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Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen extends their reafforestation projects from Africa to South America.

A few flocks of grass on sparse, rocky ground, shadowless patches with vegetables, almost no spots of green, that is how it looks like today in Santiago de Huari on the altiplano in Bolivia. But this is to be changed soon: The international environmental organization Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen, located in Weilheim i. Ob. did now start with the erection of a tree nursery which will create green oasis of trees for the local people in the former wooded area. The positive experiences of the successful reaforrestation project in Ondangwa/Nambia will come in useful as well as the newest knowledge in forestry science.

Tasty fruits, sustainable forests and a museum with seeds are planned in Santiago. The administration of Santiago de Huari offered a ground with the size of 10ha for the set up of the main tree nursery. On this ground a tree nursery will be erected for the cultivation of about 30.000 trees per year as well as a network of smaller local subsidiaries. To guarantee that the cuttings are strong and resistant against the often extreme weather conditions existing in this height mainly local species will be planted. To make the use of the project obvious for the local people at the beginning the employees of Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen will breed and plant mainly fruit trees but also local wood as fuel and construction material. Besides a nature trail (arboretum) is planned on the grounds of the main tree nursery where local trees will be planted and cultivated for future generations. "As in Namibia the tree nursery shall be a place of research, education, meeting and preservation of precious local seeds," says initiator and chairman Gottfried Brenner. Before generations the local people of the region have lost the knowledge about use and treatment of trees since the former existing forests where sacrificed for the mining business.

Active environment education in schools
A main concern of Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen is the active education about the environment. Therefore planting actions are organized with school children in and around Huari to give them a better understanding of ecological correlations. In Namibia this measure shows already results as children teach their parents enthusiastically what they learned in the tree nursery and the private gardens in Ondangwa are meanwhile full of fruit trees and ornamental plants.

Trees-Team erects tree nursery and starts first reafforestation project
Employee of the first hour is Lukas Flugel from Penzberg/Oberbayern Germany. He cooperates closely with the mayor of Huari, Guery Pablo and together with a local helper he is on train to collect the first local seeds and to prepare the ground for the erection of the tree nursery. His first project is the fencing and reafforestation of the region around the origin of the source, the drinking water supply of Huari. The energetic staff is always in contact with Gottfried Brenner, initiator and chairman of the organisation and he is supported by qualified forest warden Toni Suttner. On invitation of the community Huari Suttner was recently in Bolivia to write a study about the planned project and to start with preparations in the field of forestry science.
Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen is an international environmental organisation with the goal to improve the living condition of local people in cleared areas with the help of reafforestation projects and active education in environmental questions. At the moment the organisation is only financed with the help of sponsors of the free economy and of private donations, e.g. with the help of tree sponsorships. Further information about Trees for the World - Bäume für Menschen can be found in the internet: www. Baeume.de, trees@t-online.de or ++49-881-8001. You can find less recent press releases here.