June 14, 2019 was an important day in our current reforestation project in Monte Alto. The first 115 seedlings were planted on a previously deforested grassy area on “Arbor Day”. Schoolchildren from the neighboring schools, parents, volunteers and forestry workers planted the young trees under the professional guidance of our local forestry engineer Victor Esquivel. This planting day is also an integral part of our local environmental education and aims to teach the children about the importance of reforestation. Both children and adults took part enthusiastically!
On a second day, 300 seedlings were planted with the help of students from the technical university in Hojanche. Over 500 trees will follow in the next few weeks and will be cared for in this new Tropica Verde protection zone “Finca Alicia” for another 3-4 years. This continues until they are strong enough to grow on their own.
This planting campaign took over 12 months of hard work. Coordinated by Victor, over 1000 seeds of local tree species were painstakingly collected by hand in early 2018, dried and germinated in a specially built tree nursery (vivero). The young seedlings were then cared for and carefully prepared for planting. We are proud that we were ultimately able to plant almost 40 different tree and shrub species, some of which are rare.
It is another important step in the reforestation program in the once deforested and partially eroded valley basin of Monte Alto. This program has already led to an improved water supply for the local population, as the streams now carry water all year round. The program also helps to reintroduce endangered plant and animal species such as the tamandua, as the small anteater is called here.
