Ngaba Umntu Uwutshabalalisa Ngokwakhe Uvimba Wokutya?
“Eyona ngxaki yethu namhlanje [asingomatyala] okanye ukhuphiswano olusemhlabeni wonke kodwa yimfuneko yokufumana indlela yokuphila ubomi obunentsingiselo nobanelisayo ngaphandle kokonakalisa izinto ezikwesi sijikelezi-langa, ezixhasa yonke into ephilayo. Uluntu aluzange lujamelane nengxaki elolu hlobo ngaphambili: ukudodobala kwezinto zokusigcina siphilile.”—Ingcali ngemizila yemfuza uDavid Suzuki.
KULULA ukulithabatha lula iapile. Ukuba uhlala kwindawo apho akhula eziintlobontlobo, usenokucinga ukuba adlal’ abantwana yaye maninzi onokukhetha phakathi kwawo. Kodwa ngaba ubusazi ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba unokukhetha phakathi kwambalwa namhlanje kunokuba kwakunjalo kwiminyaka eli-100 eyadlulayo?
Phakathi konyaka we-1804 nowe-1905, kwakukho iindidi ezingama-7 098 ezahlukeneyo zama-apile awayekhula eUnited States. Namhlanje ezingama-6 121 kwezo—ama-86 ekhulwini—zatshitsha. Namapere akwingxaki efanayo. Malunga nama-88 ekhulwini eentlobontlobo ezingama-2 683 ezakha zakho ngoku zitshitshile. Asisathethi ke ngemifuno, kubi nangakumbi kuyo. Izinto ezininzi azisekho—kungekuphela nje ezithile kodwa ezahlukahlukeneyo kuzo. Iindidi ezahlukeneyo zemifuno elinywa eUnited States iye yehla ngama-97 ekhulwini kwisithuba nje esingaphantsi kweminyaka engama-80! Ngaba ezo ntlobo-ntlobo zibalulekile?
Izazinzulu ezininzi zithi kunjalo. Nangona indima yezi ndidi isashukuxwa shushu, iingcali zemeko-bume eziliqela zithi zibalulekile kwizinto eziphilayo ezisemhlabeni. Zithi zibalulekile kwizityalo esizilimela ukutya kanye njengezo zizikhulela emahlathini nakumakriwa aluhlaza ehlabathi. Ukwahlukahlukana phakathi kweentlobo nako kubalulekile. Ngokomzekelo iindidi ezahlukeneyo zerayisi zenza kube nokwenzeka ukuba ezinye zikwazi ukumelana noobhubhane abakhoyo. Yiloo nto, iphephandaba elapapashwa yiWorldwatch Institute likhe lathi kutshanje inye into ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye enokubonisa uluntu indlela ekuyingozi ngayo ukonakalisa izinto zomhlaba—ukuphela kovimba wokutya.
Ukutshitsha kwezityalo kunokuchaphazela ukutya ubuncinane ngeendlela ezimbini: okokuqala, ngokutshabalalisa izityalo zasendle ezifana nezo zilinywayo, imbewu ebinokunceda ekuzikhuliseni kamva, kanti okwesibini, ngokunciphisa iindidi ezikweso silimo. Ngokomzekelo kwinkulungwane yama-20, malunga neendidi ezili-100 000 zerayisi zazilinywa eAsia, ezimalunga nama-30 000 zilinywa eIndiya kuphela. Ngoku ama-75 ekhulwini esi silimo saseIndiya abandakanya iindidi ezilishumi kuphela. Iindidi zerayisi zaseSri Lanka ezingama-2 000 phantse zithatyathelwe indawo zezintlanu. EMexico, iindidi zombona olinywayo zingama-20 ekhulwini kwezo zafunyanwa apho ngeminyaka yee-1930.
Kodwa asikokutya nje kuphela okusengozini. Malunga nama-25 ekhulwini amayeza awenziwa kwimizi-mveliso asuka kwizityalo, yaye kusaqhutyekwa kufunyanwa izityalo ezitsha zokwenza amayeza. Kodwa izityalo zithe gqolo ziphela. Ngaba nathi ngandlel’ ithile sinegalelo ekutshitshiseni izinto eziyingenelo kuthi?
IWorld Conservation Union ithi kwiindidi ezimalunga ne-18 000 zezityalo nezilwanyana ekuye kwenziwa uphando ngazo, ezili-11 000 zisenokuphela. Kwiindawo ezinjengeIndonesia, iMalaysia neLatin America, apho amahlathi amakhulu aye atshatyalaliswa kwaza kwalinywa amanye, abaphengululi bayaqashisela nje ukuba zingaphi iindidi ezisele ziza kuphela—okanye ezisele ziphelile—nezingekhoyo. Noko ke, abanye bathi ukutshitsha kwendalo “kukhawuleza gqitha,” inikela loo ngxelo iThe UNESCO Courier.
Kambe ke, umhlaba usavelisa ukutya okuninzi. Kodwa abemi abandayo behlabathi baya kondleka de kube nini ukuba izinto zehlabathi ziqhubeka ziphela? Amazwe amaninzi aye asabela kuloo nto ngokwenza oovimba bokugcina iimbewu njengesiqinisekiso sokuba izityalo ezibalulekileyo azipheli. Imiyezo ethile iye yathabatha umsebenzi wokulondoloza iindidi ezithile zezityalo. Inzululwazi iye yenza izixhobo ezinamandla nezitsha zokutshintsha iimbewu. Kodwa ngaba oovimba beembewu nenzululwazi ngokwenene banokuyicombulula le ngxaki? Inqaku elilandelayo liza kukhe lihlolisise lo mbuzo.