When nature breaks: Why protecting ecosystems is protecting ourselves

Imagine Earth as a giant living web made up of rivers, trees, insects, oceans, clouds, animals and people. Everything in this web is connected. Everything depends on something else. And when one thread is cut or pulled too hard, the whole web starts to tear.

This is the simplest way to understand what scientists call the ecosystem. It is not some distant scientific concept. It is the real system that makes life possible. It is how bees help us grow food. How forests give us rain. How clean rivers give us drinking water and fish. It is the silent work of nature that we rarely notice but always rely on.

Let’s bring it closer to home. In the forests of Mount Kenya, trees grow by taking in sunlight, rainwater, and carbon dioxide from the air. They release oxygen, which we breathe. They hold the soil in place and protect it from erosion. Birds nest in the branches and spread seeds. Insects help pollinate flowers so more plants can grow. Even animals like monkeys and antelope contribute by fertilizing the land through their waste. This is a perfect example of natural balance.

But what happens when too many trees are cut down? The birds disappear. Pollination slows down. The soil becomes loose. Rivers start to dry up downstream. Eventually, people in places far from the forest feel the impact; less rain for farms, dusty air in towns, and increased conflict over water. One action in one place can shake the entire system.

The Maasai Mara is another example. Wildebeests graze across the plains, fertilizing the land. Lions and hyenas hunt them, keeping numbers in check. Vultures clean up after the hunt, preventing disease. It all fits together like clockwork. But throw in drought, overgrazing, or unchecked tourism, and the balance breaks. Grass disappears, animals suffer, predators go hungry, and communities that rely on tourism lose income.

The truth is, we are not separate from nature. We are not just observers. We are part of the ecosystem. When bees die, our food production falls. When wetlands are drained, we lose natural water filters. When the ocean warms, fish stocks crash and entire communities go hungry. We depend on the quiet, continuous work of nature more than we care to admit.

Yet we often behave as if we are above the system. We build wherever we want, pollute without thinking, and clear forests without pause. We forget that what we take from nature must also be given back. And that nature does not forget. It keeps the score.

But there is hope. The Earth’s ecosystem has one powerful gift; the ability to recover if we allow it. When mangroves are restored along the coast, fish return. When we protect our forests, rivers flow again. When we stop polluting the air, birds and bees find their way back. The system knows how to heal. It just needs the chance.

This is not about choosing between development and nature. It is about recognizing that without a healthy ecosystem, there is no development. There is no economy on a dead planet. No peace when water runs dry. No food when the soil is tired.

We must stop seeing nature as scenery. It is not a background for our lives. It is the system that sustains every breath, every drop of water, and every plate of food. The sooner we realize this, the better chance we have of living well, not just today, but for generations to come.

Mr Enock Bii is the founder and CEO of ClimaVox Consult