San Marino is a small, landlocked, mountainous country in north-central Italy. Linden, or Tilia, a revered, aesthetically beautiful, deciduous shade tree with heart shaped leaves, lines the inner streets of the state’s larger cities as well as the hearts of the Sammarinese people.
In early summer the Linden flowers bloom and fill the air with their sweet honey perfume. The trees, scattered throughout both urban and wild areas blossom, attracting bees to its source of nectar for honey. The fragrant flowers are also used to scent various products and make tea.
A popular Christmas-time dish of the predominantly Catholic country is a bean soup called Fagioli con le cotiche. Another favorite dish, made from local fruit and wine is Zuppa di ciliege – a dessert made of cherries soaked in red wine and served with bread.
Climate Change / Conservation Status
San Marino, a country once known for its cool winters and warm sunny summers, which supported their farming activities of growing grain, grapes, fruit, and raising sheep, is transmuting due to climate change. The state is experiencing many of the effects of its surrounding neighbor, Italy, meaning new patterns of severe weather, floods, and drought. Reduction of freshwater resources and land degradation is now apparent, too. Climate change has also caused an extension of the Linden tree pollen season, affecting the flowering of the species with the highest recorded pollen seasons, causing prolonged allergic reactions. Over the last few decades, temperatures have increased while precipitation has decreased so rapidly that forests are struggling to adapt. In addition, an increase in urbanization and decrease in rural farm areas has led to increased air pollution and water shortages affecting Lindens and other vegetation.
Alternate Names
Lime Tree
Sources
Weryszko-Chmielewska, E., Piotrowska-Weryszko, K., & Dąbrowska, A. (2019). Response of Tilia sp. L. To climate warming in urban conditions – Phenological and aerobiological studies. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 43. https://doi.org/126369.
Republica Di San Marino, Departimento Affari Esteri, Direzione Dei Rapportt Con Le Comunita All’Estero. This statement can be found on the original World Sensorium Website.
In the early 1990s Mark and Jean Shepard bought a degraded 106-acre corn field in Viola, Wisconsin, and over the following decades, restored it to the native oak savanna it had once been long ago, while also creating a natural perennial farm of native flora, growing chestnuts, hazelnuts, apples, cherries and more. Mark wrote the book Restoration Agriculture about how to imitate nature’s explicit formulas for success known through biomimicry. Filmmaker Kirsten Dirksen chronicles their ongoing hands-on story told by Mark in the informative video Homestead Paradise which can be viewed on YouTube.
Biomimicry draws inspiration from nature by emulating biological processes, systems, and structures so that we can achieve new compatible products and systems. This approach is being applied to many fields; however, biomimicry is playing a particularly important role in guiding ecosystem restorations. By understanding how plants interact with their environment and contribute to the ecological balance, degraded land can be restored, resembling the forms and functions of local healthy nature.
A big problem around the world is the challenge of bringing back natural habitat to areas degraded by deforestation, desertification, and agricultural mismanagement. The most promising innovative, and holistic approaches for restoring these areas to ecological harmony involve drawing inspiration from nature’s strategies through biomimicry. In the West and elsewhere, river and stream, and wetland restoration projects, are using beaver mimicry structures to help restore aquatic habitats with great success. These low-tech water constructions are often made from woven willow branches stabilized by wood pilings or river rock structures.
The fields of plant conservation and biomimicry both share a common interest in understanding and learning from the natural world and a responsible and sustainable approach to problem-solving. In addition to exclusively conserving nature, we must understand, imitate, and value it as fundamental to culture and ecosystem services. Biomimicry is currently playing a vital role in our understanding of why we must preserve forests and other plants for their carbon sequestration and is enhancing our insights for the creation of carbon capture and storage technologies including biomimicry filters. To address the pollinator crisis, the field of robotics is studying plant-pollinator interactions to design robots and drones that mimic the pollination process. Insect-inspired robots, such as Robo Bees guided by artificial intelligence (AI) are already supporting vertical farming operations.
RoboBees Wyss Institute
Throughout human time, plants have been the traditional source of medicinal treatments. Efforts to conserve rare and endangered plant species, many with important medicinal properties, are being aided now by biomimicry research and screening methods identifying novel bioactive compounds, and increasing a reconnect with the ethos of biodiversity conservation.
Biomimicry Ecosystem Restoration initiatives begin by profoundly studying the closest healthy, thriving ecosystems and understanding what species and solutions are at work. What varieties of native plant selections should be mimicked? How are these species interacting and how are nutrients being recycled? This process helps in selecting native plants well adapted to the local environmental conditions and that naturally contribute to soil stabilization, water systems, and nutrient recycling. The goal is to restore biodiversity and create polyculture with diverse species of plants and animals that offer broad ecosystem services supporting each other. A traditional example of polycropping is the Three Sisters method where beans, corn, and squash are grown together. The three different plants service each other by corn providing support for beans to grow upward, beans producing nitrogen, and squash covering the ground to protect the plants from weeds and help retain moisture.
The key to reversing land degradation is understanding the processes taking place in healthy areas that are replenishing the soil and improving its health. This will help with soil management strategies for the degraded soil areas and depleted soil carbon. For instance, it is imperative to identify what plants, microorganisms, and fungi, are present in healthy local ecosystems that can inform the soil strategy for the degraded area.
Biomimicry uses the ingenious systems that nature has evolved over eons, allowing for the transformation of a degraded system. A restored ecosystem becomes resilient, functional, and productive. Monitoring the ecosystem over the years allows for adjustments and adaptive management for changing conditions.
Overall, combining the principles of biomimicry and plant conservation can lead to sustainable solutions. These paired practices not only benefit human societies but increase the efficiency and resilience of natural ecosystems making it possible for all to thrive. The wisdom of nature is a great mentor.
Gayil Nalls is an interdisciplinary artist, gardener, and conservationist. She is the founder of World Sensorium / Conservancy and editor of its journal Plantings.
Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
The Wild Thyme of Malta can be found in cushion-like clumps along the scrublands, valleys, and rocky shores of the country’s islands. Maltese Thyme, Thymbra capitata, is a small low-lying evergreen shrub that, when in season, is covered in purple blossoms. It is a plant so beautiful that in 1932 the country had to establish a law to prevent the species from dying out because people were taking the purple flower and putting it in their homes. Thymbra capitata is found all over the garigues of Malta and is known not only for its colorful floral beauty but also for its savory smell.
The woody shrub serves as an emblem of strength. Mediterranean Thyme found in Malta has been able to withstand the impact of rising temperatures so far, and the plant often finds itself in drought conditions. It thrives in arid rocky areas and preferers poor soil. When established, it can also survive cold exposure and the strong winds of Maltese island storms. Because of its toughness, it is no surprise that thyme was used to symbolize the courage of warriors and soldiers long ago.
Malta and Thyme intertwine through the making of Wild Thyme honey. Beekeeping has a deep history in the country as the practice dates to 800 B.C. The honey, known as għasel tas-sagħtar to locals, is created in the summer when the wild thyme is one of the bees’ only nectar sources throughout the island.
Thyme shows itself to be extremely helpful plant, with uses being found in culinary, cosmetics, and medical practices. Along with its use in honey, thyme is an essential seasoning for any Mediterranean style marinade. The essential oils of Thymbra capitata produce the substance of Thymol, which has long been used for the treatment of the respiratory system. Thyme is also found in numerous perfumes, deodorants, and even in disinfectants.
