N’chifukwa Chiyani Mapiri Ali Ofunika kwa Ife?

“Takwerani mapiri ndi kuona zomwe angakuuzeni. Mudzakhala ndi mtendere wa mumtima chifukwa cha bata la chilengedwe monga momwe mitengo imasangalalira ikaombedwa dzuwa. Mphepo ya yeziyezi idzakutsitsimulani, ndipo mphepo ya mkuntho idzakupatsaniko mphamvu zake, pamene nkhawa zanu zonse zidzayoyoka ngati masamba a mitengo m’nyengo ya phukuto.”—ANATERO JOHN MUIR, MUNTHU WOLEMBA NKHANI NDIPONSO WOTETEZA ZACHILENGEDWE WA KU AMERICA.

MOGWIRIZANA ndi zomwe John Muir anatulukira zaka zopitirira 100 zapitazo, mapiri ali ndi mphamvu yotha kukhudza mitima yathu. Kukula kwawo kumatigometsa, zinyama zawo zimatisangalatsa, ndipo bata lawo limatikhazika mtima pansi. Anthu ambirimbiri amapita kumapiri chaka chilichonse kukaona kukongola kwake ndiponso kukatsitsimuka. Klaus Toepfer, mkulu wa bungwe loona zachilengedwe la United Nations Environment Programme anati: “Mapiri akhala akuchititsa anthu chidwi ndi kukhudza mitima yawo kuyambira kalekale.”

Ngakhale zili choncho, mapiri ali pamavuto. Kwa zaka zambiri, mapiri atetezeka ndipo sanawonongedwe ndi anthu makamaka chifukwa choti ali kutali ndi kumene anthu ambiri amakhala. Koma tsopano mapiri ali pangozi. Chipepala chaposachedwapa chomwe analemba a bungwe la United Nations chinati: “Ena mwa madera amenewa, omwe ali omalizira pa madera achilengedwe osawonongedwa omwe atsala, tsopano akutha mwamsanga chifukwa cha ulimi, ntchito zachitukuko, ndi zinthu zina zimene zikuwawononga pang’onopang’ono.”

Mapiri amatenga mbali yaikulu ya dziko lapansili. Theka la anthu onse a padziko lapansi amadalira zinthu zachilengedwe zopezeka m’mapiri. Ndipo anthu mamiliyoni ambiri amakhala kumapiri. Mapiri amathandiza m’njira zambiri kuwonjezera pa kukhala malo abata okongola osangalatsa kuwaona. Tiyeni tione njira zina zomwe mapiri amatithandizira pamoyo wathu.

Chifukwa Chake Mapiri Ali Ofunika

▪ KUSUNGA MADZI. Kumapiri n’kumene kumayambira mitsinje ikuluikulu yambiri ndiponso n’kumene kumachokera madzi amene amakathera m’nyanja, m’zithaphwi, m’maiwe, m’zitsime ndi m’mathamanda. Kumpoto kwa America, pafupifupi madzi onse a mitsinje ikuluikulu ya Colorado ndi Rio Grande amachokera ku mapiri a Rocky. Pafupifupi theka la anthu onse a padziko lapansi amakhala kum’mwera ndi kum’mawa kwa Asia. Ndipo ambiri mwa anthu amenewa amadalira mvula imene imagwa kumadera a kufupi ndi mitandadza ikuluikulu ya mapiri a Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamirs, ndi Tibet.

Toepfer anafotokoza kuti: “Mapiri, omwe ali ngati matanki akuluakulu osunga madzi a padzikoli, ndi ofunika kwambiri kwa zamoyo padziko pano ndiponso pa umoyo wa anthu kulikonse. Zimene zimachitika pamwamba pa mapiri zimakhudza zamoyo zokhala kuzidikha, m’mitsinje ndi m’nyanja, ndiponso  ngakhale m’nyanja za mchere.” M’madera ambiri, mapiri amasunga chipale chofewa chomwe chimagwa m’nyengo yozizira, ndipo chipalechi chimasungunuka pang’onopang’ono m’nyengo yachilimwe n’kusanduka madzi omwe amathandiza kwambiri. M’madera ouma apadziko lapansi, ulimi wothirira nthawi zambiri umadalira madzi osungunuka ku chipale chofewa cha kumapiri akutali. Mapiri ambiri ali ndi nkhalango zimene zimamwa madzi a mvula ngati siponji, zomwe zimachititsa kuti madziwa azitsetsereka pang’onopang’ono kukafika ku mitsinje, m’malo mosefukira n’kuwononga zinthu.

▪ KOKHALA ZINYAMA NDI ZOMERA ZOSIYANASIYANA. Chifukwa choti mapiri ali kutali ndi anthu ndiponso sakhala bwino kulimako, anthu sanawawononge kwambiri. Choncho kumapiri kumapezeka zinyama ndi zomera zomwe mwina zinatha kale kuzidikha. Mwachitsanzo, malo oteteza zachilengedwe a Kinabalu National Park ku Malaysia, omwe ali kuphiri pa dera laling’ono kuposa mzinda wa New York, kuli mitundu ya zomera zosiyanasiyana yokwana 4,500. Mitundu ya zomera imeneyi ndi pafupifupi theka la mitundu yonse ya zomera zomwe zimapezeka ku United States. Zinyama monga ma panda aakulu a ku China, mbalame zokhala ngati miimba zotchedwa condor za ku mapiri a Andes, ndi akambuku a kudera lapakati pa Asia, zimakhala kumapiri, monganso zinyama zina zambirimbiri zomwe zatsala pang’ono kutheratu.

