‘Tree of life’ could help slow climate change as changing way fruit is harvested can boost ecosystem

Changing the way fruit is gathered from a “tree of life” could slow the impacts of climate change and boost the global ecosystem.

The palm tree Mauritia flexuosa was dubbed the “tree of life” by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt based on the plant’s nutritional value and food source for birds, fish and mammals.

An international research team, jointly led by the University of Leeds and the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP) has shown for the first time the widespread harm caused in Peru by cutting down the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa in order to harvest its fruit.

The scientists examined where and why the trees were felled, producing detailed maps and analysis to reveal the extent of the environmental and economic damage caused by cutting down the palms.

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Study lead author Gabriel Hidalgo, who conducted the research said: “Cutting down female palm trees to harvest the fruit has halved the total production of fruit of this palm that is available to local communities.

“This is a clear example of the impact of humans on natural resource levels, in an ecosystem that, on first look, appears undamaged.

“However, changing the way the fruit is harvested can increase both the number of fruit-bearing palms trees, and the value of these Amazonian peatland ecosystems to people.”

Their study, published in Nature Sustainability, uses data from 93 sites across the palm swamp forests found on the extensive lowland tropical peatlands in north eastern Peru.

Mauritia flexuosa is the most common species of tree in these peatland ecosystems that have the highest concentration of carbon of any part of the vast Amazon region.

The palm tree’s fruit, known as aguaje, is widely used in food and drink preparation, and is an important part of the north Peruvian economy. Where currently harvested, sale of its fruit represents 15–22 per cent of family incomes.

Dennis del Castillo, head of the PROBOSQUES research group at IIAP, said altering the harvesting method of the palm tree could also bring economic benefits similar in value to extracting oil.

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Increasing the value of these intact forests would also bring significant environmental benefits. Globally, tropical peatlands are one of the most carbon-rich landscapes, and keeping this carbon in the ground is crucial for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.

The research team discovered that the few places where an alternative harvesting method is employed – climbing the trees to gather the fruit – have a higher number of fruit-bearing female trees.

Climbing avoids killing the trees, which take about 10 years to reach maturity, growing up to 40 metres in height.

The research team, which also included scientists at the University of St Andrews and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, estimated that by switching to tree climbing to collect the fruit, the overall harvest could increase by 51 per cent, and generate $62 million a year for the local economy.

Tim Baker, Professor of Tropical Ecology and Conservation at Leeds’ School of Geography, said: “Reducing deforestation of tropical forests is a global priority to mitigate climate change. Achieving success depends on increasing the value of standing forest to people who live in these landscapes. This study demonstrates a pathway to do this in one of the most carbon-rich landscapes on the planet.”