Climate Change/Conservation Status
With a drought tolerance of up to five months, Maltese Thyme is very resistant, but as climate change brings forth intense heat waves and little rain, the shrub is being tested. In 2022 many beekeepers began bringing attention to the death of many wild thyme plants. While the plant does not usually die from lack of water, drought in the area is steadily reducing the available groundwater and experts believe that over the next 80 years, the groundwater in Malta will deplete by 16%.
Malta, though, is a very climate conscious country and is continuing to come up with new ways to teach and practice conservation. A new project called “Stejjer Imfewħa” which translates to “Scented Stories” aims to teach the importance of conserving herbs like thyme through culinary workshops. The group teaches conservation through ethnobotany, or how cultures use plants native to Maltese people and immigrants. The group believes that bringing traditional knowledge to people will lead to them wanting to do their part to keep their native plants, such as Thyme, alive.
Nature Patterns and Textures: Enhance your drawings by zooming in on the intricate details and textures found in nature, such as the patterns on tree bark, the veins of leaves, or the textures of fruits.
In half of the world, July is the peak of the season and nature is bursting with color, bees, butterflies, and birds. Even so,in these places, July is also mid-summer and nature’s turning point. The long, hot days are often referred to as the Dog Days of Summer, but by the end of the month the days will be 40 minutes shorter. Plants have reached their peak growth and the birds are quieting down. Plants and trees are giving fruits, a lot of flowers are blooming in an array of color, and we sense the amazing smells in the air.
In this challenge we are going to observe natures’ textures, colors, patterns, and shapes, and experiment with close-up studies that emphasize the beauty of often-overlooked elements. This is a way to celebrate the lushness of the summer landscape and the abundance of seasonal produce by capturing and drawing the unique details of the flowers, fruits, vegetables, and trees associated with July.
“The fruits and flowers of temperate climates—the purple of the grape and plum; the red of the current and strawberry, and of the expressed juices of these, —the wine that ‘giveth his color in the cup,’ and the ‘lucent syrup tinct with cinnamon.’”
John Ruskin
Lesson: Telling the Story of a Plant by Capturing Visual Textures. Every Detail is Important
Drawing nature is a language of artistic expression and scientific observation that conveys meaning. Ruskin’s goal for the artist observer was that they “might see greater beauties then they had hitherto seen in nature and in art, and thereby gain more pleasure in life.” Fundamental to your drawing is the selection of your subject that you wish to honor as you relax into the session.
Milkweed, Liz Macklin
Layout your gestural underdrawings with an eye for placement on the page. Once you are confident with the proportions and overall composition, move on to contour and cross contour, moving your eye back and forth between the subject and the paper. This process of exploring and capturing the visual textures of a plant’s physical surface, and giving an accurate visual impression of that, increases the intensity and unity of a drawing and is essential for the plant’s individuality to be conveyed. Ruskin calls this refinement a study of the facts. All lines and shades must be consistent with the facts. Each line delineates and expresses the plant’s complexity and there is always more to be seen and understood.
“All beautiful lines are beautiful or delightful to the sight, in showing the directions in which material things may be wisely arranged or may serviceably move.”
John Ruskin
Do you perceive your subject to be hard, soft, rough, smooth, or hairy? Observe colors, and shapes of items like strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, or corn. Focus closely on your subject’s particular intricate details. These could include unique patterns, such as the arrangement of kernels on a corn cob, the patterns of a tree’s bark, or the texture, angles, and veins of a leaf.
Bark, Liz Macklin
It’s not difficult to identify a tree species by its bark alone, such as the distinction between a palm tree and a pine one. Start to notice the unique bark patterns and practice this skill of identification so that you can create more realistic, informative textures essential to your drawings. Various techniques of expression can be adapted to express character of texture and requires time, patience, and some experimentation to capture the best effect. Pay close attention to how texture looks on the curves, such as bark on the curve of a branch. Take note yet again about the surface of your subject, is it smooth, waxy, leathery, lined, or pitted? Make small squares and fill them with different techniques to express different surfaces. Search for the results that best express your subject.
Additionally, read the leaves. Look carefully at them. Observe the plant at different times of the day and in different types of weather. On rainy days, are the leaves soft and floppy because they are waterlogged or are they stiff? If there has been little rain, are the leaves wilting, droopy, or turning yellow, brown, or crispy? If the leaf is curling, it is trying to retain moisture. Are the leaves needle-like or broad like those of a hardwood? With these observations you can tell the plants’ story through your drawings.
John Ruskin
Congratulate yourself for taking on this challenge and learning new things. Share your drawing on the Plantings refrigerator on Instagram.
Take a cell-phone photo of your completed drawing and post it on the Instagram with the hashtag #WSCNatureDrawings
Plantings Print Annual 2023
Do you have the 2023 Plantings print annual?
Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
As the days stretch longer towards the summer solstice on June 21, and the warmth embraces the air, June becomes a tapestry of endless possibilities for creative expression. Take a slow walk admiring the natural beauty that surrounds you. Trust your sense of beauty to notice something new, something that you may have not looked closely at before. Notice how plants are in different stages of flowering from swelling and ripening buds to a sign of its maturity– full bloom.
Choose a few flowers located together, knowing that every flower has a story to tell. Observe their basic floral forms and shapes. Delve into the intricate details of delicate petals, the graceful movements of leaves, and the interplay of light and shadow beneath the vibrant summer sky. Pass time with the flowers being aware that flowers are the reproductive structures of plants. As the flower petals opens reproduction can occur. Look for the stamen (the male part) that contains the pollen and the pistil (the female part) where the pollen is deposited. Draw too the insects that may be visiting them. Look for the ovaries at the base of the pistil, which will develop into seeds once fertilized.
“Art is only in her right place and office when she is subordinate to use; that her duty is always to teach, though to teach pleasantly; and that she is shamed, not exalted, when she has only graces to display, instead of truth to declare.”
John Ruskin
Lesson: Refining Your Observation Skills and Details in Line Drawing
It’s time to unleash your expression and let June be your muse. Let its abundance and splendor guide your hand, ignite your passion, and inspire your soul to create art that celebrates the world’s captivating beauty.
Peony bud by Liz Macklin
John Ruskin thought no one could see nature properly until they tried to draw it. In this exercise you will observe the organic structure of a flower allowing its exquisite beauty to penetrate your mind. What are the qualities of this flower that others likely overlook. Does it have any flaws? Has an insect been eating its leaves? Is it still there to be drawn? What do you wish to reveal about these flowers?
Peony bud opening by Liz Macklin
Start by quickly and lightly gesturing on your paper the overall floral composition (see the April lesson). The goal is to capture its gestalt, how the forms of its parts come together into a meaningful greater whole. Observe and accurately draw the flowering and pollinating stages of the various flowers before you, revealing the plant’s fascinating and intricate form.
Lightly sketch contour lines (see March lesson) over the gestured composition, working into the drawing, modifying it for accuracy. Remember, as Ruskin said, the beauty is in really seeing. Slow down and let your observations guide you.
Peony blossom by Liz Macklin
After completing a quick sketch of the plant as a whole and refining it in a light line drawing, identify the area of the plant you find most interesting and most effectively captures the essence of the plant. This will be your “area of interest”, that you will detail to bring in a viewer’s eye. Here you will use a concentration of cross-contour lines as a form of technique to achieve tone (the degree of strength of color) and value (lightness to darkness of color) and create an illusion of three-dimensional form. The goal is to convey the plant’s fascinating intricate forms, shape, and dimensionality in a concise way, defining details using only line.
