Society, Culture and Ecology in Southeast Asia - Essay Example

354939 - SOCIETY, CULTURE AND ECOLOGY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: The "Tragedy of the Commons" by Garrett Hardin clearly emphasizes that many countries around the world are affected by the continuous cutting down of forest trees in the Asian region. The safeguarding of the forest sector in the Southeast Asian region is the key to the winning the arms race. A technical solution is needed to change the current trend in terms of cutting down the Asian forest. Deforestation is characterized by the cutting down of trees (http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article1008.html). Cutting the forest trees would increase global warming. Global warming continues to bring extinction to many animal and plant species (Hardin 1243). Many quarters say that they dislike the idea of overpopulation but they detest if the benefits of overpopulation will be removed if population growth is reduced. They would prefer that large forests would be torn down to make way for expansion of the human population. They need the deforested lands to build roads, bridges, buildings, factories, parks, and other amenities of the busy city life. An economist, Malthus, theorized that population grew faster than food production growth. This shows that food there is a growing trend for increasing scarcity of food. This scarcity forces people to cover the virgin forests to large farm areas. The increasing farm area statistics is needed to feed the ever –growing population. A Salawak, Borneo research shows that shifting cultivators destroy substantial amounts of valuable timber I that they clear primary forests and that clearing and burning forests for cultivation cause long term environmental deterioration in tropical forests regions (Parnwell, 1996,158). This causes a continuing decrease in the earth’s forest cover. Garrett Hardin emphasized that the population problem cannot be solved in a technical way. The acquisition of energy makes life more comfortable for the inhabitants. Some communities use forest trees to build their wooden houses and to cook food. The cold countries of the world burn firewood within the homes’ fire places. Garret Hardin further insists that “If our goal is to maximize population it is obvious what we must do: We must make the work calories per person approach as close to zero as possible. No gourmet meals, no vacations, no sports, no music, no literature, no art…I think that everyone will grant, without argument or proof, that maximizing population does not maximize goods. Bentham's goal is impossible” (Hardin). Garrett correctly stated that that “The problem for the years ahead is to work out an acceptable theory of weighting. Synergistic effects, nonlinear variation, and difficulties in discounting the future make the intellectual problem difficult, but not (in principle) insoluble” (Hardin). Garrett correctly dictates that “One simple fact proves that none has: there is no prosperous population in the world today that has, and has had for some time, a growth rate of zero. Any people that has intuitively identified its optimum point will soon reach it, after which its growth rate becomes and remains zero” (Hardin) The tragedy of commons clearly states that “The essence of dramatic tragedy is not unhappiness. It resides in the solemnity of the remorseless working of things." He then goes on to say, ‘This inevitableness of destiny can only be illustrated in terms of human life by incidents which in fact involve unhappiness. For it is only by them that the futility of escape can be made evident in the drama.’” (Hardin) Garrett correctly theorizes “Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally, however, comes the day of reckoning, that is, the day when the long-desired goal of social stability becomes a reality. At this point, the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy” (Hardin) The tragedy commons can be literally applied to the diminishing forest cover of Asia. Garrett’s overgrazing negative effect where the herdsman adds another sheep to his land is similar to Asian people outdoing neighbors in overcutting the forest cover. One will take advantage of cutting more trees than a neighbor. One person’s overcutting of trees would ensure that he would sell more tree products than a neighbor. Selling more trees would translate into more money to buy more food, a car, a house, and other luxuries of life. Likewise, the tragedy of commons can be applied to the reduction of forest cover in the Asian region because each herdsman wishes to add as many sheep to graze the limited land area identified by Garrett as Commons is similar to the Asian communities’ drive to cut as many trees as possible to the detriment of the limited forest cover. Garrett was right because the continued cutting of forest trees would result to the ruin of the entire Asian and even World race. Man needs the forest cover to convert our