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Rainforests are essential to our survival and well-being. They filter the air we breathe and water we drink. And do so much more. Nearly half the world’s wildlife call forests home. Around 300 million people live in forests and more than a billion depend on them for their livelihoods. Today, trees are being lost at a rate of 27 football fields per minute. Decades of exploitation have destroyed and degraded much of the Earth’s natural forests. In fact, we’ve already lost half of global forest land. Every action we take to protect the world’s forests makes a difference.
For deforestation-free future
Ending deforestation is our best chance to conserve wildlife and defend the rights and life of forest communities. In addition, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to curb global warming. That’s why, we create protected areas for forests and we plant native trees constantly with focus on the tropics, where it is the most diverse and threatened. In many tropical countries, the recovery of rainforest will only be realized by planting native tree species. Enrichment planting and complete restoration is also part of our work as it increases the biodiversity and resilience of large areas of forest.
In the last 10 years, we have been planting over 500,000 native trees and protecting vast areas of tropical forest in Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Every tree we plant is carefully monitored to ensure its survival and growth. Further, as part of our overall program, we support effective field activities that stem deforestation like training and equipping local people who can prevent illegal activities from poaching of wildlife to illegal logging.
Saving the giant dipterocarp forest
Giant dipterocarp forest extends from the tropical to the subtropical regions in South-east Asia. These forests, which are the most extensive forest types within the tropics, are greatly endangered and the least protected. More than half of the large trees observed in Southeast Asia rainforest belong to dipterocarp family accounting for the overwhelming majority of the tree biomass.
Endangered Species International (ESI) is also protecting the giant Dipterocarp forest in Southeast Asia. We have achieved numerous noticeable conservation progress like planting over 50,000 rare dipterocarp trees and preserving 20,000 hectares of this unique forest ecosystem. Planting and caring for dipterocarp trees is not an easy work. We must collect wildlings (wild seedlings) from the forest floor. This result in better genetic quality of the planting stock because these seedlings have already been through a selection process on the forest floor. Collection of wildings is not without its challenges, they often suffer from rapid and high mortality post-germination on the forest floor, and collection and transport can be logistically difficult, together with slow hardening off periods before planting.
Only every six years!
In the fascinating dipterocarp forest, mast flowering and fruiting events occur roughly once every six years. In mast years, huge numbers of flowers and fruits appear, seeds disperse, and seedlings carpet the forest floor. Only during that time, ESI staff is able to collect wild seedlings to be replanted one year later at key sites. The impacts of this boom–bust cycle on animal life and ecosystem processes are profound and unlike forests elsewhere.
Planted and not forgotten
Once planted, trees are not forgotten as we care for them over time to ensure survival and growth. Survival rates for planted dipterocarps have been recorded ranging from 40 to 86 percent. Under six ESI field sites, we have reached from 65 to 80 percent survival rate. In some cases, we use artificial shade house to ensure survival in seedlings of some Dipterocarpus species. When needed, we reduce the density of the subcanopy to increase seedling survival. Canopy openness has effects on growth, with dipterocarp seedlings growing faster under wider gaps. Interestingly, girdling of canopy trees led to increased relative height growth despite having no effect on light availability, suggestive of the potential effects of below ground competition. Once planted, dipterocarp seedlings require considerable tending to maintain optimal light environments for growth and survival, especially during restoration of completely degraded lands.
Your support makes a big difference
Protecting rainforest is where our story began, and it will always be a part of our DNA. Today, we know we must conserve and restore forests at an unprecedented scale—for the benefit of people, wildlife, and our climate. Your support is ensuring trees and forests continue to provide their life-giving services for people and nature.
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