How a Japanese technique is helping rewild ‘the forest at the end of the world’

In the tiny municipality of Juanacatlán, southbound of the metropolis of Guadalajara, Jalisco, a radical of section activists is turning to a Japanese gardening method to combat backmost biology pollution. The extremity is to alteration 4,000 quadrate meters into a heavy wood by planting implicit 12,000 trees. 

Dubbed the Forest of the End of the World, the task takes inspiration from the thought of however quality volition regenerate itself erstwhile humans are nary longer here.

Work is ongoing to reformed the Juanacatalán area. (Zona Turistica)

“As things progress, we judge it volition beryllium haphazard, featuring a premix of autochthonal species. Some areas volition person pockets of trees, portion others volition person clearings. Other areas volition person immoderate paths for animals,” laminitis of the task Enrique Enciso Rivera said.  

Rivera explained that the wood follows the Miyawaki method, a reforestation method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki (1928-2021), which mimics the earthy regeneration of autochthonal forests. One of its features is the planting of trees precise adjacent unneurotic to promote precocious density and vertical growth. Forests created with the Miyawaki method turn up to 10 times faster and are 30 times denser than accepted forests, fostering resilient ecosystems affluent successful biodiversity.

Activists person planted trees pursuing this spontaneous approach. Prickly pear cactus trees look successful 1 section, portion conscionable a fewer meters away, these are interspersed with pulque magueys and pitayas, creating the feeling of a godforsaken fragment among the lush greenery. Further back, different trees are arranged successful circular patterns.

The trees utilized for reforestation travel from seeds collected successful the adjacent hills. The seeds were germinated successful the Juan Rivera assemblage nursery successful El Salto – a tiny metropolis adjacent Juanacatlán – earlier being transported to the forest. 

Through this gardening technique, Rivera hopes for the wood to scope the proportions and characteristics of a 100-year-old forest.  This would assistance to combat contamination owed to the region’s proximity to the Santiago river, 1 of the astir contaminated rivers successful the country.

“I wanted this abstraction to beryllium a lung for the town, and to beryllium a lung, you request a batch of oxygen,” Rivera said. 

Since February, respective organizations person sent radical to assistance hole the onshore and works trees. These organizations include: the corporate Un Salto de Vida, to which Rivera belongs, students from National College of Professional Technical Education (CONALEP), the National Commission for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples, the Observatory connected Socio-Environmental Conflicts and Defense of Activists astatine the University of Guadalajara (UdeG).

So far, activists person planted astir 1,200 trees. As they proceed to works more, they request to attraction for and show the caller trees during their archetypal 3 years, arsenic this play is important for their survival.

“After 3 years, erstwhile the trees person established their roots, they volition clasp moisture and withstand drought. The large situation is helping them instrumentality root, which is wherefore we show them,” Rivera explained.

Rivera, 67, has lived each his beingness successful El Salto. He’s dedicated astatine slightest 30 years to denouncing the contamination successful the region, a combat helium has passed connected to his girl Sofia Enciso Gonzalez, and grandchildren.  

Along with students from CONALEP, Sofía has installed rectangular rootlike beds among the trees, wherever they turn beets, lettuce, celery, chilies, and aromatic herbs specified arsenic oregano and thyme. With her children, they observe and papers and place the animals and plants successful the country connected the iNaturalist app. Together they instrumentality photographs of fireworms, spiders, grasshoppers, and crickets to support a grounds of the insects that present unrecorded successful the forest.

Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was calved and raised successful Guadalajara and covers business, culture, manner and question for Mexico News Daily. You tin travel her manner blog Dunas y Palmeras.