You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
In your country, is there more need for land to be left in its natural condition or is there more need for land to be developed for housing and industry?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
I am from Saint Petersburg, Russia, and I think that the question about whether lands should be left in their natural condition or should be utilised to be developed for housing and industry is the one that is open for debate. Personally, I believe that it is a controversial question because both views have their advantages. However, in this situation, an intermediate position can be taken. In the following paragraphs, I will give my reasons to support the answer.
From the one side, saving land in its natural condition brings many benefits. First of all, many wild animals will thrive in our forests. Unfortunately, nowadays many wild animals are endangered because they do not have any place to live in and enough food to eat. Second of all, our children will be able to learn about animals not only from books but also from observing them in their natural environment. In addition to those benefits, our air will be cleaner because many forests will clean it from pollution and make it fresher.
From the other side, deforesting our land and building many new constructions can have a few positive aspects. For example, building new industrial buildings may have a positive impact on the country’s economy. Many new companies will have the opportunity to produce more goods and as the result of this the country will receive more money from abroad and this will lead to the improvement of the economy on the whole.
To conclude, all mentioned above, I think that we need to be more careful with the natural resources we consume and, moreover, we can do something to preserve them. For example, companies that produce lumber can also resume the resources of wood by planting new trees there. This way we can preserve our land and save it from defrosting. I must agree that it is difficult for Russia at this moment not to develop land for housing and industry because the country needs money and a stronger economy, but I believe that many new factories can replace the old ones without developing new land. So, my point is that we must extend the production of new goods but not at the expense of the wild animals and their land.
Sample Answer 2:
It has become a debatable issue in Indonesia- whether more lands should be converted into real estate and commercial areas or should the government preserve and maintain the natural areas. The following essay will discuss both views, but in my opinion, we could expand new residential areas but it should be accurately measured and properly executed.
For a number of reasons, the government of Indonesia should conserve some of its’ natural areas. Firstly, these green areas are producing oxygen which is an important part of the human respiration. As the number of trees and plants are decreasing, it might have a negative effect on the air quality. Secondly, the existence of the green areas can prevent some natural disasters such as flood and erosion. One of the examples would the annual flood disaster in Jakarta, which was caused by the conversion of Mangrove forests in the suburb of Kapuk into residential areas.
On the other hand, Indonesia has experienced a significant growth in term of its population. The density level and congestion issue become a major issue for some the towns and cities in the country. As a consequence, the demand for new housing, commercial and industrial areas increased rapidly in the past few years. Therefore, it is understandable that the government is converting some the natural lands into residential areas.
In conclusion, it is true that the government of Indonesia should preserve some of the natural areas, but due to the significant growth of the population, they should expand some residential and industrial land as well. In my point of view, I do agree that the government should expand housing and commercial areas in the future, but they should execute it in the proper way. It should be expanded proportionately and with cautious measurement, to ensure that the portion of natural and residential areas have a balance.
[Written by – Darwin Lesmana]