It is possible to use cross contour lines to imitate light and shadow and convey the form. For Ruskin, lines are a beautiful, delightful sight when they unmistakably express and define the object.
Peony in full bloom by Liz Macklin
Enjoy taking a good look at these stunning floral close-up images for added inspiration: The White Album.
Congratulate yourself for taking on this challenge and learning new things. Share your drawing on the Plantings refrigerator on Instagram.
Take a cell-phone photo of your completed drawing and post it on the Instagram with the hashtag #WSCNatureDrawings
Plantings Print Annual 2023
Do you have the 2023 Plantings print annual?
Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
Dr. Marc Stalmans is the Director of Science at Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Born in the DRC, Congo, Kinshasa to Belgian parents, the family returned to Belgium when he was 15. After graduating as a forestry engineer, he emigrated to South Africa where he gained his Master’ of Botany degree while working as a research officer in a nature reserve. He later completed a PhD in the Department of Animal, Plants, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Over the last seventeen years, Dr. Stalmans has been working closely with the Gorongosa National Park to help ensure the recovery of its wildlife and infrastructure. The park had been devastated during the country’s civil war (1977-1992) when soldiers lived there and killed most of the animals. In 2004, Greg Carr and the Carr Foundation formed the non-profit organization Gorongosa Restoration Project in a public-private partnership with the Mozambican government to rehabilitate, expand, and co-manage the park. It was two years later that Dr. Stalmans began consulting with them on a continuous basis until he joined full time in 2012 as the Director of Science. These years of critical and spectacular restoration in one of the largest parks in Africa have worked, and the species have rebounded into a coherent ecological matrix. This reestablishment of the natural balance between plant biodiversity and wildlife has recreated a sustainable symbiosis of evolutionary mutualistic relationships.
In 2010, the park was expanded to include Mount Gorongosa and its rainforest, an important development for the entire ecosystem. The reintroduction of animal species has not only helped restore interactions between plants and animals but also the insects and microorganisms that maintain the health of the park’s ecosystem, a process witnessed by Dr. Edward O. Wilson who visited the park in 2011 to research his book Life on Earth. The Edward O. Wilson Laboratory, part of the Gorongosa’s Science Center, was created in 2014. Dr. Stalmans and his team helped coordinate the scientific research of the park’s expansive biodiversity and ecology, while also training a new generation of Mozambican scientists and researchers. Today, Gorongosa’s restoration continues, but its success in reestablishing biodiversity is already an example to the world.
This month we spoke Dr. Marc Stalmans on the different facets of this conservation project and what made it so successful. This ranging conversation has been edited and arranged to highlight the key topics that we touched upon.
On plants and restoring the complex web of life during his time at Gorongosa.
On the plant side, it was obvious when we first started that the general habitat was in very good shape. It was just the animals that were missing. Gorongosa is located in the extreme southern part of the Great African Rift, and on those alluvial soils with good rainfall, and supplemented by frequent flooding, you get a tremendous productivity in terms of vegetation. Historically, that had supported a huge density of animals. However, those animals got depleted by 90% to 99%, depending on the species, during the war. For example, there were around 14,000 buffalo in that system before the war, but after the war there were less than 100 left. The wildebeest were around 6,000 before the war, and that was reduced to less than 15, a number we can be quite sure about.
There was just that lack of animals to graze the grass and to browse the trees and the shrubs, so the vegetation was even more overwhelming in its lushness in those days. Just after the early years, I’d go out in the month of March or April, after the end of summer and the main rains, and you couldn’t see over the high grass layer. Over the years, that has come down. So, if you’re talking only from a plant perspective, I would say it’s perhaps less high and dense than what it was. That said, grazing is very beneficial for the system because that is what the plants are used to. It’s good for the grass layer to be grazed. That’s what you would expect. That’s how those systems have evolved. In the historical part of the park, there wasn’t much of an issue with plants, and that has continued. There were obviously external pressures. Some places, we were at risk of slash and burn agriculture; we had illegal logging, and we had people encroaching on the park to make fields. That has reduced over time. We have still got some of that, but that impact has been much reduced. So, from that perspective, it’s been a positive.
In 2015, an article was published by a PhD student from Princeton University about Gorongosa’s restoration. Part of his fieldwork included comparing aerial imagery of the park before and after the war. For the image of Gorongosa before the war, he sourced a 5.5-m-resolution black and white satellite photograph that was originally captured in 1977 by the US intelligence service Hexagon satellite program (KH9), which was declassified in 2011. In comparison to what we can buy commercially nowadays the quality of the image was not as good, but it was still a very high-resolution image and that could be used to effectively demonstrate change in the park. This was important because during this time, there was a lot of speculation about the park’s state of recovery. Some people believed that Gorongosa was experiencing big fires because there were no animals to graze down the grass. While others suggested that because of this lack of animals, the woody cover was increasing. Both stories couldn’t have been true, it had to be either one or the other. So, by using this image and comparing it to more modern imagery, this young researcher was able to show that the woody cover had substantially increased. The best explanation for this wealth of trees and shrubs was that the decimation of the wildlife removed the top-down control on woody plants by the browsing animals. This overrides the impact of fire.
Gorongosa mountain rainforest and Afromontane grasslands. Marc Stalmans
The role of fire in the African landscape
Fire has historically impacted the park but contrary to popular belief, didn’t negatively impact the trees and shrubs. The Savannah system is very well adapted to fire, and although the immediate visual effects on the landscape may not be appealing, it is part of a larger process that is fundamental to the regeneration of the landscape. In the long run the fire will allow these plants to maintain their vigor and diversity. However, in the rainforest, on the other side of Gorongosa Mountain, fire is extremely detrimental, and this is why slash and burn agriculture can be so damaging to the ecosystem there. In the Savannah system, you want fire at a certain interval, and then in other systems, like the rainforest, you don’t want any fire. You need a very nuanced kind of story about fire.
Fire can also impact the movement of the animals in the park. Where there is fire, the animals may temporarily shift locations because there won’t be grass, or if the fire is not very hot, they might move towards it. I’ve seen animals in landscapes still smoldering, eating ash beds because they are so rich in minerals. There’s also always some grass or shrubs that have been barely touched by the fire. It is dependent on the fire’s intensity; either everything has been removed because it was too hot for anything to survive, or it can be very patchy, and can still supply subsistence.
Depending on when the fire comes, such as after the first rain when the temperatures are high and the soil is very fertile, your grass growth can be quite explosive. Those first green shoots, although there might not be many, they’re very nutritious and so attracts animals. So, you will have patches with very little grass just starting to flush with a big, tall grass right next door, but all the animals will be on the short grass because of its quality.
Generally, it’s kind of a losing battle. The animals can’t keep up with the grass. It grows too fast. That’s different in an agriculture context. If you have your animals in a paddock and you’ve got too many animals for the grass, the animals will benefit from the new grass growth, but the grass will deplete its reserves, and it’ll have to keep on doing that, and that can be detrimental. In our natural system, the late season fires are quite big, and animals just can’t keep up with the regrowth following the first rains. After a while, the grass gets on top of the animals.
