Wohlleben promotes biophilia, a love and respect for other living inhabitants of our planet. He writes about forests, most specifically trees, in anthropocentric terms to engender those emotions in the reader. I am not qualified to assess the accuracy of his account or his criticisms of the forestry industry and foresting practices. I am predisposed to accept Wohlleben's call to restrict human activity in large swaths of land for 500 years to allow old forests to reestablish themselves for a number of reasons: my suspicion of technological solutions to our social & ecological problems, the urgency of slowing down biodiversity loss and my fondness for hiking.
In this blog entry, however, I am more concerned with two items: the implications of Wohlleben's assertions for proposals to ward off ecological change which would endanger human civilization and how texts from the Quran portray non-humans.
Global bodies are examining how aforestation and reducing deforestation may reduce greenhouse gas effects. Before reading Wohlleben's book, I imagined a Maoist regime compelling all the people who had previously worked in finance to report each morning to the reforestation detail, where a truck carrying trees to be transplanted & workers would go to that day's designated tree-planting zone. Now, I believe it's not as simple as planting rows of baby trees. Forests are more complicated than that.
E.O. Wilson believes one-half of the land surface of the planet must be set aside as a nature reserve. This seems more in line with Wohlleben's thinking, but implementing this seems even less possible than having a centralized planning commission retool mortgage brokers into arboreal workers.
Monotheistic religions have been portrayed as inherently hostile to non-human life. Discussing this assertion is beyond me, but, as I was reading The Hidden Life of Trees, I thought of these passages from the Quran:
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم ۚ مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end. (6:38)
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ
Glorify the name of thy Guardian-Lord Most High
Who hath created, and further, given order and proportion;
Who hath ordained laws. And granted guidance; (87:1-3)
قَالَ فَمَن رَّبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَىٰ قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ
(Pharaoh) said: "Who, then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?"
He said: "Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature, and further, gave (it) guidance." (20:49-50)
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish;- (33:72)
So if a child spends an inordinate amount of time examining flowers or ants and drawing pictures of birds and fish, don't worry if they'll fit in. Just make sure they get to pursue those interests and learn all they can about those creatures. They may figure out a way to keep this crazy bunch of tool-using, space-faring primates from killing themselves.
