FAS series “Tree Palaver”: Checking out our “green lungs”.

Photo: Frank Röth

Checking out our “green lungs”.

By SONJA KASTILAN

Photo: Frank Röth

November 17, 2022 · Forests are being cut down worldwide, native species are being replaced by exotic ones.

Can ecosystems recover from this?

How much is climate change affecting them?

And what does all this mean for the people in the affected regions and globally?

The FAS science department, in a team with freelance authors and photographers, pursued these and other questions in ten reports from Benin to Singapore.

We visited coffee farmers in Uganda, algae plantations off Zanzibar, nature reserves and a seed bank in Kenya.

In this series, funded by a research grant from the European Journalism Centre, we want to focus on trees themselves, highlighting their function and importance for us humans.

Not only as a tool in the fight against climate change, but also as a tool that people can use to sustainably improve their standard of living, their health and their environment.

The name of the "tree palaver" series is based on the fact that so-called palaver trees traditionally represent the center of African villages.

The following articles have been published as part of the series: 

REFORESTATION IN KENYA Carbon black is the color of hope

Kenya should become greener.

But why bother digging holes for seedlings when there is an easier solution?

Seedballs for example - it's worth a try. 

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DEFORESTATION IN THE COMOROS A paradise almost lost

If the cloud forests are sacrificed for farmland, timber and firewood, the Comoros will lose more than a few old trees. 

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ASIA'S MANGROVE A forest on the limit

Mangroves are so much more than just a tangled thicket in the intertidal zone.

Its ecosystem is spectacular – as a biodiversity hotspot and an ally in the climate crisis.

On an excursion in Singapore. 

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ZANZIBAR IN CLIMATE CHANGE Into the waters of the Indian Ocean for harvest

Cultivation of red algae is lucrative for export, and in Zanzibar it is mainly women who take care of the cultivation in the sea.

Now climate change is forcing many to move their fields to deeper water, but very few can swim or own a boat for harvesting. 

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NATURE CONSERVATION IN BENIN Abandoned by all gods and good spirits

In Benin, forests are sacred to people.

They can no longer keep loggers away with taboos alone, and so conservationists are pursuing the goals with new means. 

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UGANDA'S FUTURE The coffee is getting too warm

The roasted beans are loved for their aroma and caffeine.

But climate change is increasingly affecting the coffee plants - and the farmers are harvesting less. 

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CLIMATE AND SPECIES PROTECTION IN THE CONGO The laboratory in the rainforest

A renaissance in forest science can be observed in the Congo Basin.

How a research station can help protect the climate and species. 

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INVASIVE PLANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA Triage for the mountain regions

They needed wood, so settlers in South Africa introduced acacia, pine and eucalyptus.

Today, these trees threaten the country's ecosystems and water supplies.

A report on the rescue attempts with climbing rope and saw. 

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CLIMATE RESEARCH IN THE AMAZON AND CONGO BASIN What the stress on trees is doing to the rainforest

In Amazonia, floating rivers are part of the water cycle, which scientists are researching in great detail.

There, the forest itself can produce rain – for now.

But it is already failing as a natural carbon sink: the sensitive ecosystem is disturbed. 

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SEED BANK IN NAIROBI The silver treasure is in the cooling chamber

If you want to preserve a high level of biodiversity for the future, you also have to be familiar with seeds.

That is why there is a seed bank for African trees in Nairobi. 

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