Rainforests are the world's powerhouses, the most vital habitats on the planet. Characterised by high rainfall, they only cover 6% of the Earth across the tropical regions, but they contain more than half of its plant and animal species. Fast-growing trees form a dense canopy that prevents much sunlight reaching the forest floor and discourages undergrowth. The canopy is where it's at, and it hums with an incredible diversity of life (bbc.)
Working with the Crees Foundation Quest4Change aims to reduce the destruction of the Peruvian Amazon by alleviating poverty in local communities by bringing economic, social and environmental harmony to the Manu region, and you can get involved.
What's the problem? A large amount of land in the Manu region has been logged and cleared for pasture or farming. This quickly depletes the nutrients in the soil resulting in the land being abandoned and farmers and loggers moving onto new virgin forest areas. As a result the land is abandoned and left unused, whist more pristine rainforest goes on to be destroyed.
How Quest4Change helps. By working with CREES we aim to rehabilitate this land for local communities by creating Polycultures. Firstly a garden containing many crops is planted, locals can sell this produce to visiting tourists as well as feeding their own families. After a few years trees are then planted with the vegetables. This system of using multiple crops in the same space imitates the biodiversity of natural ecosystems and makes crops more resistant to disease, thus increasing the annual yield and it provides habitats for more local species.
Find out more about how you can get involved in this sustainable project.
No comments:
Post a Comment