carbon dioxide exhalation back into life –giving oxygen. Garrett correctly states that “Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all” (Hardin). Overgrazing of the herds is synonymous with the environmental destruction of the Asian forest cover for the sake of food, shelter and economic gains. For example, the Indorayon paper company’s desire to covered forests trees to paper products has been met with stiff resistance from the natives trying to prevent the cutting down of their forest cover (http://dte.gn.apc.org/41p&p.htm). The article An Evil on the Earth – Rainforest Politics: Ecological Destruction in Southeast Asia by Philip Hurst clearly proves that Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of Commons is correct. Hurst clearly states that “Hurst says 9,375 square miles of Southeast Asian rain forest are lost yearly. That's 50 per cent more than in all the rest of Asia or in all of Africa. Hurst spent two years living in four nations of Southeast Asia gathering the material presented here--a close-up view of what the destruction of tropical forests is doing to the peoples and ecology of this area” (Steif, 1992,41) He specifically mentions that the rainforests of the Philippines under Presidents Marcos and Aquino have been overcut due to illegal logging, log smuggling, and general corruption. In East Malaysia, timber concessions are up for grabs for its 127,000 square miles of Borneo’s Virgin Forests. East Malaysia was projected to exhaust its timber exports in the middle of the 1990s. Bribery is a big influence in the destruction of Indonesia’s forest cover. Asian businessmen are busy in the forest cutting in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore characterized as “irregular or illegal” (Steif, 1992, p41). The article The Political Ecology of Tropical Forests in Southeast Asia: Historical Perspectives states that tragedy of commons is a financial issue when the forest cover is affected. Tuck Po emphasized that “Tropical forests continue to be transformed by the power of capital, commodity markets, and states and their various bureaucracies, as well as small holders and indigenous groups. The enduring historical conflicts among such actors and factors are the focus of The Political Ecology of Tropical Forests in Southeast Asia: Historical Perspectives” (Tuck Po, Jong and Ken –Ichi, 2004, p293). Man needs tree wood to build a house or cook a fire. Some people will cut forest trees to sell them in exchange for cash and other cash equivalents. This is the main reason why forests cover has slowly be reduced around the world and specifically in the Asian region. Stopping the people from the cutting forest trees could prevent them from making a living. This is exactly that Garrett Hardin spoke about in his famous Tragedy of Commons (Tuck Po, Jong and Ken –Ichi, 2004, p293). The article The Disappearing Forests clearly states that Southeast Asia’s famous rainforests slowly disappearing. The current rate of destruction may create a damaged rainforest by the year 2010. Rainforests used to line the equatorial belts covering an average of ten percent of the world is slowly being reduced in terms of territory. This article states that the Asian rainforests have been reduced by as much as one third of the total rain forest population. For example, Papua New Guinea’s rainforest are had been reduced from its original cover of 2.49 million square kilometers to only 600,000 square kilometers. The Thailand government had called for drastic measures to be put in place to combat illegal logging in the area. On the other hand, the Indonesia government is serious in its efforts to stop the increase in forest cover cutting. However, the government here is losing its battle because many of the loggers and high government officials have vested interested in some tree cutting or logging companies (Scott, 1989, page 2). The related article Can the Philippines Handle Globalization? Clearly sides with the tragedy of commons espoused by Garrett Hardin. The Philippines has joined the group of twenty countries to have a world approach to its own version of Garrett’s tragedy of commons. The members of this world group include China, Brazil and South Africa. Their main aim is to propose a unified stand. This stand is to oppose agricultural subsidies maintained by the developed economies. This policy includes Trans -border industrial policy, shared investment policies and common environmental strategies (Bello, 2005, p1). The article Culture and the Question of Rights: Forests, Coasts, and Seas in Southeast Asia, states that "Meratus Dayaks know a great deal more about the technical features of their forests than any of the 'experts' I met in the region"(Lowe, 2005,p749). This article further states that the Malay race of Asia comprehend the natural world around them to imply the harmony of human and nonhuman worlds in contradistinction to the enlightenment theory where there is a separation of nature and