It’s only if you’ve got very small patches or very nutrient-rich patches where animals will be able to keep the grass down, and then it becomes what we call a grazing lawn, where it literally looks like a lawn in a garden. Couch grass is a typical grass species in such a grazing lawn. Those are kind of mat forming, spreading grasses. They love that kind of environment because they can outcompete grasses that grow taller, which can’t take that grazing pressure. There’s a place for everybody in those systems.
Photo: Brett Kuxhausen
On species recovery and animal competition for plant resources within Gorongosa.
Princeton University has got a strong research project program, and they’re looking at the diet preferences, local plant biodiversity, optimal environmental conditions, and so on, and providing the park with data to help maintain wildlife recovery. We know from historical records, which animal species were present. If I look at the early research work done, those plant species are all still present. So I don’t think that has changed much. Perhaps some of the proportions have changed, but the species itself, from the plant side, they’re definitely all still present. We have all the animals back except the white and the black rhino, as well as roan antelope and tsessebe. These we will need to reintroduce. Otherwise, we have the full complement back except that the proportions of animals are quite different from historical terms. Now, there is a dominance of waterbuck. Probably the biggest waterbuck population in Africa with around 60,000 individuals as counted in November last year, so they’re much more numerous now than they were historically. Whilst, for example, species like zebra and wildebeest are still a lot less numerous than they were previously. So those are the imbalances. I think proportionally, although everything got depleted during the civil war because of illegal hunting, some species like waterbuck survived in slightly higher numbers. Then when the illegal hunting pressure diminished, they were able to just rebound a lot faster. If you take, for example buffalo, they were reduced very substantially and they’re big animals, so they take a longer time to mature. Although we introduced 200 buffalo, they have a protracted gestation period and have a longer interval between calves, so they took a lot longer to rebound. They are doing very well. We have already got over 1,000, but they can only grow at say 12% to 15%, maximum intrinsic growth rate, whilst the waterbuck has probably been doing around 30% annually. So right now, the doubling time of a waterbuck is less than three years. If you’ve got an animal with a slower growth rate, the doubling time will be substantially longer. And although both animals are actually doing extremely well, it’s just an intrinsic growth rate that’s biologically constrained. So what you get is that the one species is really outgrowing the other one.
Over time, it’ll probably balance as we believe buffalo are much better competitors than waterbuck. So once the buffalo numbers are substantial, they’re going to start out-competing the waterbuck and I would expect in a few years’ time, the waterbuck to be on a downward curve whilst the buffalo is still on the upward curve. But that’s where research and the monitoring are essential. Whether that’s true or whether we get a kind of new equilibrium that’s being permanently fixed, we don’t know that yet. Intrinsically, waterbuck are quite demanding in terms of the quality of the diet that they require, eating mostly grasses and requiring easy access to water. Buffalo will eat grasses, herbs, weeds, and sedges, while in leaner times they will eat, bark, leaves, and more. They are flexible and can survive on a slightly lower quality diet. The buffalo are also less prone to predation because they’re such big animals. Our predator numbers are really increasing very well and that, partnered with the competition for plant resources, will probably means the buffalo will come out on top and the waterbuck will not.
On why animal conservation is good for plant conservation.
There was very little pressure on the Gorgongosa plant world for many years. Previously, people saw the park principally as a food resource, as a larder. As I mentioned, there was some encroachment, some people doing slash and burn agriculture, but that was mostly on the periphery, a little bit of illegal logging. During the war, people were displaced and so this people pressure on the plant resources dissipated. Now, because of the recovery of the animals there is an increased ranger presence throughout the park, which means that despite the increasing human population, we are better protected from further encroachment and illegal logging. When you look at the landscapes just outside the boundaries of the park, you can very clearly see the poorer condition of the environment because of the expansion of agricultural and human activities. This contrast makes it clear that the park is actually very good for the vegetation. The plant resources are being protected by virtue of protecting the animals, these two go together.
On the park’s sustainable agriculture and contributions to the local community.
Part of our conservation strategy involves human development. One thing we do is shade-grow coffee within the forest of Gorongosa mountain because of the conditions there. Generally speaking, around the park, we try to promote conservation agriculture. We try to expand agroforestry, to have more permanent tree crops like cashews. It’s a host of different measures trying to improve productivity, so that people have more, but also to do it in a way that is more kind to the environment and that’s more sustainable, that gives greater resilience. For example, we have a honey project that on the one hand, generates income for locals. But on the other, there is an increased incentive for conservation because the trees from which the bees are foraging must be protected. So, it’s beneficial for remaining forest patches and woodlands to have an intensive beekeeping program because people will be more favorably inclined towards protecting these areas because they know it’s the food source for the bees.
More on bees, honey, and the cylinder beehive.
In the Rift Valley, there’s quite a big diversity of trees. Honey production is especially prevalent in what we call the Miombo, an extensive dry forest which is on the Western and the Eastern flanks of the Rift Valley. As you start moving out of the Rift, the terrain becomes hillier. The geological substrate also gives rise to more sandy soils, so less nutrient-rich, and you get vegetation that’s called Miombo, which covers a large part of Southern Africa. It’s generally a very dense woodland, dominated by leguminous species, especially in the genera Brachystegia and Julbernardia. Historically, Miombo is very well known for its abundant honest production and it was tradition that people made beehives by removing a full bark cylinder from the tree. Not very productive because when you remove a full cylinder of bark, the tree is going to die. So, part of the honey project is also providing improved beehives, which are made from offcuts from the logging industry, sparing the natural trees. You no longer use those bark cylinders, and as a result you get a better production because the more modern beehives yield a bigger return on an annual basis. You always need to have all those pieces coming together. It’s not a single intervention, it’s more an integrated approach at a problem that saves trees and moves the bee keeping to a more sustainable and profitable production.
Miombo woodlands. Marc Stalmans
On the tree he most admires in Gorongosa
Sterculia appendiculata is a deciduous tree that is also called Tall Sterculia. It’s a very, very tall tree with this smooth, whitish bark. It’s very striking. It sheds its leaves in the dry season and its flowers reappear across its rounded crown around the start of the rainy season before the leaves and fruit. It grows around the edges of dry woodlands, often on or around termite mounds. Termites locate their mounds outside of any flooding influence, generally in open savannah. Theses mounds improve the texture of the soil, improve water flow, and make it a nutrient-rich area with much denser, little bush clump, or a thicket. Many times, these areas support little forests of various trees, creating a very different composition that wouldn’t be present in the matrix of the open savannah otherwise. Animals always prefer to graze or browse on those termite mounds because it offers a better nutrient return for them. The animals and plants, including pangolins, who eat termites and trees like the Sterculia Africana, are making use of these nutrient-rich patches that are so important of the African savanna ecosystem.
Sterculia appendiculata, Dr. Stalmans’s favorite tree. Marc Stalmans
The particular smells of Gorongosa and Mozambique
At times of the year, you get particular smells. The one I like is the so-called potato bush Phyllanthus reticulatus. If you walk past that potato bush, especially towards the evening, you will get the smell which reminds you of a cooked potato or a mashed potato. Suddenly, you get this kind of whiffle. It’s interesting. It’s not a dominant smell in the landscape, it’s just when you walk past, suddenly, it hits you. It’s very close to the actual thing.
Problems with invasive species
We have a variety of invasive species, especially in the wetland areas. We’ve got the water hyacinth, which comes from Central America, but in much of Africa it’s been present for many decades, so it’s become part of the system.
