The Pernambuco
Tree grows wild in the Atlantic Rain Forest. For
centuries it has been harvested to produce bows
for musical instruments. Because the Atlantic Rain
Forest is disappearing at an alarming rate, the
future of this tree lies in our ability to make
the tree a part of the normal harvesting of crops
which are economically sustainable. Hence the
Cacao project in which we seek to be able to grow
the Pernambuco Tree as a shade tree for the
growing of Cacao. If successful, the Pernambuco
Tree will become as plentiful as Palm Trees and
the future of the Music Tree will be assured.
Unfortunately no one knows
if the Pernambuco Tree can be tamed. Therefore, we
plan to conduct a variety of experiments,
manipulating various independent variables (e.g.,
moisture, nutrients, shade, wind, proximity) in
order to determine which variables produce the
highest quality wood.
One of the challenges with
this project is that it will take several years
before the trees are sufficiently mature to be
able to test the effects.
To accomplish our goals we
have a number of projects which you can
participate in. These are listed below. Click on
the link for a fuller description.
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 The Atlantic Rain
Forest is rapidly disappearing because the alternatives
are more economically attractive. The Joni
Mitchell refrain - "They took paradise and
put up a parking lot..." are not simply
words, as all over the world forests have given
way to houses, streets and parking lots.
Nonetheless, environmentalists have started to
counter this trend by trying to develop
economically sustainable projects in the forests
which provide the forests with an a priori reason
to exist.
We hope to achieve this
economic viability in two ways: ecotourism and
products. The first product we will establish are
orchids. Orchids are an ideal product because they
grow naturally in the forest and are unobtrusive
because they live off the existing vegetation. We
plan to develop species which will have appeal to
both the local and the International markets.
As we develop the rainforest
to cultivate orchids, we intend to have low impact
pathways and observation spaces where visitors can
spend time enjoying the natural wonders of the
rainforest.
To accomplish our goals we
have a number of projects which you can
participate in. These are listed below. Click on
the link for a fuller description.
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Our goal is not
only to establish the projects described here, but
also to teach the lessons learned, to the locals
as well as to the world.
What is true for our work in
the Atlantic Rain Forest will be just as true for
the Indonesian rainforests, or the Amazon, or
elsewhere.
We are establishing
relationships with colleges and universities in
Brazil, the United States, and Australia to invite
students and scholars to participate with us in
these projects and to help support other projects.
Through this website we are
planning to establish a webring of similar minded
websites to promote interaction.
We are also planning to
establish lecture series and CDs/DVDs which can be
used to promote the concepts developed here.
Please click here if you
want to join with us in this great endeavor.
For
a schedule of project dates for 2005 to 2006 click
here |
