Dear presidents of the nine Amazonian countries and to all world leaders that share responsibility for the plundering of our rainforest,

My name is Nemonte Nenquimo. I am a Waorani woman, a mother, and a leader of my people.

The Amazon rainforest is my home. I am writing you this letter because the fires are raging still. Because the corporations are spilling oil in our rivers. Because the miners are stealing gold (as they have been for 500 years), and leaving behind open pits and toxins. Because the land grabbers are cutting down primary forest so that the cattle can graze, plantations can be grown and the white man can eat. Because our elders are dying from coronavirus, while you are planning your next moves to cut up our lands to stimulate an economy that has never benefited us. Because, as Indigenous peoples, we are fighting to protect what we love – our way of life, our rivers, the animals, our forests, life on Earth – and it’s time that you listened to us.
In each of our many hundreds of different languages across the Amazon, we have a word for you – the outsider, the stranger. In my language, WaoTededo, that word is “cowori”. And it doesn’t need to be a bad word. But you have made it so. For us, the word has come to mean (and in a terrible way, your society has come to represent): the white man that knows too little for the power that he wields, and the damage that he causes.

You are probably not used to an Indigenous woman calling you ignorant and, less so, on a platform such as this. But for Indigenous peoples it is clear: the less you know about something, the less value it has to you, and the easier it is to destroy. And by easy, I mean: guiltlessly, remorselessly, foolishly, even righteously. And this is exactly what you are doing to us as Indigenous peoples, to our rainforest territories, and ultimately to our planet’s climate.

It took us thousands of years to get to know the Amazon rainforest. To understand her ways, her secrets, to learn how to survive and thrive with her. And for my people, the Waorani, we have only known you for 70 years (we were “contacted” in the 1950s by American evangelical missionaries), but we are fast learners, and you are not as complex as the rainforest.

When you say that the oil companies have marvellous new technologies that can sip the oil from beneath our lands like hummingbirds sip nectar from a flower, we know that you are lying because we live downriver from the spills. When you say that the Amazon is not burning, we do not need satellite images to prove you wrong; we are choking on the smoke of the fruit orchards that our ancestors planted centuries ago. When you say that you are urgently looking for climate solutions, yet continue to build a world economy based on extraction and pollution, we know you are lying because we are the closest to the land, and the first to hear her cries.

I never had the chance to go to university, and become a doctor, or a lawyer, a politician, or a scientist. My elders are my teachers. The forest is my teacher. And I have learned enough (and I speak shoulder to shoulder with my Indigenous brothers and sisters across the world) to know that you have lost your way, and that you are in trouble (though you don’t fully understand it yet) and that your trouble is a threat to every form of life on Earth.
You forced your civilisation upon us and now look where we are: global pandemic, climate crisis, species extinction and, driving it all, widespread spiritual poverty. In all these years of taking, taking, taking from our lands, you have not had the courage, or the curiosity, or the respect to get to know us. To understand how we see, and think, and feel, and what we know about life on this Earth.
I won’t be able to teach you in this letter, either. But what I can say is that it has to do with thousands and thousands of years of love for this forest, for this place. Love in the deepest sense, as reverence. This forest has taught us how to walk lightly, and because we have listened, learned and defended her, she has given us everything: water, clean air, nourishment, shelter, medicines, happiness, meaning. And you are taking all this away, not just from us, but from everyone on the planet, and from future generations.

It is the early morning in the Amazon, just before first light: a time that is meant for us to share our dreams, our most potent thoughts. And so I say to all of you: the Earth does not expect you to save her, she expects you to respect her. And we, as Indigenous peoples, expect the same.

• Nemonte Nenquimo is cofounder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit organisation Ceibo Alliance, the first female president of the Waorani organisation of Pastaza province and one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/12/western-worldyour-civilisation-killing-life-on-earth-indigenous-amazon-planet

Debra Bernier is an extraordinary artist from Victoria, Canada. She uses natural materials, such as driftwood, clay, and shells to create mesmerising sculptures. These intricate pieces represent the spirits of nature as human fusing together with the natural material. “When I work with driftwood, I never start with a blank canvas. Each piece of driftwood is already a sculpture, created by the caresses of the waves and wind. The wood tells a story and I try to think of its journey as I hold it in my hand. I extend or shorten the curves and contours that already exist into familiar shapes of animals or peoples’ faces.”

The sculptor is inspired by her love for what is most sacred in the world – children, animals, nature. “The finished pieces are a reflection of not only my life, my family, and children, but of an eternal, sacred connection we all share with nature,” she says.

