What has fog got to do with forests? Quite a lot, actually –
both historically around the world and today in Southwest Morocco.
21 March has been celebrated as World Forestry Day since
1971 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Four years
ago, the day was adopted globally by the United Nations General Assembly as the
International Day of Forests. The day encourages action and education around
all types of forests. We all depend on forests for food and oxygen. Globally,
some 1.6 billion people directly depend on forested areas for their
livelihoods, medicine, fuel and food. Sustainable care for our trees is crucial
to global justice, the elimination of poverty, and food security – today and
tomorrow.
Forests account for one third of our planet’s land area.
Unfortunately, that number is shrinking. Intentional deforestation for timber
and farmland reduces forested areas; desertification and climate change further
threaten beautiful and vital ecosystems. These problems are circular: trees
play an important role in the planet’s carbon system, using carbon in their
photosynthesis and releasing the oxygen we need to breathe. Cutting down trees
increases carbon emissions and makes climate change worse. Increased drought
and severe weather events then contribute to more forest destruction.
Happily, there are steps we can take to protect our forests,
our planet, and ourselves. The theme of the 2016 International Day of Forests
is Forests and Water. “In this first year of implementing the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, the International Day of Forests focuses on their role
in supporting water systems…Investing in forests is an insurance policy for the
planet.”
-United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Dar Si Hmad is currently embarking on a project to use our
fog project to invest in forests.
Forested areas have been tied to fog harvesting since the
practice was first used. In
her book, La capitatión del agua de la niebla en la isla de Tenerife (Caja
Canarias: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 2003), Dar Si Hmad’s research partner Vicky
Marzol shows
 |
| The Canary Island Cloud Forest Photo credit Luc Viatour via Wiki Commons |
that the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands collected fog water
under large trees. The world’s first known fog collectors dug holes where there
was a great amount of foliage; fog droplets would condense on tree leaves and
fall into the holes.
In the Aït
Baamrane region of Southwest Morocco, Dar Si Hmad and our partner villages run
the largest fog harvesting system in North Africa. The mountainous desert
landscape does not allow for the kind of collection Canary Islanders can do in
their cloud forests. Instead, we use specially designed nets to capture fog. A
carefully maintained system stores and distributes the fog water to five rural
Amazigh villages. The families in our fog community now have running water in their homes for the first time.
Since we
began our feasibility study for the fog project more than a decade ago,
significant advancements have been made in the technology around fog
harvesting. With partners like Vicky and Germany’s Wasserstiftung,
Dar Si Hmad is now putting in more efficient nets that are able to collect more
water per square meter of net.
Thanks to
regular community education and generations of local knowledge, our fog
villages use water very sustainably. This means that our increased yield can
contribute not only to water for more villages but also to expanding programs.
We are now in the process of conducting a feasibility study and seeking funding
for a reforestation project – to be fed with fog water. Using fog water to
support reforestation will sustain a holistic, healthy ecosystem to the benefit
of plant, animal and human life in the region in a way that is ecologically friendly and socially responsible.
Forests are vital to water for human life. The UN’s choice
of theme this year helps raise awareness about how forests are key to the
planet’s supply of freshwater. Trees act as natural water filters. Forested watersheds
and wetlands supply 75% of our global supply of accessible freshwater. Nearly one-third
of our largest cities rely on forested areas for drinking water.
But water is also vital to forests! The interconnected of
natural systems creates constant feedback loops. We rely on forests and water. With
projects like Dar Si Hmad’s new ‘fog forest’, we can give back to the
ecosystems that sustain human society – and make sure that future generations
are able to thrive.
Happy International Day of Forests from Dar Si Hmad...plant a tree today!
No comments:
Post a Comment