the animals that live in those areas. We are being cruel human beings if we promote deforestation.

References:
 http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Puerto_Rico.htm

The sea around us

     Puerto Rico is know to have one of the worlds best beaches in all of the world. Many people from around the globe go to Puerto Rico for tourism. Puerto Rico has one of the candidates to be the 8th wonder of the world and that is El Yunke. Apart from that, the beaches are beautiful and compete with other beaches in the world because of their beauty. As time has passed, many of these beaches are not the same they used to be., the same problem around the world. For future generations we have to make conscience of what people are doing wrong.

     A phrase that is perfect for the "domino effect" of the ocean may be that "what we do in one part of the world, would affect the other". This is because currents travel from one part of the world to the other carrying with them all there is in the ocean. Today people mistreat Puerto Rico's beaches with no reason. Every time people go to the beach they leave it nasty with garbage all over it, specially when there are festivals celebrated at the beach. People do not have conscience of what they are doing to the world's ocean. If people throw garbage to the ocean, it will affect the waters of Puerto Rico at some time, the same if people throw garbage to the ocean in Puerto Rico it would affect another part of the world at some time.

    We as Puerto Ricans have to conserve our beaches in order to help the world's ocean, but we can not do it if people are not conscience of the damages they have made. As the narrator of the documentary film The Living Sea said  "We can’t protect what we don’t understand." meaning that if people do not have conscience of the damage, they will keep doing things wrong. In Puerto Rico the government should emphasize the garbage disposals in beaches so that people do not throw it in the ocean nor leave it where the current can take it. The government should also sponsor commercials for a greener world where they also focus the right treatment of the ocean. Also, ecologists or oceanographers should do conferences at schools to teach young students of the dangers of an unhealthy ocean, this way they grow conscience of whats right. 

     I think the only way to help the ocean is to make people conscience of the damage we are causing it.  Without conscience, people can not change what is wrong. In order to protect our oceans we have learn what is happening and then take action, not just listen and do nothing. Change comes from us as individuals first, then as a community. A better ocean means more sea life and more of nature, avoiding sea animal extinction.


Reference:
The Living Sea - Video Dailymotion. (n.d.). Dailymotion - Watch, publish, share videos. Retrieved

      March 24, 2013, from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjoe11_the-living-sea_shortfilms

Road kills of iguanas in Puerto Rico

Iguanas are part of the Puerto Rican environment. Many iguanas live in forests, others are domesticated as pets. In Puerto Rico, people drive without precaution, and that’s why many accidents occur every day. Incidents in the streets of Puerto Rico are very common because people drive irresponsibly, and iguanas are one of the most common road kills in the island.

 

Today’s drivers are very irresponsible because they drive without precautions, causing more deaths every day. When road kills happen, many people do not care and pass by as if nothing is wrong. I once witnessed a road kill of an iguana. The iguana was in the side of the street trying to cross and a car ran over it. The person did not stop nor acted concerned. I was behind and my first reaction was of disgust. All of the cars passed by and neither stopped. The iguana was dead and no one seemed to care. I did not stop because the iguana was already dead and it would be useless to stop, and I think that’s why others did not stop either. Possible solutions to minimize road kills would be for people to drive more carefully, and with conscience that animals have lives too. In roads that animals are common to appear, the state should put signs of precaution in order for drivers to know when they are entering a zone like this.

 

In Puerto Rico road kills are very common. People should have more conscience that we are not the only ones on the road. Sometimes animals appear on the side of the road because they want to cross to the other side, and that is when drivers should be careful. As we human beings have life, animals have life too. People should drive more carefully when they see an animal on the side of the road, whether is an iguana or another animal. Just as we do, animals deserve to live.

Relationship Between Humans and Animals in Society

          Animals are not simply our pets or another member of the family. As a matter of fact, the can play a rather profound role in our lives. Ever since the beginning of human history, humans have interacted with animals. In the beginning, animals were overall hunted and eaten, but as time passed by they were incorporated into the civilization. That’s why the relationship between humans and animals have developed.

 

            We humans are accustomed to dominate inferior beings in order to have the feeling of superiority. But in fact, my relationship with animals is not based on tyranny nor exploitation but one based on affect, respect and cooperation. My beliefs on animals can be categorized not only as psico-emotional, but also as moral. When I say psico-emotional, it’s because I’ve had encounters with therapeutic animals and had the privilege to watch this animals do their job. Also, I consider my moral beliefs on animal a good and positive one. I acknowledge animals as admirable beings that can serve us, humans, as teachers. And why is that? Because they can help us reflect on our hidden issues. Moreover, they can help us understand when we need help and which part of us needs healing. Not to mention, in history there have been events in which animals have been recognized as heroes because of their loyalty and affect towards their loved ones. For example, dogs that have helped in catastrophes and have found people on the verge of death.

 

            Given these points, that is why, in my point of view, I think that animals and humans should live in equality. Because, it’s been proven that animals can help humans as much as humans can help others. Humans shouldn’t have that sense of superiority upon animals, because animals have proved themselves to be as much as useful and helpful as humans are. “A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his” said John Grogan on Marley & Me. Even though, John Grogan mention dogs, it can also be applied to other animals. Animals will always have their sense of loyalty and affect if you show them the same in return.