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CONSERVATION In 2003 the forest was lush and green, in sharp contrast to the surrounding hills J Rescue mission Oliver Whaley surveys dead huarango trees – a result of defoliating insect plagues l 18 KEW Winter 2009 PHOTOGRAPHS: OLIVER Q WHALEY Peru’s ancient huarango forests are dying as climate change takes hold. But there is cause for hope, reports Oliver Whaley, as Kew has been working with local communities to help restore and protect these vital habitats The same forest in 2008 – most of the trees are dead, the ground bare and baking in the sun ust five years ago I stood here before a verdant swathe of Peruvian forest that snaked through the desert and faded into the shimmering heat, its dark green canopy alive with birdsong. Today, every tree here is yellow, grey and dying. The huarango trees (Prosopis limensis), the cornerstone of this entire ecosystem, are standing dead. I walk, incredulous, through the forest, trying to assess the problem, testing the leafless branch tips as I go – if they bend there’s life in the tree yet, but sadly most branches snap with a puff of powdery wood. The forest floor is covered in drifts of fallen leaves, mixed with wood dust from beetles. The burning heat at the sun’s zenith rips into the once cool shade. The apocalyptic feeling is compounded as the sweet air of this dry forest is tainted with the bitter smell of distant charcoal ovens. The huarango trees in these oases beside the Río Poroma, Grande, Nasca and Ingenio, have stood here for hundreds of years and some for more than a thousand. The forests themselves have evolved over millions of years, as this is an ancient desert. Last time I visited, these relict forest patches had not yet been touched by the charcoal, distillery fuel or expanding agricultural industries that have consumed forests elsewhere, but now something far Davis elaborates that ‘the best way to more insidious has happened. address climate change is to preserve and As disturbance in the forest increased, restore natural ecological systems and stop the biodiversity and health of the forest had the loss of biodiversity.’ Kew scientists predict declined, the micro-climate changed, the that a quarter of the world’s plant species rich harvest of sweet, nutritious huarango are already threatened with extinction. beans faltered, and so the chainsaws had Along with these plants, millions of begun to illegally rip through this place. dependent species are also threatened. Soon this forest, like most before it, will Most indicators show biodiversity loss is be gone without an epitaph, with only still accelerating as habitat is fragmented, wind-swept dunes pouring in over the for- degraded or lost. According to UN figures, est floor, as though it had 18,000 to 55,000 species never existed. ‘the best way to address disappear each year, which Around the world, between climate change is to stop is1,000somewhere scientists witnessing rapid and 10,000 times the loss of biodiversity such the loss of biodiversity’ natural rate of extinction. as this are worried that as Loathe as researchers are climate change takes centre stage, time is to descend further into gloom, the biggest running out. The Earth’s climate and bio- concern now is that as biodiversity is lost diversity aren’t just related, they’re part of our capacity to adapt to both natural and the same system, even if cause and effect man-made change will be vastly reduced. are difficult to gauge. Reports in the media Peru is one of the countries predicted to focus on threats such as changing weather, be the most severely affected by climate sea-level rise and melting ice, which are all change. Its finely balanced ecosystems – on such a vast scale that they tend to over- which include rainforest, cloud forest, fog shadow the unseen tragedy of species loss. forest and dry forest – are being noticeably Like many scientists, Kew’s director Prof- altered, as each one is dependent on comessor Stephen Hopper believes that ‘the plex water-cycling systems that are under most finely tuned and sophisticated instru- threat. Peru’s extraordinary ecological range ment we have to gauge climate change is has produced an unparalleled diversity of biodiversity itself,’ while Kew’s Dr Aaron species and a flourishing culture that reflects l KEW Winter 2009 19 a landscape that surges from sea level to over 6,500m, from the driest areas of the world to some of the wettest. What’s happening here is a real insight into how biodiversity loss and climate change are already affecting people and landscapes around the world. The huarango dry forests in Peru’s southern desert have undergone centuries of deforestation and today little is left, but they are still a vital resource to thousands of people. They have a delicate ecological balance. In the forest I visited, several years of insect plagues had tipped the scales and caused the remaining forest to die. The impact on local forest-dependent people has been huge – once-thriving forest homesteads and villages now lie exposed and abandoned. The huarango bean harvest, which provided local people with their livelihood, fell from 350 tonnes in 1993 to less than eight tonnes in 2008. Huarango trees grow the longest roots in the world to tap deep underground water, fed by distant Andean rainfall. In winter the trees also capture fog as it drifts through the night in this land without rain. They desalinate the soil, provide fertility and are a key refuge for wildlife (see Kew magazine, winter 2006). However this capacity to thrive in the driest desert is perhaps an Achilles’ heel, and the narrow niche they live in tells us they’re not tolerant of change. The trees need understorey shrubs to protect their roots from overheating and to provide a habitat for birds and wasps that keep the trees free of diseases and insect plagues. A Kew project based in southern Peru that aims to restore habitats and aid the Despite their resilience, huarango trees suffer when livestock remove the understorey sustainable use of forests has recorded the views of local people. Their message is loud and clear – the local climate and biodiversity are being rapidly and drastically affected. Many of their stories offer stark insights, from a hard-working rubber tapper protecting his rainforest from the Inter-Oceanic Highway, to shepherds