From tiny forests
Why the Miyawaki method is gaining ground in the fight against climate change
Forests are vital for the natural world and the existence of all life on Earth. According to global conservation organisation WWF, we depend on them ‘for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change’. And yet a major cause of the latter is the alarming rate of disappearance of these carbon sinks. Experts estimate that the equivalent of around 36 American-football fields of trees are lost every minute because of deforestation – a figure that is both startling and unprecedented.
That’s why afforestation – planting new saplings where none existed before – and reforestation – replanting trees where they once grew but have been destroyed – are so important to the fight against climate change. While environmentalists are constantly thinking up new ways to approach the issue, one idea is experiencing a resurgence: the Miyawaki method.