We’ve got the invasive from Central America, Mimosa pigra. It’s been in the system since at least the 1960s. In other parts of Africa, it may have been brought in even earlier. It is a huge problem in a place like Kakadu National Park in Australia and I’ve seen it in other African parks too. Gorongosa was on the way of having a big problem with it. However, with the recovery of wildlife, they really like it and they’ve been keeping it kind of under control. It’s decreasing under the animal pressure, so it’s a mixed story about the invasive species. It’s something that we are always looking out for. We’ve got some pockets of things that are problematic, but generally it’s not too bad.
Native edible plants beloved by the people of Mozambique
One that’s very slightly less common where we are in the Central part of Mozambique, but especially present in the Southern part of Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana, is the African marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea). The tree is also called the elephant tree or the marriage tree locally, and it’s an extremely popular as a food source. One of the most popular uses is to make a traditional beer from it. Amarula liquor is made from the Marula fruit mixed with cream and sugar. It’s such a popular liquor nowadays that you can find it globally.
The new plant, Impatiens Wuerstenii, discovered by Bart Würsten. Marc Stalmans
On new plants found in Gorongosa
In this time of mass biodiversity loss, new plants are still being found. Since we started with the restoration project, the biological exploration of Mount Gorongosa, revealed a beautiful endemic plant species called Impatiens wuerstenii. This flowering perennial forb was found in rocky shaded areas, in the margins between the forests and the grasslands by the botanist and the plant’s namesake Bart Würsten.
There’s also a limestone substrate endemic flowering evergreen tree species that was found on the Eastern side of the park called Cola cheringoma (Sterculiaceae). It’s a big tree with a very narrow distribution and was only very recently discovered.
These recent findings are why Gorongosa is an endlessly fascinating place. It has a very-rich diversity, in part because of the heat of the rainfall, and is one of those very dynamic places that changes quickly. This is why, with a little assistance, Gorongosa was able to make such an extraordinary comeback.
Marc Stalmans, MSc, PhD, Director of Science for the Gorongosa National Park, is an ecologist with over 30 years of conservation research, planning, management, and development experience in Protected Area ecology.
Eurycorypha stalmans, a type of bush cricket, was named in honor of Dr. Marc Stalmans for his numerous and significant contributions to research and conservation in Gorongosa National Park.
Gayil Nalls, PhD, an interdisciplinary art and theorist, is the creator of World Sensorium and founder of the World Sensorium/Conservancy.
Plantings Print Annual 2023
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Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
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For years the Earth has been asking us to listen, but many of us only acknowledge the sounds of nature we hear in our day-to-day lives, such as that of bird song. However, many of nature’s sounds exist at frequencies unrecognizable to the human ear and so remain unperceived by us. While some may never consider the importance of these sounds, others have seen them as an opportunity to better communicate with the natural world and have developed a groundbreaking scientific technology that is preparing the way for a new wave of conversation.
In 2022, Karen Bakker published a book about the growing scientific field of “digital bioacoustics” titled, The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing Us Closer to the World of Animals and Plants. A popular term that is used repeatedly in the book is umwelt, which is how a specific organism experiences the world, or its worldview. This term is taking on a new meaning as our understanding of plant communication expands beyond the chemical to the auditory. “Digital bioacoustics” is allowing scientists to listen to the chatter of plants and animals that were previously inaccessible to the human ear.
For the first time, we will be able to know whether a plant communicates to others that it is hurt or in need of water, and to understand it’s needs and responses to external and internal factors.
Small microphones, like the ones you would find in your phone, but with the ability to detect higher frequencies, can be nailed to a tree anywhere in the world to record the sounds of the ecosystem there. They record a vast amount of data, and this is then run through an AI software that can in real time identify the species that is making the sounds, allowing scientists to gain a richer picture of a specific habitat. However, perhaps more excitingly, this AI software is being developed to recognize specific patterns in the audio, which would ultimately allow it to be used as a tool to translate this new natural language that has been discovered.
For the first time, we will be able to know whether a plant communicates to others that it is hurt or in need of water, and to understand it’s needs and responses to external and internal factors. For example, dry tomato and tobacco plants vibrate, producing distinct ultrasonic clicks or popping sounds, as many as 35 an hour, when stressed by dehydration or when injured. Understanding information such as this, potentially creates an opportunity for human intervention to allow plant species to thrive but more importantly, is educating humans on the experience of a range of different organisms, so that they might understand them better. Researchers are currently decoding the sound frequencies of long living East African Elephants and the coded sounds of Sperm Whales, creating dictionaries of their communications so we might better understand them. This research is also creating an opportunity to learn about the ecological knowledge they may hold.
Evidently, we are learning so much new information about the lives of plants and animals using bioacoustics. Individual scientists are making extraordinary discoveries, such as Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohne at the University of Zurich, who successfully collected recordings from over 50 species of turtles previously understood to be non-vocal (New Scientist, 2022). Tim Landgraf of Freie Universität Berlin studies the social networks and collective intelligence of honeybee colonies to understand the link between the communications of an individual and the emergent behavior of the group.
However, it is not just animals we are learning about, Austrian researchers have been monitoring trees with ultrasound sensors to understand why some trees recover from drought and others die. Five years of monitoring revealed that beeches (Fagus Sylvatica) are more drought-resilient than spruces. The drought stressed trees produced more signals than those getting rain. They say the sounds are from bubbles, called embolisms, which clog in the tree’s vasculature system due to insufficient water. Spruces pinged more, suggesting far more embolisms and therefore less water. Furthermore, when water was available again after a prolonged drought, these same spruces also had trouble replenishing their moisture reserves. (Plant Biology, December 2022)
These are all important individual discoveries, but bioacoustics also presents an amazing opportunity for the scientific community to utilize this new wealth of information on a larger scale. Previously impossible because of the cost of audio recorders, developments in technology means that a global acoustic monitoring program could be established worldwide. The sharing of data and recordings could be used to better demine how species are responding to the challenges of climate change and could chart population changes better than any system currently in place. This would allow for more advanced protection of species that are vulnerable, and significantly aid rewilding programs, both fundamental to conservation.
The AI programs that process the recorded sound are also fundamental to the conservational promise of digital bioacoustics, and they are advancing rapidly. A type of algorithm called convolutional neural network (CNN) has already been programmed so that it can identify 25 species of Puerto Rican frogs and birds simultaneously to a very high degree of accuracy. Tracking frequencies using this technology could allow scientists to track individual species closely, from afar. A decline in calls suggests a decline in species and may allow for the identification of diseases in communities earlier on. The possibilities seem endless, and as the technology develops these programs are only becoming more accessible. There are predictions we might reach a point where we can access a plant-focused Google Translate like software on our phones. Could the future really be a world in which we can understand the communication of the plants in our own yards?
Right now, digital bioacoustics present an exciting opportunity to expand our understanding of the natural world by giving us access to frequencies previously inaccessible to the human ear. As conservation efforts continue, we are presented with an opportunity to hear directly from plants about what strategies are working most effectively.
Gayil Nalls, PhD, an interdisciplinary art and theorist, is the creator of World Sensorium and founder of the World Sensorium/Conservancy.
Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
Georgia O’Keefe said, “I’ll paint what I see-what the flower is to me but I’ll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking the time to look at it – I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.”
