On Wednesday, November 4, 2015, the time had come: the trees of the Monte Alto bed in the Tropicarium of Frankfurt’s Palmengarten literally went under the knife. With the help of a lifting platform, the trees underwent their annual pruning. Pruning is particularly important for the health and life expectancy of trees. It is also necessary to prevent the trees from reaching the ceiling of the Tropicarium too quickly.
Just like at the hairdresser’s, the tips also need to be cut. To do this, Mr. Rudolph has to drive up to the ceiling with the lifting platform.
The “Monte Alto Bed”, which we have established in cooperation with the Palm Garden, is home to typical trees of tropical dry forests as well as some shrubs, herbs and cacti of this particular habitat type. Trees that we use for reforestation in our Monte Alto project can also be found in the bed.
Tropical dry forests, as seen here in the Palmengarten Frankfurt, can only be found in a few places around the world. This rare habitat can still be found on the Nicoja Peninsula on the west coast of Costa Rica. It provides an important habitat for the anteater, the griffin monkey, the capuchin monkey and many other species, some of which are endangered. Together with our local partner, the Fundación Monte Alto, we are working to ensure that this important habitat is preserved. We have now been awarded the ZeitZeicheN Prize 2015 in the “International Partnerships” category for our long-standing cooperation and the associated educational and public relations work in Germany and Costa Rica.
