A incrível história do indiano que plantou sozinho uma floresta de 550 hectares e virou mini-doc | Somos Verdes Em 2009, o fotógrafo e jornalista indiano Jitu Kalita quase foi atacado por um homem, enquanto andava por uma floresta na Majuli Island, no nordeste da Índia, perto da fronteira com o Butão. O homem se desculpou depois de perceber que Jitu era apenas um fotógrafo explorando a região. O homem da floresta era Jadav Payeng, sujeito simples que vivia numa cabana, e que começou a plantar árvores na região aos 16 anos de idade, desde 1979. Atualmente, ele já plantou 550 hectares com suas próprias mãos. Payeng começou a interessar-se em ser um ambientalista ao descobrir os problemas de erosão do solo na Índia. Foto via mentalbox.com.br A Majuli Island está situada no rio Brahmaputra, que se enche violentamente na temporada de monções e cobre a ilha por alguns meses lavando a região. A ideia de Payeng é combater este processo plantando árvores para literalmente segurar a terra. Foto via The Plaid Zebra Esta história é tão bela que rendeu um documentário. Veja também:
Pesquisas comprovam a importância da vegetação na produção de água | Secretaria do Meio Ambiente Pesquisas comprovam a importância da vegetação na produção de água Ilustração da pesquisa realizada por Maurício Ranzini Trabalhos desenvolvidos pelo Instituto Florestal (IF) comprovam, de forma inequívoca, que a presença de cobertura florestal em bacias hidrográficas promove a regularização do regime de rios e a melhora na qualidade da água. Daí a importância do Programa Nascentes, desenvolvido pelo Governo do Estado de São Paulo, que tem o objetivo de promover a restauração de 20 mil hectares de matas ciliares. Os pesquisadores científicos da Seção de Engenharia Florestal, do IF, Valdir de Cicco, Francisco Arcova e Maurício Ranzini, embasaram suas teses de doutorado em pesquisas sobre a relação entre a floresta e a água, elucidando dúvidas e provando com números as suas proposições. “Em florestas tropicais, a interceptação varia de 4,5% a 24% da precipitação, embora tenham sido registrados valores superiores a 30%”, explica. Matérias Relacionadas
Bat Guano: A Possible New Source for Paleoclimate Reconstructions Over the ages, armies have fought wars over guano, a stinky, cockroach-infested treasure that’s rich in nitrogen and phosphate. Although still valued for its fertilization qualities, this natural resource—once used to make gunpowder—may offer a new application as a window into climate change. Scientists investigate past climates by studying substances that accumulate slowly over time. Trees, stalactites and stalagmites, peat, ice, lake sediments, ocean sediments, and corals all grow or accumulate in ways that reflect the environment surrounding them. Specifically, the isotopes within their structures fingerprint the conditions prevalent at the time of formation, be they wet, dry, cold, or warm. But paleoclimate records aren’t limited to tree rings and the like. There are “a number of caves with large such deposits in areas where no other climate proxies are readily available,” said Bogdan Onac, a paleoclimatologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa. A Secret in Nitrogen?
“The Man Who Stopped the Desert”: What Yacouba Did Next 14inShare Share By Devon Ericksen In the documentary film, “The Man Who Stopped the Desert,” a farmer named Yacouba Sawadogo struggles to maintain his livelihood in the increasingly harsh land of northern Burkina Faso. Yacouba Sawadogo has worked for more than 30 years to reverse desertification in the Sahel. In 1980, Yacouba decided to fight the desert’s spread by reviving an ancient farming technique called zai, which led to forest growth and increased soil quality. In the follow-up film, UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja discusses the powerful impact of Yacouba’s simple methods. One direct benefit of the documentary has been the donations Yacouba has received in support of his reforestation efforts. Yacouba’s reforestation work not only helps farmers restore the local biodiversity by improving the soil, but it helps them prepare for an uncertain future. Since the film, however, life has not been easy for Yacouba. To read our original post on Yacouba Sawadogo, click here.
