NATURE IN THE WILD

Costas Handolias

Nowadays most people only see nature in the wild on TV, or read about it in books and magazines. This is because of our technology, our new ideas, our civilisation and other reasons which we have created by our will.

There are many differences between a contemporary family and one which lived 100 years ago. If we go for a walk today on a mountain or in an area which is not affected by the action of man we are happy, and we feel like new people. However, even if we decided to stay there for just one day we wouldn’t be able to survive without the equipment of our modern lives.

Nature gives us much of the riches which are necessary for our everyday life. The South American rain forest centered around the Amazon river is the biggest jungle in the world, and provides us with the greatest quantity of oxygen from any single source. It covers an area equal in size to about 2/3rds of Europe and contains 20% of the earth’s usable fresh water.

Yet this huge natural resource is being destroyed at an alarming rate by business and individuals, and in the past 20 years there has been a dramatic decline in the number of trees.

There is wild life in abundance in continents such as Africa, with their wild life around the Congo and the Niger rivers. Yet in all these areas people are destroying this miracle of nature with its amazing animal and plant life. Scientists believe that in a century or two there will be no wild life left. Many people will die if this destruction continues. Fortunately for us we will not be alive that long, but our children and their children are entitled to inherit something of this world !

Costas Handolias is a fifteen year old student at the Fourth Lyceum in katerini. He is an enthusiastic swimmer, and has won several gold medals in competitions in National competitions. He also plays the guitar, collects stamps and enjoys reading. He has passed the Cambridge FCE exam and the Michigan Proficiency preliminary, and is waiting for the results of the final.