EDITOR – An open letter to those who own gardens.
There used to be two types of dwellings – blocks of flats and houses with gardens.
But nowadays a third type of dwelling has materialised – houses without gardens.
This is as a result of gardens, shrubs and trees being cut down and removed.
In most cases, the destruction of trees is senseless. A prime example of this has occurred in the street where I live. A 60 or 70-year-old indigenous tree was recently cut down because, it was claimed, the tree was promoting dampness and its leaves were a nuisance.
The fact that the tree was well away from the house and that none of the previous owners of that house ever had a problem with dampness from the tree, failed to have any effect on the 20-something property owner as an argument in favour of preserving it. In any case, dampness is part of the Natal coastal environment, as a result of its high annual rainfall.
Arguing that trees promote shade, filter out noise and carbon-dioxide, attract birds and are geographically a natural part of our natural environment, it would seem, has no effect on the new generation of property owners. Why they buy houses with gardens when they live indoors the whole time, watching television in air-conditioned comfort is a mystery.
As a result of this attitude, our suburb is becoming a treeless landscape, bereft of its green canopy. Where lawns once thrived, tarmac and paving now ensures that the rain run-off is such that the stormwater system can no longer cope.
Instead of carbon taxes, what is needed is a green rebate whereby properties which exceed a green minimum are rewarded through rebates, while those who have removed all foliage and trees are subjected to punitive rates.
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