culture. The article Oil Palms and Sarawak’s Forests States that the rainforests of Southeast Asia are facing a new threat. This threat is the planting of palm oil trees. The local governments prefer to engage in the agricultural production of palm oil trees because it is a fast money earner. However, the effect of the transition from the forest trees to the palm oil trees is very damaging to the environment. The lust lush diverse forests have been ‘uprooted’ to pave the way for the beautiful sight of palm trees lining the roads and other pathways. Malaysia is the world’s largest supplier of palm oil. Palm oil trees grow in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and other Southeast Asian Countries. Palm tree oil is a necessary ingredient in the making of soaps, candy bars, snack food, cooking oil, and other goods. The palm oil industry is less advantageous to the forest cover. People hired in the palm oil industry are paid only a measly salary. They are also hired on a temporary basis. One disadvantage of planting palm oil trees is that it destroys the soil’s chemistry forever. Researches have shown that Palm oil trees contributed to permanent damage to rainforest communities than logging (Fisher & Thompson, 1999, p3). The article Southeast Asia: Development Project Leaves Trail of Pollution states that the Asian Development Bank is working on the development of the Mekong River into a system that would benefit all its users. The users of the Mekong River include Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi. The Asian Development Bank plans to set up a hydro electric power grid that will feed the power needs of the neighboring Asian countries bordering the Mekong River. Laos will use the power grid to provide electricity to power –starved Thailand. Many residents of countries affected by the conversion of the Mekong River into a power grid are fearful that the change would be detrimental to their lifestyle. The conversion would affect the residents because the river is their main source of livelihood. The people rely on the river for food. This includes fish and other marine food product. The people will also use it to fill their need for drinking water. The people also use the river to travel from one place to another. This is a classic example of tragedy of the commons. Many people from different neighboring Asian countries will benefit from setting up of several hydro electric plants that uses the Mekong river water flow to produce electricity that will light the house, offices, and factories of Asian communities. In turn, there are lobbyists who insist that the Mekong River should left as it had been for centuries, untainted with hydro electric plants. The Tragedy of the Commons here is the fight between the Asian Development Bank’s interests to help the Asian countries and the interests of the villagers to keep the Mekong River in its natural historic state without the changes brought about by the setting up of Hydro electric machines. Clearly, the “Mekong River is an integrated system, where development in one area of the Mekong Basin can have unintended consequences in other areas” (Macan –Marker, 2007, p1) The article Civil Society, Environmental Security and Knowledge: Forest Governance in Thailand and the Philippines in the Context of ASEAN states that In the domain of environmental security, it seems that a strong civil society, one with strong social ingenuity and social capital, is a necessary condition not only for environmental security, but also for regional security in general (Contreras, 2003, p1). Hurst suggests that an implementation of the Burmese forestry system that had been implemented during the 1950s. The forest rejuvenation process includes the implanting of teak seedlings that are grown alongside normal food crops… as the trees develop the food crops are changed to fit the conditions created by the young trees. After forty years, the trees are mature enough to be harvested and the local farmers then move to another site and start the process again. The article Tropical Forests Are Ravaged by Free Trade states that the United States should do its part to the reduce or eliminate the cutting of forest lumber by banning lumber imports to the United States from developing countries. However, this would be inconsistent with the United States theory of free trade. Imposing such a ban by the senate of the United States would run counter to its policy that each country, community or individual must not buy or patronage wood in order to force the illegal loggers to pack up and leave the forest areas in its unspoiled natural habitat. William Steif (41) saw many local residents from Borneo burn forest areas to make way for the construction of houses. However, the World Trade Organization would look at the United States and opine that the United States could not restrict imports because of the way they are made or harvested. Likewise, many lobbyists object that free trade should