Copy this CollectionAmazon: This article discusses that scientists in Peru have found a certain tree species (a Shihuahuaco tree) that is able to flourish in lands once destroyed and poisoned by gold miners. With these trees they have reforested 104 acres of land that has been deforested by illegal gold mining. This region of Peru has experienced the most deforestation last year than ever before (2017), about 38% of the total land. They also mention since 1985 the mining has destroyed about 247, 105 acres of rainforest.
The damage done by the mining is not just limited to the trees, they also dump around 180 tons of mercury into the lakes, rivers, and soils into the Amazon. In order to reverse this damage, scientists are planting the Shihuahuaco trees, along with trying out biochar compost, made from nuts in Brazil to attempt to block the absorption of mercury into the soil, and hopefully regenerate the topsoil. These efforts are by far the largest of trails of reforestation on previously mined lands, in lowland tropics. In the future they are hoping to implement machinery that uses gravity separation and bypasses to extract gold, rather than using mercury to get the job done.
Drones: In the last 5 years, villagers in Myanmar have planted approximately 2.7 million mangrove trees to try and restore their ecosystem. Their work takes a lot of time and effort, so they have turned to tree planting drones. The company that supplies the drones is BioCarbon Engineering, and the drones can plant as many as 100,000 trees in one day. This would also allow the community to focus on the growth of the younger trees and make sure they thrive. They hope to plant as many as 1 billion trees. There is a first set of drones that come and map the location, collecting data about the soil quality and other details. An algorithm goes through and chooses the best spot to plant the trees, and which species would survive the best. Then a second set of drones comes out to actually plant the trees. This process of using drones to plant trees is 10 times faster than humans, and costs about half as much. The local community will then be responsible for post-plant monitoring and management.
Mangroves are a popular tree in this area, as their roots can filter water and protect the coastline from storms. Also, they help fight climate change, considering they can sequester much more carbon. In the article they state that they need to restore the size of India by 2030, and the current speed that is just not possible. The Worldview International Foundation that partners with BioCarbon Engineering to help guide the local tree planting project hopes they can continue to innovate to reach this goal!
Benefits of Bamboo: In sub-Saharan Africa, 70% of the people there cook with wood fires, and every year Africa loses forest areas about the size of Switzerland. Trees are also cut down to be made into charcoal. They also mention that burning wood releases the carbon stored inside, and the air pollution kills almost 2 million people a year, and almost half the deaths are from children under 5 years of age who contract pneumonia. Burning bamboo instead of wood is more clean and it burns more efficiently. Several organizations are talking about the growing use of bamboo and the effects. One reason is that bamboo is renewable, after it is cut it can grow back. On the other hand, when trees get cut down, they are just gone and take years and years to grow back. Bamboos roots also grab onto soil and can prevent mudslides and erosion. INBAR’s program is a four year project that provides bamboo seedlings and provides training for how to manage bamboo plantations. Ethiopia has realized that bamboo is the greener solution compared to firewood, and are fully embracing this change since they have hardly any trees left to cut down. Some places have banned charcoal production, but the director of trade and development programs at INBAR states it is more effective to promote charcoal production with bamboo and other renewable sources, rather than wood.
