Today we want to talk about about the progress made reforesting Doñana National Park, something we undertook at the beginning of 2022 when we decided to exchange the gifts we usually send to our customers for Christmas for a charitable action.
We collaborated to plant over 500 trees in this project for several reasons. Firstly, we wanted to avoid the carbon footprint left by unnecessary shipments. At Cali Terpenes, we are committed to developing a business model that is as sustainable as possible for our planet.
Secondly, we wanted to give back nature its power, and planting 500 trees through the NGO Plant for the Planet seemed like the best way to do it.
How is the reforestation of Doñana progressing one year later?
Throughout 2022, we closely followed the work that our friends at Plant for the Planet are carrying out in the area. We are pleasantly surprised by the great work this organization is doing, not only in reforesting devastated areas but also in raising awareness among the younger generations. In reality, it’s today’s youth who will make the decisions concerning our planet in the future, and educating them regarding ecology and to respect the environment is the only way to ensure a sustainable future.
The objective of this initiative is to plant around 600,000 trees in the Pinar de las Peñuelas region (Mazagón, Huelva) by 2030. A new forest that will rid the air of the pollution we humans produce and fill it with terpenes, the molecules we love that are found in the majority of plant species and fruits.
This project is being carried out by Plant for the Planet in collaboration with the General Directorate of Natural Environment, Biodiversity, and Protected Areas of the Andalusian Regional Government. Initially, the plan was to reforest 9,000 hectares in a strategy that had two phases, with 65,000 trees to be planted before 2022 and the remainder by 2030.
We are very happy to let you know that thanks to the collaboration of various companies and people who care about creating a greener world, around 128,000 trees have already been planted through the donations collected. That means that 21% of the project has been completed in just 2 years!
What species have been planted in Doñana?
This forested area in Doñana is a World Heritage site due to being one of the largest ecological reserves in Europe, housing up to 200,000 different species. It is an ecosystem that we can all contribute to expanding and restoring.
Among these new 128,000 trees that have been planted, there are three different species:
- Pinus Pinea, a species of Pine tree characterized by a shape similar an umbrella, producing large pine cones that contain relatively large pine nuts. It can reach a height of up to 30 meters.
Did you know… Out of the hundreds of species of pine that exist, the terpene found in almost all of them is alpha-pinene (hence the name), followed by beta-pinene (in 52 species), limonene (in 30 species), D3-carene (in 21 species), terpinolene (in 10 species), and myrcene (in 7).
- Quercus suber, more commonly known as Cork Oak, is an evergreen tree of European and African origin. Its bark is used for cork production, and its morphology is robust, with an average size that can reach up to 20 meters in height.
Did you know… Cork oaks can live for over 150 years? Just imagine all the terpenes that these new trees planted for future generations will produce! Additionally, once the tree is over 20 years old, the first cork extraction can be performed, and then it can be done every several years.
- Olea europaea var. sylvestris, more commonly known as the olive tree. Its fruit is the well-known olive. It’s a small-sized tree with evergreen leaves that does not exceed 15 meters in height. Its structure consists of a wide canopy and a robust, twisting trunk.
Did you know… The olive tree represents victory and peace? Supposedly, several centuries ago, when an army wanted to offer peace to its enemy, a messenger would be sent carrying an olive branch as a symbol of peace.
We are very proud to participate in this project that’ll make the world a greener place and, above all, more breathable! We’ll keep you informed about this and other actions taken towards to giving nature its power back.
And if you want to join us in this project, you can do so here!
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