Debra was in love with the beach and nature from childhood and she is still happy and thankful that she is able to share this love and her art with people. “The little girl in me is still fascinated by the shapes in wood, the sun sparkling on the water, smooth, grey stones, and salty seaweed. Simplicity brings me more happiness than complexity. I hope to share this with others.”

https://www.boredpanda.com/driftwood-spirit-sculptures-debra-bernier/

“My name is Ágnes Herczeg. I was born in Hungary and I still live here in a small town next to the river Danube.

I graduated from the University of Fine Arts in Budapest as a textile restorer. I am interested in the embroidery techniques by which the textiles in museums were made; I have tried many of these during the years. Closest to my heart are lace techniques, I have devoted most ofmy time to studying needle lace and pillow lace.

I started working with lace works in 2013. I mainly use natural threads of plant origin like linen, hemp, cotton, jute, raphia etc. While preparing a lace work, I usually make use of threads of different origin and thickness and I also apply several techniques. I mainly use needle lace technique, which I frequently combine with pillow lace and braiding work.

Preparing needle lace is a time-consuming and delicate work, which requires a high degree of attention. I like preparing laces with very thin threads, for which I used to apply madeira viscose threads, but currently I prefer working with pure silk thread. The contour of the needle lace works is made of thin wires, which enables a suitable stiffness. The pattern and density of the stitches within the contours determines the graphics of the given work, which is a process based completely on improvisation. It is like drawing with the help of stitches. The lace work is dyed afterwards, which might be the most exciting phase of all as this is the part when my work becomes a picture.

The frame of the pictures is made of small branches, bark, coconut shell or any other material of my liking. This “frame” constitutes a compositional part of the picture.

I lay high emphasis on planning as I have to provide not solely visual content for the picture but also elaborate its structural elements and the order of work phases as well; which may sometimes be as complicated as solving a riddle.

It is very important for me to be able to continually learn during my work and perfectionise my techniques, as well as to try new materials“.

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http://www.agnesherczeg.com
https://www.instagram.com/agnesherczeg_lace/

Coccoloba gigantifolia (Polygonaceae) is a newly described plant species from the Brazilian Amazon. It reportedly has the largest leaves in the world! These leaves were measured at >200 cm in length.

Botanists from the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) in Manaus, Brazil first encountered an individual of the unknown Coccoloba tree in 1982 while surveying the Madeira River Basin in the Brazilian Amazon.

They spotted more individuals of the plant over subsequent expeditions in the 1980s. But they couldn’t pinpoint the species at the time.

The individual trees weren’t bearing any flowers or fruits then, parts that are essential to describing a plant species, and their leaves were too large to dehydrate, press and carry back to INPA. The researchers did take notes and photographs.

In 1993, botanists managed to finally collect two large leaves from a tree in the state of Rondônia, which they then framed for public viewing at INPA.

“The species became locally famous, but due to the lack of reproductive material it could not be described as a new species for science,” Rogério Gribel, a researcher at INPA, told Mongabay in an email.

It was more than a decade later, in 2005, that Gribel and his colleague, Carlos Alberto Cid Ferreira, collected some seeds and dying flowers from a tree in Jamari National Forest.

Again, these materials weren’t good enough to describe the plant species. So they sowed the seeds at the INPA campus, grew the seedlings, and waited. Their patience bore fruit 13 years later. Literally.

The researchers say that C. gigantifolia, which grows to about 15 meters (49 feet) in height and has leaves that can reach 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length, likely has the largest known leaf among dicotyledonous plants — a large group of flowering plants that include sunflowers, hibiscus, tomatoes and roses.

These plants have seeds that can be split into two identical halves, each forming the first two embryonic leaves of the seedling, and their leaves generally have branched veins. The seeds of monocotyledonous plants, by contrast, give out a single embryonic leaf and the grown plants’ leaves have parallel veins, such as those of palm trees, grasses, orchids and bananas.

“Comparing leaf size between species is often difficult as there is a large individual variation in leaf size within the same species,“Gribel said. “It is possible that this leadership of Coccoloba gigantifolia will be challenged in the future. For example, species of Gunnera, a genus of wide distribution worldwide, also exhibit huge leaves. But the Gunnera species are not arboreal.“

Although C. gigantifolia has been known in the public and the scientific community for nearly four decades, describing it formally and giving it an official name was an essential step to complete.