not mean “whoever makes products most cheaply, at whatever social cost, wins? Some of us in Congress oppose ''fast track'' authority for trade legislation unless there are guarantees that labor and environmental issues will be addressed”(No author, 1997, p14) Definitely, those in the international community have a stake in the forest cover destruction of the Asian countries. The rain forests of Asian bring oxygen to the four corners of the world. It is the moral responsibility of each state leader to be instrumental in preserving the current forest cover within their territorial jurisdiction (Humphreys, 1996. p. 27). Clearly, the destruction of the Asian rainforests generates different types and degrees of reactions for the different socio-economic groups. The indigenous people destroy forests to feed them fruits build houses. The landholders would prefer to maximize the use of the land by selling age –old forest trees to generate more money to build homes that will be rented. The tenants would like to maximize the use of their rented premises to maximize profit generation. The landlord would do his best to accept as many tenants as possible to increase rent income. The wage workers would like to get as much salary as possible from the company they are working for at lesser quality job output. Women would like to grab as many benefits she comes across with. The political elites will go that extra mile to ensure victory at the next level as best he or she could. The investors want to generate as much profits or dividend income for the business as possible. The above discussion shows that the "Tragedy of the Commons" by Garrett Hardin allegory is very relevant to contemporary environmental issues arising in the "forests" sector in the Southeast Asian context. The "forests" sector of the Southeast Asian context is being slowly but surely materially obliterated to the musical tune of Tragedy of Commons by Garrett Hardin. He insists that a technical solution is necessary reverse the explosive damage of illegal logging and the desire of man to benefit from the destruction of the forest cover. One technical solution to the Asian Tragedy of Commons is to require members of the community to plant trees to replace the uprooted trees. A technical solution needs a change in the techniques of the natural sciences. Conclusively, the "Tragedy of the Commons" by Garrett Hardin materially explains the effects of the tragedy of commons on forest cover that affects man. This shows relevance to contemporary environmental issues arising in the "forests" sector in the Southeast Asian context. Clearly, the cumulative effect of environmental destruction harmfully affects man’s physical well -being well beyond the unhealthy benchmark. It ultimately becomes significant at much larger scale in terms of deforestation and the global warming (Hirsch 1998, p127). REFERENCES Bello, W., Can the Philippines Handle Globalization?, BusinessWorld, Manila, Jan 25, 2005, p.1 Contreras, A., Civil Society, Environmental Security and Knowledge: Forest Governance in Thailand and the Philippines in the Context of ASEAN, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Vol 4, p. 179, 2004, Netherlands. Fischer, P., Thompson, H., Oil Palms and Sarawak’s Forests, Earth Island Journal, Vol 14, No. 3, p. 28, San Francisco, Fall, 1999 Hardin, G., The Tragedy of the Commons, Science, Vol. 132, 1968, p 1243 -1248 retrieved May 22, 2009, http://dieoff.org/page95.htm Gellert, P., The Political Ecology of Tropical Forests in Southeast Asia: Historical Perspectives, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol 63, No. 4, p. 1205, Ann Arbor, Nov, 2004 Hirsch, P., The Politics of environment in Southeast Asia, N.Y., Routldge Press, 1998 Humphreys, D., Forest Politics: the evolution of international cooperation, N.Y., Earthscan, 1996 Steif, W., An Evil on the Earth – Rainforest Politics: Ecological Destruction in the Southeast Asia by Philip Hurst, The Progressive, Madison Press, Vol. 56 No. 2, p.41 Lowe, C., Culture and the Question of Rights: Forests: Coasts, and Seas in Southeast Asia, American Anthropologist, Vol. 107, No. 4, p.749, Washington, Dec 2005 Macan –Marker, M., Southeast Asia: Development Project Leaves Trail of Pollution, Gobal Information Network, N.Y., Jul 18, 2007, p. 1 No author, Tropical Forests Are Ravaged by Free Trade, New York Times, N.Y., Oct 4, 1997, p.14 No author, Violence escalates at Indorayon Pulp Plant, retrieved May 20, 2009, http://dte.gn.apc.org/41p&p.htm No author, Growing Money on Trees, retrieved May 25, 2009, \ http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article1008.html Parnwell, M., Environmental Change in SouthEast Asia, N.Y., Routledge Press Scott, M., The Disappearing Forests, Far Eastern Economic Review, Vol 143, No. 2, Jan 12, 1989, Steif, W., An Evil on the Earth – Rainforest Politics: Ecological Destruction in Southeast Asia by Philip Hurst, The Progressive, Vol 56, NO. 2, Feb 1992, p. 41 Read More