To actually look closely at the stunning elegance of flowers is to see one of the most beautiful aspects of nature. The architecture of these botanical wonders is a testament to nature’s boundless creativity and ingenuity.
Marvel at the petals, the exquisite building blocks of floral architecture. Take a close look at a rose, for instance. Its delicate petals are like soft, velvety sheets, meticulously arranged in concentric circles. Each petal overlaps its neighbor, forming a protective shield around the precious reproductive organs within.
Consider the lily, with its striking trumpet-like shape. Its petals open wide, revealing an enchanting world within. Delicate stamens and pistils, like delicate threads, stretch out towards the heavens, beckoning insects, and birds to partake in the dance of pollination.
Each flower, in its own unique way, is a testament to nature’s ability to create astonishing architecture. From the delicate symmetry of a daisy to the elaborate beauty of a hibiscus, these botanical wonders showcase the ingenuity and creativity of our natural world.
So here, all in white, let us marvel at the architectural splendor of flowers, for they are living artworks that have enchanted and inspired humanity throughout the ages. In their delicate petals and intricate structures, we find a profound reminder of the extraordinary beauty that surrounds us, a reminder that even the smallest of organisms can leave us in awe and wonder.
John Steele is the Publisher, Editorial Director and founder of Nautilus, the online and print science magazine with a literary voice. He holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Utah.
Plantings Print Annual 2023
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Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
On May 12th 2023, I had the opportunity to speak to Callie Broaddus, Executive Director and Founder of Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, which is a non-profit focused on youth-led biodiversity conservation. Reserva’s mission is to empower young people to make a measurable difference for threatened species and habitats through conservation, education, and storytelling. This new organization has already made a significant difference in the establishment of the Dracula Youth Reserve in the Carachi Province, Ecuador which they are now fundraising to expand in a battle against illegal mining in the area.
Olivia Mermagen:
To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what led you to biodiversity conservation.
Callie Broaddus:
I think what led me to biodiversity conservation was being a human being concerned for the survival of the planet. But more than that, I grew up in rural Virginia, surrounded by nature. I was very lucky to have woods out my back door, and to grow up playing there, and watching ants scuttle across tree trunks and squirrels hiding walnuts. That fascination is impossible to get rid of.
That led me to National Geographic Kids where I worked for seven years as a book designer. While I was there, I was also working as a photographer. Then that became wildlife photography. The whole time, I was so inspired by the people who came through those doors, and the conversations you would have in the cafeteria, or at happy hour after work. There were so many people who had risked everything to make a difference in the field they were passionate about. So that really resonated with me.
During that time, I had started working in conservation on the side as a volunteer. I joined the Advisory Council for Rainforest Trust, and the board for a couple other nonprofits working in that space. It was really when Rainforest Trust asked me to join their council that sparked the moment of the idea for Reserva. They asked me to join this group of legendary conservationists, such as Russ Mittermeier (the Chief Conservation Officer of Re:wild), and I thought, “I am obviously not qualified for this. Why on earth would they ask me?”
Two things came to mind, and I thought, okay, well, maybe they’re asking me because they want me to try to make some link with National Geographic, or maybe it’s because I had this experience working closely with young people. But that got me thinking, what biodiversity conservation organizations out there are engaging with youth?
I couldn’t think of one. When I was researching, I found that most NGOs had educational resource pages that were targeted towards teachers rather than young people. These organizations want teachers to educate the youth to ensure engagement in the future but don’t consider the benefits they might offer now. So that’s why I started Reserva, because half the planet is under 31, we’ve got to figure out how it’s possible to get those people engaged, whether as scientists, working in the field, or through philanthropy at that international level. That was a really long answer, but…
No, it’s so wonderful that you went on that journey, and you founded Reserva. As a young person I feel very connected to its mission. I wanted to know how you ensure this consistent level of engagement with youth at Reserva.
It’s multi-faceted, so I apologize in advance. From a structural standpoint, it’s a nonprofit, so we have a board of directors and we wanted to be represented by youth on our governing board. So, we wrote into the bylaws that up to half of that group needs to be 18 to 26. And then, under that, we have the youth council, which, right now, is 100 young people around, we say, 26 and under, but we’re not carding, there are a couple people over that. Our council represents about 30 different countries, who are directly deciding the work that we’re doing. They hold votes and design and implement our initiatives with my support and guidance.
A trail that leads to a patch of land that Reserva is hoping to protect.
A trail that leads to a patch of land that Reserva is hoping to protect.
Anyway, from a structural perspective, that’s how. You make it required that youth lead. However, I’ll say that I’m not the best at it. I have no community training. I’m still learning. I think, when you’ve found something, it’s really hard to let go of things, and to be okay with things not being done exactly how you would do them. So letting people step up is super difficult. It’s really hard for me. That’s one of my biggest flaws. That’s been one of my personal growth challenges. But every time I do let go, and the youth council really takes something and runs with it, it’s always so impressive. It makes me feel amazing seeing that empowerment in action. So that’s one answer.
But to walk it back, we started around a single idea, which was to create the world’s first entirely youth-funded nature reserve. At the time, when I came up with the idea, this was around when Greta Thunberg first began striking. I felt that there weren’t enough solutions-based options for youth to get engaged. We came up with this idea, creating a youth-funded nature reserve, not only to show young people that there’s something they could do to make a difference right now, but also, to show world leaders and the public that young people can do more than protest. We can take real action and we mean it, and we’re willing to act, and not wait on the rest of the world to catch up.
This focused idea of youth in philanthropy and the financial power of youth was inspired by my sister, Finley, who we lost to cancer in 2014. While she was ill she really tried to use that time to make a difference, and she really proved to me that young people have the ability to inspire giving and real legitimate, measurable change. I thought about it and realized; I don’t give because I have money. I give because it makes me feel like I can change the things I care about. Finley was the same way. I think that, if we don’t try to engage youth in the process of giving, we’re depriving them of that feeling, and not giving them the opportunity to discover that feeling for themselves.
Giving and philanthropy doesn’t have to mean just money and that was something we felt strongly from the very beginning. You can be a philanthropist, like my sister was with her passion, with her story. You can be a philanthropist with your time, with your art, your talent. I think that, as we developed this idea of creating a youth-funded nature reserve, that necessitated these questions of, okay, if youth don’t have as much money as adults, what special qualities of youth can we tap into?
To shift to my third answer, the practical, what are we doing right now. We’re working internationally with youth through this youth council, to fundraise for specific projects that youth have selected on the ground. One of our current projects is in Ecuador. And then, as I said, we’re starting one probably in Columbia, and potentially a marine project as well. We’re not buying land, we’re funding local organizations who are already established and doing great work. Then we partner with those local groups to make sure that youth are practically engaged and run expeditions, so they have the opportunity to see the impact of their work firsthand. We want young people from all over the world, leading science, research, storytelling, exploration, and documentation of these sites.
It’s so inspiring to hear you talk about Reserva. You obviously have a very strong set of core values that you’re just not willing to compromise on, no matter what. My next question was going to be about your sister Finley, because I wanted to know how her story impacts your work. I know you’ve mentioned it already but, would you like to speak about it a bit more?
Finley was my little sister. She was six years younger than me. There was a helplessness to her situation, that she channeled into this incredible power for the planet. From when she was diagnosed to when she passed away, the most impactful moments to me where always those that happened when she recognized what measurable changes were happening because of her work.