“A known but undescribed species is like a person without a birth certificate or ID; it is like a person who does not formally have their identity recognised,” Gribel said. “For example, in Brazil there is currently a major effort by the scientific community to catalogue the national flora. Although known for many years, Coccoloba gigantifolia could not so far be added to the Brazilian Plant List by the scientists participating of this great initiative.”

Without a formal identity, it’s also difficult to assess the plant’s conservation status. “Initiatives to prevent its extinction are also impaired if the plant has no scientific name,” Gribel said. “Similarly, measures to regulate collection, trade, transport, planting, etc. depend on species recognition as a single taxonomic entity.”

As shown in the satellite data, these areas have experienced heavy deforestation over the past couple decades.

“The middle and low stretches of the Madeira River still have much of their forest conserved but deforestation has been growing rapidly in these areas especially in northeastern Rondônia and southern Amazonas,” Gribel said. “The Samuel Dam in the Jamari River (and possibly the Santo Antonio and Jirau Dams in the Madeira River) flooded tens of thousands of hectares of forests with Coccoloba gigantifolia and may have negatively affected the populations. The ongoing paving of the BR319 highway will increase deforestation throughout the Middle and Lower Madeira region.”

Moreover, the level of water is constantly increasing in the region, probably increasing the ‘pressure’ on Coccoloba gigantifolia.

The authors have recommended listing the new tree species Coccoloba gigantifolia as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Monga Bay

Reference ~ https://strangesounds.org/2019/12/new-tree-species-giant-leaves-brazil-amazon-photo-video.html

Melo, E. D., Ferreira, C. A. C., & Gribel, R. (2019). A new species of Coccoloba P. Browne (Polygonaceae) from the Brazilian Amazon with exceptionally large leaves. Acta Amazonica, 49(4), 324-329.

Julia Butterfly Hill is an environmental activist. She is best known for having lived in a 180 ft {55m} tall, roughly 1500 year old California Redwood tree for 738 days between 10th December 1997 and 18th December 1999. Hill lived in the tree affectionately known as Luna to prevent Pacific Lumber Company loggers for cutting it down.

In August 1996, at age 22, Hill suffered a near-fatal car crash. At the time, Hill was acting as the designated driver for a friend who had been drinking. Her friend’s car was hit from behind by a drunk driver. The steering wheel of the car penetrated Hill’s skull. It took almost a year of intensive therapy before she regained the ability to speak and walk normally. She said:

“As I recovered, I realized that my whole life had been out of balance … I had graduated from high school at 16, and had been working nonstop since then, first as a waitress, then as a restaurant manager. I had been obsessed by my career, success, and material things. The crash woke me up to the importance of the moment, and doing whatever I could to make a positive impact on the future. The steering wheel in my head, both figuratively and literally, steered me in a new direction in my life”.

After recuperating from her accident, Hill took a road trip to California and attended a reggae fundraiser to save the forests. A group of “front-liners” had been rotating tree sitters in and out of giant redwoods in Humboldt County every couple days to stave off Pacific Lumber Company loggers who were clear-cutting. Organisers wanted someone to stay in the tree for one week. “Nobody else would volunteer so they had to pick me”, said Hill.

Originally, Hill was not officially affiliated with any environmental organization, deciding by herself to undertake civil disobedience. Soon, Hill was actively supported by Earth First!, among other organizations, and by volunteers.

On 10th December 1997, Hill ascended the redwood tree Luna to a height of 180 feet (55 m).

An hour and a half after reaching the base of the tree, we got the last of the provisions up. By then it was midnight. Finally, I was able to put on the harness and ascend Luna. It seemed an exhausting eternity before I reached the top. When I finally got there, I untangled myself from the harness and looked around for a place to collapse.

Hill lived on two 6-by-6-foot (1.8 by 1.8 m) platforms for 738 days. Luna’s trunk was her sidewalk and exercise treadmill. Hill learned many survival skills while living in Luna, such as “seldom washing the soles of her feet, because the sap helped her feet stick to the branches better.” Hill used solar-powered cell phones for radio interviews, she became an “in-tree” correspondent for a cable television show, and hosted TV crews to protest old-growth clear cutting. With ropes, Hill hoisted up survival supplies brought by an eight-member support crew. To keep warm, Hill wrapped herself tight in a sleeping bag, leaving only a small hole for breathing. For meals, Hill used a single-burner propane stove. Throughout her ordeal, Hill weathered freezing rains and 40 mph (64 km/h) winds from El Niño, helicopter harassment, a ten-day siege by company security guards, and attempted intimidation by angry loggers.

