A group of children from the Bellavista community listen as Orlando explains planting techniques.

Ecuador’s Dry Tropical Forest is one of the most threatened habitats in the world. It is estimated that less than 1-2% of original dry-tropical coverage remain. It harbours extraordinarily high levels of unique species and biological diversity. In some areas more than 270 bird species have been counted. 77 of these bird species are endemic to this eco-region and 22 of those are considered to be at risk of extinction globally.

Planet Drum (PD) addresses this issue through environmental education and actively revegetating damaged forest ecosystems. Revegetation is PD’s bioregional version of reforestation, which emphasizes ecosystem restoration through the non-commercial planting of exclusively native species. This promotes soil stabilization as well as the creation of habitat for other plants and animals.

Since 2009, we have produced between 3,000-4,000 trees annually at the native tree nursery. We create partnerships with individuals, communities, organizations and institutions in order to ensure that all of the trees are properly planted and cared for. Demand for trees is blossoming and there is a real need for teaching tree propagation and planting practices in addition to distributing trees.

PD is developing a “Dry Tropical Forest Revegetation Handbook” that will be distributed as part of workshops which will accompany tree donations. The handbook will explain the revegetation process in easily accessible terms and drawings. It will promote a variety of aspects of bioregionalism beyond tree propagation and planting, including materials recycling, composting for soil production and improvement, and the importance of ecosystem restoration.

In 2012, Planet Drum planted over 1,000 trees at our revegetation sites. An additional 3,500 trees (3,000 of which were fruit-producing) were donated to 18 different local communities and partners. The goal for 2013 is to plant over 8,000 trees, of which 6-7,000 will be planted in conjunction with at least 20 different communities, organizations and institutions. This will require a workshop or series of workshops on each occasion and 200-400 copies of the “Revegetation Handbook” will be distributed.

Planet Drum’s eventual goal is to become the Revegetation Headquarters for Dry Tropical Forest ecosystems in the province of Manabí. The Revegetation Project is PD’s approach to creating bioregional communities that coexist with their surrounding ecosystems and that promote activities to reinforce the ecosystems’ natural, wild cycles.