in Puno, where last year temperatures plunged to -20°C for the first time, and people had to tie ichu grass (Stipa ichu) around the eyes of their baby alpacas to prevent blindness as a result of the freak snow. But it’s not all bad news. There is reason to hope, as people find ways to adapt, and they welcome what organisations such as Kew can provide, be it advice on seed storage, species identification, or planting to recover impoverished soil. Work is under way to ensure the conservation of the huarango trees – thousands of the most resistant huarango varieties have been planted, together with tough, soilrestoring local tree species and ancient domesticated fruit trees. Using these species the Kew project has rolled out a programme of school and community planting, and restoration trials. Dedicated and enthusiastic local people have been encouraged to take ownership of the project through both the Huarango Festival, which is now held every April, and an education programme. To try to stem biodiversity loss, Kew has helped set up a number of small government-supported reserves. With dedicated local students and expertise from Kew and North America, plant surveys have ‘My father told us he remembers the foothills of Coropuna covered with trees, and between the trees there were ponds and green grass. Today we only have a few patches, but they remind us how wonderful it must have been. ‘Once some scientists came from Bolivia – they reckoned that one tree was 500 years old. Unfortunately it was cut down last week. I try to talk to people and beg them not to cut more trees down, as there is no fresh grass like we used to have, and the ponds no longer form – the few trees that are left are sacred to us. The deer, the pumas and now the snow cap of Coropuna – all these wonders are disappearing.’ Guillermo Escolástico Góngora Becerra – a farmer and defender of the queñuales trees (Polylepis) in Andaray, Arequipa Above: impoverished people resort to making charcoal from tree roots to sell as barbecue fuel ▲ PHOTOGRAPHS: OLIVER Q WHALEY, CLAUDIA LUTHI, EL CLIMA CAMBIA, MI VIDA TAMBIÉN, PERU (MINISTERIO DEL AMBIENTE, PDRS-GTZ, SPDA, DED) CONSERVATION When huarango trees are felled for charcoal, many dependent species are also lost Right: the insecteating turtupilin (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is still commonly seen ‘Before, I rented some land near my small farm to plant crops, but I couldn’t keep up the repayments on my loan from the bank. I fell into depression and moved to Lima. But the doctor recommended that I go back to the countryside, where I can live in peace. ‘I returned to my little farm, where I rebuilt my hut and planted more huarango trees. From their fruit I make a sweet syrup called algarrobina, which I eat. The trees give me joy, I feel good and live happily. It’s sad to kill a tree, because it’s like a person.’ Amelia Evangelina Aparicio de Alfaro – a farmer in Nasca ‘There was once a lot of forest – everything was green, but the people cut down the trees to make charcoal. In the past the weather wasn’t very cold, but now it is, and it gets very windy. ‘The trees I planted protect my house made of woven reeds. My husband likes to rest for a while in their shade when it gets really hot. ‘The waste from the copper mines is bad for our livestock. If there weren’t any plants, how much worse the pollution would be!’ Rosmery Oré Arangoitia – a goat-breeder in Trancas, Nasca l 20 KEW Winter 2009 l KEW Winter 2009 21 CONSERVATION Native trees are raised for replanting, with ongoing support from the charity Trees for Cities Huarango trees are at the heart of the community, used for food, fuel and fun Below, centre: huarango beans are sweet and highly nutritious, even unprocessed Below: Consuelo, from the project, teaches local children about useful native trees Local people are encouraged to join in and ultimately take control of the project Right: simple, efficient methods have been developed for growing native tree species PHOTOGRAPHS: OLIVER Q WHALEY Huarango festivals with exhibitions, food and music are proving popular and successful revealed more than triple the number of plants previously known for the region, including critically endangered and new species. Studies have identified seed dispersers and plant pollinators, and the crucial role of birds and lizards in the restoration of habitats, all of which will help to protect these forests. Importantly, in a large region that has lost much of its native forest, the seed of hope has been sown, as families begin a new tradition of planting useful native trees. In Peru many cultures and lives are still intricately connected to nature. People who l 22 KEW Winter 2009 have lived on the same land for many generations know what many of us have long forgotten – how to work with nature in order to adapt and survive, using old and new knowledge to understand and manage plant diversity wisely. There are no simple solutions to crises such as these, but experience shows that listening to local people creates vital connections that generate rewards. The UN has designated 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, so there is no better time for us to look at how much we value life on Earth. All over the world, Kew is finding that biodiversity is melting away, but when people and funding agencies collaborate across borders and cultural divides they can solve seemingly insurmountable problems. n Oliver Whaley is a habitat restoration project manager at Kew You can find out more about Kew’s work in Peru by going to www.kew.org/science/tropamerica/peru and also by going to news.bbc.co.uk and typing huarango into the search Kew tackles biodiversity loss around the world Launched in 2008, Kew’s Breathing Planet Programme (BPP) has several key aims, one of which is to team up with other organisations to target regions that are affected by climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss. Surveying, seed collecting, propagation and habitat-restoration research programmes will help people maintain and restore ecosystems and assist agricultural sustainability. The BPP gives global access to the essential information and cutting-edge research that Kew provides. Kew works with 800 organisations in more than 100 countries to this end. See www.kew.org/breathing-planet for details. l KEW Winter 2009 23