A resolution was reached in 1999 when the Pacific Lumber Company agreed to preserve Luna and all trees within a 200-foot (61 m) buffer zone. In exchange, Hill agreed to vacate the tree. In addition, the $50,000 that Hill and other activists raised during the cause was given to the logging company, as stipulated by the resolution. The $50,000 Earth First! paid to Pacific Lumber was then donated to Humboldt State University as part of the agreement for research into sustainable forestry.

Vandals later cut the tree with a chainsaw. A gash in the 200-foot (61 m)-tall redwood was discovered in November 2000 by one of Hill’s supporters. Observers at the scene said the cut measured 32 inches (810 mm) deep and 19 feet (5.8 m) around the base, somewhat less than half the circumference of the tree. The gash was treated with a herbal remedy, and the tree was stabilized with steel cables. As of spring 2007, the tree was doing well with new growth each year. Caretakers routinely climb the tree to check its condition and to maintain the steel guywires.

Since her tree sit, Hill has become a motivational speaker (holding some 250 events a year), a best-selling author, In addition to writing a bestselling book, “The Legacy of Luna,”

Hill also penned an environmental handbook, “One Makes the Difference” and the co-founder of the Circle of Life Foundation (which helped organise We The Planet, an eco-friendly music tour) and the Engage Network, a nonprofit that trains small groups of civic leaders to work toward social change.

Photo by Steve Hindle

Have you ever made a “leaf face” by folding foliage in half before cutting out two eyes and a mouth? Far from those misshapen childhood creations, a Japanese artist known as lito_leafart on Instagram brings leaf art to a whole new level with his unbe-leaf-ably intricate designs. He meticulously carves out entire scenes onto the delicate, green surfaces.

From critters at the supermarket to a family of penguins atop of a turtle, lito_leafart’s cute creations are not only impressively hand-cut, but also incredibly imaginative. Each leaf design tells its own story, like a whimsical children’s book illustration that can be held in the palm of your hand. The artist holds each of his leaves to the sky before photographing it, allowing the sunlight to reveal the many tiny details.

Although each leaf will eventually wilt away, lito_leafart’s portfolio continues to grow. The talented artist—who has ADHD—makes one piece of leaf art per day, as a way to focus and calm down. Each leaf showcases his incredible patience and artistic ability.

Reference https://mymodernmet.com/leaf-art/

• Landowners who plant native trees that soak up CO2 get environmental credits
• These can be sold to companies seeking to improve their carbon footprint
• Study finds this may be more profitable than sheep farming for some farms
• Farmers with at least 25 hectares of land could turn a profit if they allowed land to naturally regenerate into woodland and were paid £3 a tonne for the credit

Sheep farmers could be better off if they abandoned their flocks and let some of their land become overgrown and returned to woodland.
Currently, many sheep farmers are reliant on Government subsidies for income and the occupation is not profitable without these payments.

But by letting farmland turn into woods, farmers would be eligible to pocket lucrative ‘credits’ afforded to landowners who allow native trees to grow.

Private companies pay out for these credits to offset their carbon emissions and meet guidelines laid out as part of the Government’s environmental prioritisation.

The study from the University of Sheffield comes as the Government shifts the post-Brexit farming payments regime away from subsidies for the amount of land farmed to paying for ‘public goods’ such as storing carbon and stopping flooding.

Livestock farming is heavily dependent on subsidies, and also generates greenhouse gas emissions, with sheep farming accounting for around one per cent of the UK’s total climate pollution, the university’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures said.

But the UK, with tree cover of 8 per cent, making it one of the least densely forested countries in Europe, has a large potential for restoring and creating woodlands to help soak up carbon emissions, the study said.
It found that farmers with at least 25 hectares of land (60 acres) could turn a profit if they allowed it to naturally regenerate into woodland and were paid as little as £3 a tonne for the carbon the woods store.

The credits could be bought by businesses or individuals who want to offset their emissions, for example from flights.

If they were sold for £15 a tonne – the current market price for carbon credits – they could make forests of any size profitable, the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters said.

Natural regeneration would work in areas close to existing woodland which would provide seeds for the land.

If farmers had to plant trees, they would need a price of around £42 per tonne of carbon stored – although Government grants in England can cover 80 per cent of costs, which makes planting profitable from £9 a tonne, the study said.

Professor Colin Osborne, from the University of Sheffield and lead author of the study, said: ‘Sheep farming in the UK is not profitable without subsidies, but forests that sell carbon credits can be economically viable – so it makes sense for the Government to help farmers transition.

‘Using public money to actively prevent reforestation in the UK and Europe is morally questionable given the pressure western governments place on the global south to end tropical deforestation.

