an arid or desert environment devoid of rainfall will often cause
rain to fall, nourishing the trees, and starting the process of healing
that environment.Biodiversity
A natural, undisturbed forest has a rich diversity in colour and form
that brings a sense of inner tranquillity and peace. With our warped
sense of order we see the profusion of life as chaotic, whereas in fact
it is in the highest state of order. Order in Nature arises from a sen-
sitive state of balance in a highly complex ecosystem. What we often
recognize as ordered is usually sterile and uniform.
The natural forest is a community of vast numbers of species of
plants, animals and micro-organisms which cannot flourish or even
survive without each other. This interdependence is something we
still little understand, and the tragedy is that, with the disappear-
ance of the tropical rainforests, we shall lose the vital laboratory that
is the most complex ecosystem on Earth. They contain literally mil-
lions of species of fauna and flora, most of which we have not yet
been able to study. Science does not yet fully understand either the
full importance of biodiversity, nor how it is achieved, yet its preser-
vation is essential to our salvation. There is a rapidly decreasing
number of places in the world to study it, and they are hastily being
converted to monoculture or to arable land, the exterminators of
biodiversity.
The rainforest has many layers of trees and shrubs, the high
trees, the overstorey, protecting those below that need shade. The
trees with deep root systems bring up valuable minerals and nutri-
ents from below, beyond the reach of the more shallow-rooted. The
micro-organisms on the forest floor thrive on the rich variety of
leaves and provide valuable nourishment for all the plants.
The ground remains cool and moist due to the protection of the
trees overhead and the rich spongy humus can retain up to 85% of
the rain, which recharges the water table and allows the full circula-
tion of groundwater. This essential element of the natural forest is
an early victim to deforestation for, when exposed to the elements,
the ground surface quickly deteriorates, its ability to hold water
compromised — for warm ground sheds the rain like concrete —
which results in floods in the lands below.
The trees that grow the tallest, or on the outer edge of the forest
HIDDEN NATURE