Restoring Forests: An Opportunity for Africa New research shows that Africa offers some of the greatest opportunities globally for restoring forests. This post originally appeared on Mongabay. Tropical forest news last week was dominated by Indonesia and Brazil. Forest clearing has surged over the past year in parts of the Amazon, the Brazilian Government reported. Investors are gathering this week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to learn more. With about half of the world’s original forest cover lost or degraded, interest is growing in planting trees to absorb carbon and to help communities better prepare for climate change. A new analysis, carried out by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and South Dakota State University, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, found that about 450 million hectares of degraded land in Africa offer opportunities for forest restoration. Restoration comes in various forms.
Global Restoration Network » Case Studies Restoration Research at Red Rock Canyon State Park Our efforts for this project were originally focused on the recovery of native annual species, which have been extremely slow to reappear in the more disturbed areas of the South Flat. Desert annuals in the Mojave are an important food source for the endangered desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and other desert wildlife. Our initial objectives were also to evaluate micro-nutrient availability and mycorrhizal activity along a disturbance gradient and to use these findings to create a restoration scheme that would enhance the establishment of desert annuals. Restoring South Africa’s Desertified KarooThis project took place on my farm Frijnsfontein, which lies about 20 km from Klipdrift. This particular area sits atop a mountain and averages over 500 mm (20 inches) of rain yearly. The initial response resulting from the rotational grazing was quite phenomenal.
2. What We Can Do to Restore Vegetation to the Desert : Environmental Activities : Hitachi In this section we talk to Mr. Yoshio Kitaura of the G-Net NPO that made it possible for the team from Hitachi Group to work as volunteers on the Horqin Desert Greening Project in China. Mr. Yoshio Kitaura When you hear the term "deset greening", you may think this just means planting saplings in the desert but there is more to growing trees than just planting them in the ground. As well as the obvious things like watering, fertilizing and prunning, a year-round commitment over many years is needed to things like maintaining fences to keep out livestock. Desert Greening Manual: Plant, Maintain, then Repeat Desertification presents us with a serious environmental problem in the same way as global warming. 1. Most of the target areas for the greening project are also used for grazing. The upkeep of the fences that enclose the areas to be restored is one of the most important tasks in managing the land being recovered. 2. 3. At last we are ready to start planting the saplings. 4. 5.
Plant morphology - Wikipedia Scope[edit] Plant morphology "represents a study of the development, form, and structure of plants, and, by implication, an attempt to interpret these on the basis of similarity of plan and origin."[3] There are four major areas of investigation in plant morphology, and each overlaps with another field of the biological sciences. Secondly, plant morphology observes both the vegetative (somatic) structures of plants, as well as the reproductive structures. The vegetative structures of vascular plants includes the study of the shoot system, composed of stems and leaves, as well as the root system. Thirdly, plant morphology studies plant structure at a range of scales. Fourthly, plant morphology examines the pattern of development, the process by which structures originate and mature as a plant grows. A comparative science[edit] A plant morphologist makes comparisons between structures in many different plants of the same or different species. Homology[edit] Convergence[edit] Growth[edit]
Bamboo: a powerful ally for land restoration By Hans Friederich, Director General, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). Bamboo can be a powerful ally for land restoration. This strategic resource thrives on problem soils and steep slopes, helps to conserve soil and water, and improves land quality. Its potential is significant – if its benefits are recognized by decision makers and planners. Bamboo is an asset to any landscape in which it appears. It grows rapidly, slowing degradation and repairing damaged ecosystems, and its long, fibrous and shallow roots effectively stabilize soil – a bamboo plant typically binds up to 6cm3 of soil, and its efficiency as a soil binder has been reported in China, Costa Rica, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Soils benefit in another way: studies show that bamboo helps to conserve water, boost nutrients and organic matter, increase carbon content, and add humus to soil through leaf fall. WATCH NOW: The story of how bamboo helps restore devastated lands About the author