‘Ultimately, these come down to political questions of how we want our countryside to be used, how we value livestock production over the global costs of climate breakdown, and how the Government supports farmers and rural communities.’

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, said expecting sheep farmers to give up farming sheep and plant forests ‘ignores two basic facts’.

‘Firstly sheep farming is more than just a business, it is part of our culture and heritage and farmers get huge pride and satisfaction from farming sheep,’ he said.

Secondly, land management had to be looked at on a multi-functional basis, he said, adding: ‘Sheep farmers are managing one of our most precious resources – grassland – while also producing a fantastic and nutritious food from it.’

He said grassland stored carbon and supported wildlife, and sheep farming was at the heart of rural communities that the public benefited from when they came to the countryside.

Reference https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8686511/Sheep-farmers-profit-letting-land-return-forest.html.

Ancient 2,000-year-old redwoods have survived California wildfires – including 329ft tall Mother of the Forest tree – as state continues battle against three huge blazes that have destroyed 1.2m acres, killed seven and put 250,000 under evacuation orders

• Three massive wildfires are raging in Northern California as 250,000 people are under evacuation orders
• The large fires include: The LNU Lightning Complex, the SCU Lightning Complex, and the CZU Lightning Fire
• CZU Lightning Fire tore through 18,000-acre Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Northern California
• But while the ancient redwoods did sustain damage from the fires, the historic trees will survive, experts say
• Since mid-August there have been more than 13,000 lightning strikes, sparking 600 wildfires in the state
• The blazes have burned through more than 1.2million acres or 1,875 square miles
• More than 1,200 buildings have been destroyed and 14,000 firefighters have been deployed

When a massive wildfire swept through California’s oldest state park last week it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed.

But an Associated Press reporter and photographer hiked the renowned Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Monday and confirmed most of the ancient redwoods had withstood the blaze.

Among the survivors is one dubbed Mother of the Forest.

‘That is such good news, I can’t tell you how much that gives me peace of mind,’ said Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, an environmental group dedicated to the protection of redwoods and their habitats.

The historic park headquarters is gone, as are many small buildings and campground infrastructure that went up in flames as fire swept through the park about 45 miles south of San Francisco.

‘But the forest is not gone,’ McLendon said. ‘It will regrow. Every old growth redwood I’ve ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.’

When forest fires, windstorms and lightning hit redwood trees, those that don’t topple can resprout.

Mother of the Forest, for example, used to be 329 feet tall, the tallest tree in the park. After the top broke off in a storm, a new trunk sprouted where the old growth had been.

Trees that fall feed the forest floor, and become nurse trees from which new redwoods grow. Forest critters, from banana slugs to insects, thrive under logs.

On Monday, Steller’s jays searched for insects around the park´s partially burned outdoor amphitheater and woodpeckers could be heard hammering on trees.

Occasionally a thundering crash echoed through the valley as large branches or burning trees fell.

When Big Basin opened in 1902 it marked the genesis of redwood conservation. The park now receives about 250,000 visitors a year from around the world, and millions have walked the Redwood Trail.

The park only recently reopened after COVID-19 related closures and now is closed -because of the fire. The road in is blocked by several large trees that fell across it, some waist-high, some still on fire.

While there is a great deal of work to be done rebuilding campgrounds, clearing trails and managing damaged madrones, oaks and firs, Big Basin will recover, McLendon said. The forest, in some ways, is resetting,’ she said.

State Parks District Superintendent Chris Spohrer said he was pleased to know the redwoods had survived. He said an assessment team had only been able to check buildings so far, and that he hopes they can inspect the trees in the coming days. ‘The reason those trees are so old is because they are really resilient,’ he said.

As of Monday more than 10million people in the West were under red-flag warnings, which means warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds provide for an increased risk of fire danger, according to the National Weather Serivice.

The fires have been further complicated by evacuations amid the coronavirus pandemic and looting in some areas. ‘What we’re hearing from the community is that there’s a lot of looting going on,’ Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said, adding that 100 officers were patrolling areas and anyone not authorized to be in evacuation zones would be arrested.

Gov. Newsom has issued a checklist for residents to take face masks, sanitation supplies, important documents, medication and three days’ worth of food and water.

Over the weekend Newsom said the state received a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration due to the fires meaning President Trump released federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.

This year there’s been a spike in wildfires. So far in 2020 there’s been 7,014 fires compared to 4,292 at this time in California last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

Reference https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8660133/California-continues-battle-against-three-large-wildfires-sparked-13-000-lightning-strikes.html