Platystele finleyae sp. nov. A rare species of flower found in the Dracula nature reserve that is named after Callie’s late sister Finley.
Platystele finleyae sp. nov. A rare species of flower found in the Dracula nature reserve that is named after Callie’s late sister Finley.
She would do her rounds in the hospital, and any room that didn’t have anyone in it, she would poke in and turn off the lights. Then, other people, including the nurses, started doing it. People would take out the recycling and send her a picture and just be like, “I just started recycling because of you.” People were planting trees! Those were the moments where she felt more energy and felt life. There’s no more profound experience than seeing your sister go through that sort of a challenge. I think the lessons I watched her learn have really shaped how I approach conservation, and how I approach working with young people in general, and my view of what’s important.
When working with Reserva, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her and feel proud that I’m carrying her legacy forward in a way that I know how. She was always the climate person, and I was always the biodiversity person. I think she’d be proud. I wish that I could talk to her about it. I’m sure she would’ve been fun to brainstorm with. Starting a nonprofit is super hard but, in those moments, where, I think, maybe someone else might freak out or get really stressed, I have this clarity of purpose that, in many ways, she gave to me, and that’s really powerful.
She sounds like an amazing young person and I’m sure she’d be incredibly proud of your work. I hope that, through this interview, and through all your work, more people learn about Reserva and get engaged. The next thing I wanted to ask you about is the Dracula Youth Reserve in Ecuador, because it’s one of your organization’s biggest successes. I just wanted you to talk to us a little bit about that project and what it meant and how it functioned.
Thanks. First, I want to acknowledge that this project wouldn’t have been possible if not for the earlier action of a bunch of other organizations. About 10 years ago, the University of Basel Botanical Garden, the Orchid Conservation Alliance, The Orchid Society, Rainforest Trust. Some organizations and individuals who were concerned about this area got together and began a project called the Dracula Reserve Ecological Corridor. They began working with this local group, EcoMinga, to start buying up pieces of land that became available for sale by farmers to protect them. If they had not acted then, there would be nothing really left for us to participate in. So, I want to acknowledge their brilliant and early actions.
This project came about because, when we started, I approached the Rainforest Trust and said, “Would you be willing to partner with us and create the world’s first youth-funded nature reserve?” And they were like, “Yeah, for sure. Why has no one ever done this before?” They instantly took on this risk even though we had no idea if we’re going to be able to accomplish this. We had no concept of how long it would take us, how much we would be capable of raising, if people would lose interest in a couple of months, or if I was going to be a terrible leader. There were a huge number of risks. So I thank them and EcoMinga deeply for taking that risk with us.
It was about $90,000 to fund the purchase of 244 acres within the Dracula Reserve but because this reserve project is a corridor there are still large gaps that the local foundation is trying to fill. There are still a lot of land purchases that they’d like to make. We were just funding one of those land purchases. We also funded ranger salaries, some research, and the land titling process for 1,219 acres. It’s actually a much larger impact than what we shout about, but we mainly talk about those 244 acres. Rainforest Trust matched US dollar for dollar, and in about a year and a half we were able to raise the funds to purchase that piece of land, and EcoMinga secured it in 2021.
As I mentioned earlier, at the same time, we had been working with EcoMinga on the ground. This is what’s quite unusual about us, in comparison to other organizations. Most groups, like Rainforest Trust, they’re the most efficient organization in the world at getting money to local organizations. It’s essentially a funding mechanism. There’s very little that goes into site visits and working with people on the ground, but we’re small enough and nimble enough that we could have a real presence and support our partner more directly. For example, we’ve been doing research expeditions with them.
On one of those research expeditions, we encountered illegal activity by a Canadian gold mining company happening on the edge of the reserve, on a piece of land owned by a local woman and her husband, who is a farmer. These miners had destroyed a pristine canyon. We decided to step up and fund the purchase of that piece of land as our next project. We teamed up with Orchid Conservation Alliance, who have provided more than half of the funds, and we’re providing this other half, to protect 1,050 acres of this incredible, pristine cloud forest that’s also part of the corridor, but we’re still fundraising and trying to reach our target.
When all is said and done, our impact there will be about 1,300 acres. I don’t count it too stingily because it’s all teamwork. The reserve itself, after this purchase, will be in the realm of 6,300 acres.
Wow. That’s amazing. I hope readers are inspired to donate to Reserva and help it meet its target. You just outlined what’s going on right now, but are there any other projects that are coming up, or in the pipeline that are exciting you at the moment, or making you really excited for the future?
Yes, for sure. Yes, I spent the whole day yesterday working on this potential project in Columbia. I can’t share any more about that now, but I’m excited about the process that we’re starting. The potential partners we’ve begun talking to are wonderful. I’m looking forward to working there.
Callie (on right) with colleagues in Reserva’s Dracula Nature Reserve.
Callie (on right) with colleagues in Reserva’s Dracula Nature Reserve.
Another thing that I’m really excited about right now is the documentary we’re working on. It was the filming of this that led to the discovery of the mining. It’s called Otra Cosa (Something Else). We’ve been editing it for the last year and a half on all volunteer power. It’s going very slowly, because we have no money, but I am really excited to get it finished and have it seen, because it’s a pretty powerful story.
There’s another documentary that was just released called “Wild Hope: Does Nature Have Rights?”. It features our partners, their incredible work, and it features us as well. Anyone can go watch it right now for free because it was accepted into the 2023 World Wildlife Day Film Showcase. But it’s a 28-minute documentary, and it talks about this situation with mining in this region, and the hope that we have for winning this long battle that we’re engaged in.
I can’t wait to see it, and I can’t wait to find out more about the projects that are in the pipeline. What is the best way for young people to reach out to you and get involved with Reserva, so they can be a part of these exciting new projects?
The best way right now to participate is through our fundraising campaigns and our Million Letters campaign. Write a letter. Get your friends to write letters. This costs very little. Everyone can do it.
We bring the letters to the UN and share them directly with world leaders and environmental ministers. We would like to go to Turkey for the 2024 UN biodiversity conference. So please, write your letters and sponsor youth to attend that conference if you can. This campaign is a unique and friendly way to engage with ministers and with world leaders in a way that they’re not used to. It’s been incredibly effective for us at the last couple summits.
Then, helping us out on social media, sharing our posts, liking, commenting. Driving a social media presence not only helps us get the word out when we have something important we need to share, but it also shows potential sponsors, who may be willing to sponsor our virtual 5K that happens in the fall or other fundraising events. People look at those numbers, and they do care about them. So just helping us out on social media is huge.
Well, I’m certainly going to go home and write a letter.
Thinking about the big picture, what does the future of Reserva look like? Where do you want the organization to be in 10, 20 years?
I would love for the organization to have a staff that is dedicated to solving the challenges of youth entering conservation, and augmenting the incredible work that the big NGOs are doing. I would love for the organization to be set up as a partner for all these big groups, who are so good at what they do, and are so focused on their projects. I’d like for Reserva to be the group that figures out the challenges of engaging youth, so that we can help make their work more successful and more inclusive. I think that we will have a network of these youth-led, youth-focused reserve projects around the world. And I would love for them to be places where young scientists and young storytellers can look to, to get experience in their field.