Malinga ndi magazini ya National Geographic, akatswiri ena a zachilengedwe awerengetsera kuti “mitundu yambiri ya zomera ndi zinyama za panthaka zomwe zikudziwika panopa zimapezeka ku malo ochepa kwambiri a dziko lapansili.” Pali mitundu yambirimbiri ya zachilengedwe zomwe zimapezeka m’madera ochepa omwe sanawonongedwe chiyambireni, okhala ndi zinyama ndi zomera zosiyanasiyana zambirimbiri. Madera amenewa, omwe ambiri a iwo ali m’mapiri, ali ndi zachilengedwe zosiyanasiyana zimene zathandiza tonsefe. Zakudya zina zofunika kwambiri padziko lapansi pano zinachokera ku zomera zam’tchire zomwe zimamerabe kumapiri. Zitsanzo zake ndi monga chimanga chomwe chimamera m’mapiri a ku Mexico, mbatata ndi tomato zomwe zimamera kumapiri a Andes ku Peru, ndi tirigu amene amamera kumapiri a Caucasus, kungotchulapo zochepa chabe.

▪ MALO OSANGALALIRAKO NDIPONSO OKONGOLA. Mapiri amatetezanso kukongola kwa chilengedwe. Amakhala ndi mathithi akuluakulu, nyanja zokongola, ndi malo ambiri okongola padziko lapansili. Choncho n’zosadabwitsa kuti malo ambiri otetezedwa padziko lapansi pano amapezeka m’mapiri. Ndipo anthu okaona malo amawakonda kwambiri malo amenewa.

Ngakhale malo oteteza zachilengedwe akutali kwambiri amalandira alendo ambirimbiri ochokera ku malo osiyanasiyana padziko lonse lapansi. Anthu amachoka kutali padziko lonse lapansi kupita ku Denali National Park, ku Alaska kukaona phiri la McKinley, lomwe ndi lalitali kwambiri kumpoto kwa America konse. Anthu ambiri amapita ku chigwa chachikulu cha kum’mawa kwa Africa kukaona mapiri ochititsa chidwi a Kilimanjaro ndi Meru, kapena kukaona nyama zakutchire zambirimbiri zomwe zimakhala pakati pa mapiri awiri amenewa. Anthu ambiri okhala kumapiri amapindula chifukwa cha kuchuluka kwa anthu odzaona malo amenewa, komabe ngati anthu odzaona malo akungobwera chisawawa akhozanso kuwononga zinthu zachilengedwe zosachedwa kuwonongeka za kumalo amenewa.

Zimene Anthu Okhala M’mapiri Amadziwa

Pa zaka zambiri zapitazi, anthu okhala m’mapiri aphunzira momwe angakhalire m’malo ovuta kukhalamo amenewa. Anthu a m’mapiri amalima mizere yopingasa malo otsetsereka a m’mapiri yomwe mpaka pano, patatha zaka masauzande awiri, imawathandizabe kupindula ndi ulimi wawo. Anthu amenewa aphunzira kuweta nyama za m’mapiri, monga nyama zofanana ndi ngamila zotchedwa llama ndi zina zofanana ndi ng’ombe zotchedwa yak, zimene zimatha kukhala bwinobwino m’malo okwera kwambiri a m’mapiri. Ndipo zinthu zimene anthu okhala m’mapiri akudziwa zikhoza kutithandiza kuteteza mapiri, omwe tonsefe timadalira.

Alan Thein Durning, wogwira ntchito ku bungwe lotchedwa Worldwatch Institute anati: “Eni nthaka ndi okhawo amene angateteze madera akuluakulu osawonongedwa omwe amapezeka kumadera akutali a kontinenti iliyonse. . . . Anthu amenewa amadziwa zambiri zachilengedwe . . . zofanana  kuchuluka kwake ndi malaibulale a sayansi amakono.” Zinthu zambiri zomwe amadziwazi n’zofunika kuziteteza mofanana ndi zinthu zina zonse zachilengedwe zopezeka m’mapiri.

Bungwe la United Nations Environment Programme linakonza zoti chaka cha 2002 chikhale chaka choganizira za mapiri padziko lonse. Pogogomezera kuti anthufe timadalira kwambiri mapiri, amene anakonza msonkhanowo anayambitsa mawu oti, “Tonsefe Ndife Anthu Akumapiri.” Cholinga chawo chinali chodziwitsa anthu za mavuto amene mapiri apadziko lapansi pano akukumana nawo ndi kupeza njira zowatetezera.

Kuda nkhawa ndi zomwe zikuchitikira mapiri kumeneku n’komveka ndithu. Pa msonkhano umene unachitika ku Bishkek, ku Kyrgyzstan mu 2002 wotchedwa Global Mountain Summit, wokamba nkhani ina yofunika anati: “Nthawi zambiri timaona ngati mapiri ali ndi zinthu zachilengedwe zambirimbiri zomwe zingatithandize, koma nthawi zambiri sitiganizira mokwanira za mavuto amene anthu okhala kumeneko akukumana nawo ndiponso zomwe tingachite kuti zachilengedwe za m’mapiri zipitirizebe kukhala bwinobwino.”

Kodi mavuto ena amene mapiri ndi anthu okhala kumeneko akukumana nawo ndi otani? Kodi mavuto amenewa akutikhudza bwanji tonsefe?