June 3, 2022
Two recent additions to my series “Our Changing Planet” are “Clear-Cut” and “Coral-Reefs”.
“Clear Cut” depicts a previously healthy forest now devastated from both clear-cutting all the trees and the understory vegetation. Clear-Cutting is a method of harvesting lumber that indiscriminately destroys entire wooded ecosystems and obliterates the natural habitat of endangered wildlife. This process also reduces biodiversity which leads to harmful sedimentation and nutrient leakage into nearby streams and rivers.
My other recent piece in this series, “Coral-Reefs”, illustrates the tragic loss of this essential ecological treasure and one that roughly 25 percent of ocean-based fish depend on. Because of the rich diversity of life found in coral reef habitats, they are often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea.” Scientists estimate that because of rising ocean temperatures, acidification and pollution, that more than 70 percent of all coral reefs will die within the next twenty years.
Michael Gresalfi Art 