I’d like for it to be an example of how this generation would do conservation. This generation and future generations, but especially this one. It’s the most socially conscious generation that’s ever lived. They’re reinventing how all social work should be done, work that’s more inclusive, more diverse, more equitable, more respecting of indigenous knowledge, indigenous ways of knowing, and more inviting in general, less competitive. I would like Reserva to iron out how those processes should be done. I consider youth to be a moral compass for humanity. So, I’d like us to do that.
Callie Broaddus is the founder and executive director of Reserva: The Youth Land Trust. Prior to launching Reserva, Callie was a Senior Designer at National Geographic Kids for seven years. She has worked around the world, photographing rhinos in Botswana, documenting sea level rise in the Marshall Islands, and leading Reserva’s participation in research expeditions to the Ecuadorian Chocó.
Olivia Mermagen is a conservationist and BFA student at New York University. You can follow Olivia on Instagram.
Plantings Print Annual 2023
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Plantings cultivates innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, nurturing the global conservation community. Our readers find inspiration in forward-thinking individuals and approaches dedicated to fostering a better life for the planet and all its inhabitants.
The 2023 edition of Plantings is available in our store for shipping.
It’s 2050. The world population has increased by 2.3 billion to 9.9 billion. Demand for food has risen 70 to 100 percent but a warming planet, extreme weather, and a decrease in arable land is threatening food security. Luckily, farmers can grow crops more densely, increasing yield from smaller plots of available agricultural land.
Packing crops so tightly wouldn’t have been possible three decades earlier. That’s because despite looking docile, plants are actually hypercompetitive. Grow two plants too close together and they start competing for resources like minerals, water, nutrients, and—once they start to shade one another—sunlight. Without adequate light, plants adapt rapidly through what’s called shade avoidance response (SAR). They reallocate energy into growing taller in an effort to harness sunlight, which results in stunted root growth and accelerated flowering time.
We’re not trying to be Dr. Frankenstein. We’ve been modifying genomes for 10,000 years.
“This comes at a tremendous cost,” explains Ullas Pedmale, an assistant professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where his lab studies the interactions of plants and the environment. “This change in energy basically leads to lower crop and biomass yield. The plant is now like, ‘Hey, I’m stressed, I’ve got very limited light, so let me make my offspring or seeds as soon as possible,’ because now the plant is thinking about its Darwinian evolutionary pressure to increase reproduction as soon as possible.”
Understanding SAR is especially important as major food crops—such as wheat, corn, potato, and tomato—are shade avoiders. But what if there was a way to grow plants densely without sacrificing yield? By learning about the genes involved in shade avoidance, Pedmale thinks he can shut down the plant’s state of distress, and perhaps engineer plants that can access sunlight but not panic into flowering early and stunting root growth thereby reducing yield.
A Tomato seedling. Jake7401, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pedmale has been researching how plants perceive and modify their architecture in response to light. Specifically, he is studying a group of proteins called cryptochromes, what he calls one of the eyes of the plant. Cryptochromes, the only group of receptors common among animals and plants, sense changes in the availability of blue light. A reduction in blue light or red light with an increase in far-red light indicates that a plant is in the shade, prompting it to switch on genes that, among other responses, stunt root growth. Understanding cryptochromes and their interplay with these genes could be an important aspect of mediating these responses and the key to growing crops at higher densities.
For more than 50 years, scientists have been studying how stems and leaves respond to being in the shade. Several years ago, Pedmale, who was originally looking into a plant’s above-ground architecture, realized that the roots are also an important aspect of SAR. As it turns out, when the shoots grow taller, the roots stop growing. Roots not only keep plants stable but also draw nutrition from the soil. Additionally, they are sources of food in crops like carrots and radishes.
Plant organs are divided into sources and sinks. Leaves, for example, whose main function is photosynthesis, are considered source organs: They provide and fix carbon. The carbon is then distributed throughout the plant. The roots are unable to fix their own carbon and are sink organs. “When a plant has enough resources, it can allocate resources into the storage, or sink, organ,” explains Christian Fankhauser, a professor of biology and medicine at the Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne. However, “if a plant wants to grow taller stems to take over the neighbors, it’s going to have to put more resources into the stem.”
This, Pedmale explains, becomes a vicious cycle as plants need a proper root system to support the shoot. “One recent aspect we’re studying is how the shoots communicate with the roots because roots are below ground,” he says. The roots can’t see sunlight but it’s clear the shoots are relaying that message to the roots. Researchers want to understand what is happening so they can block that signal from traveling to the roots, allowing the roots to do their job and in turn letting the shoots perform their functions and deliver the needed crops, Pedmale adds.
Further, a weak root system can be detrimental to crops, as roots are acting as a physical anchor and keeping plants secure. “It makes [plants] more vulnerable because if you have too much wind and they fall over, they actually are not going to be harvestable,” Fankhauser says.
The plant is like, “Hey, I’m stressed, I’ve got very limited light, and so let me make my offspring.”
Pedmale is trying to figure out what signals lead to stunted roots. His team compared the roots of tomato and Arabidopsis—the lab rat of plants—seedlings grown in light to the less developed roots of seedlings grown in the shade. They discovered that hundreds of genes plants use to respond to stress were switched on in the shade-grown plants, including dozens that encode proteins called WRKYs and regulate gene expression. To confirm those genes were responsible for the stunted roots, they engineered plants so that specific WRKY genes stayed highly active even in full sunlight. They found that the roots were stunted, similar to shade-grown plants.
“So now we have a proof of concept,” says Pedmale. He believes that perhaps selectively disabling the genes that push plants into the shade-avoiding mode could change their reaction so the roots can keep growing.
Using gene editing methods like CRISPR/Cas9, the researchers can interrupt or inactivate a gene by making a very precise cleavage in the genome. They can also reprogram gene expression by applying certain chemicals, like a type of steroid, to the plants. In this way, they can figure out exactly what works to help shade avoiders overcome their state of distress when they sense a reduction in blue and red light. CRISPR, in fact, is not unlike natural evolution—just much, much faster. With CRISPR, scientists can influence the direction of evolution, enhancing good traits and weeding out those that aren’t beneficial.
At the moment, Pedmale can’t estimate a timeline of when the results of this work could be scaled up and used in agriculture. “It’s hard to pin down, because [there are] so many things I can see go wrong,” he says. “For example, it’s possible that a gene responsible for shade avoidance response also performs other functions, [like] defending against pathogens.” Knocking that gene out, therefore, might cause other issues.
Another obstacle, and one that Fankhauser thinks is a major one, is public acceptance and related policies, as many people remain afraid of certain types of technologies when it comes to their food. Never mind that gene editing of the food supply goes back for millennia.
“It takes all this talking to people to try to convince them that we are not trying to be Dr. Frankenstein,” said Fankhauser, who noted we’ve been modifying the genome of animals and plants to fit our needs for the last 10,000 years. “Obviously, for the first 9,950 years or so, we had no idea about the genetic underpinnings of this enterprise: It was all kind of a random process. But now we do understand the genetic underpinnings [and] we can actually intervene in a much more directed, precise, way.”
Pedmale believes his research can have far reaching implications: “I feel that any progress we make in this area has the ability to touch everyone on planet Earth, because everyone has to eat.”
Sara Goudarzi’s work has appeared in Scientific American, The New York Times, and National Geographic News, among others. Her novel, The Almond in the Apricot, is forthcoming. Find her at saragoudarzi.com and @Saragoud.
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