With the rise of the Green Movement and a sustainability-minded society, it is common to equate consumer products with the true cost of resources required to produce them. Consider the 625 gallons of water required to produce a cheeseburger or the tons of carbon emitted to make an automobile (never mind the cost to run it). When faced with the reality of slash and burn agriculture it is hard to put a cost on the rainforest lost to produce a crop. Sadly we have learned that in six years Mt. Gorongosa has lost nearly half of its rainforest, going from 67 to 39 square miles.
After the rainforest survey that was conducted on Mt. Gorongosa the other day, a few of us stayed on the mountain to do additional work. One objective was to document the recent deforestation high up the mountain. Mr. Berthus dropped us off not far across the mountain from where we had conducted the survey. The group included South African science consultant Marc Stalmans and National Geographic photographers Bob Poole and Joel Sartore.
As we circled the area to investigate we could see small huts in the middle of the recent clearings. These were the beginnings of farm houses. We could also see very well-worn paths connecting this area to other parts of the mountain. It was incredibly sad to see the devastation from the air and the network of well-worn paths. Easy to imagine that new surrounding forest would be destroyed in a short amount of time.
We landed in the late afternoon and were instructed by the pilot that we only had a certain amount of time to reach the clearings and make it back to fly out. We discussed our assignments. With Bob’s heavy video camera he wouldn’t be going as high but would cover the lower reaches. Joel and I with our smaller camera kits would try to make it to the top with Marc.
The tranquilty of the pristine stream we crossed at the bottom of the valley was quickly broken by massive fallen trees. Each had been felled by hand axes. My first thought was of a battlefield strewn with bodies. Some of the freshly cut stumps had pools of liquid on their surfaces. These trees were bleeding.
The going was tough climbing the large logs, wading through the slash, ducking under and over branches, walking the length of the trees stretched out across small ravines. Carnage and more carnage.
We paused occasionally to catch our breath and balance, and to document with our cameras. Then we pressed on at a crazy pace. I wondered how the locals managed to navigate this terrain.
All of the land we were walking across was within the national park. How could this destruction be occurring in a protected area?
I looked into one hut and saw some water jugs and old food supplies. Joel and Marc went into another that had a pot over a smoking fire and a partially skinned cane rat. Our approach had possibly flushed the inhabitants into the woods.
I placed a potato in my pocket to show Greg Carr back at Chitengo Camp. When presented with the potato he slowly shook his head side to side. I have come to realize that Greg is part sage, part magician and a true leader. He will find a way to work this out so both the people and the mountain will win.
Bad news tends to come in threes. Hopefully, the streak will end with the goldmines, poacher’s camps, and now the deforestation . The bushbaby is crying again in the night. Maybe he is sad too.
On the return to the helicopter I was thinking about the cost of a bag of potatoes in a local supermarket back home. How much is it? Maybe 6 or 7 dollars (US$) a bag. The cost on Mt. Gorongosa? Priceless.
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