Using Coffe By Products To Regenerate Rain Forests

 

A Cup of Joe

Coffee waste is the secret ingredient in accelerating rainforest recovery from deforestation, BBC’s Science Focus reported.

A team of researchers led by Rebecca Cole spread a thick layer of coffee pulp – a waste product from coffee production – across an old agricultural plot in Costa Rica. The pulp helps keep invasive grass species away and allows the trees to recolonize faster.

The scientists explained that the small piece of land – nearly 0.35 acres – went through heavy deforestation in the 1950s.

But two years later, the coffee pulp performed some real magic: Not only did the trees grow four times faster and taller but the soil became richer with nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

“The results were dramatic,” said Cole. “The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native pasture grasses.”

Cole’s team is now planning to examine other deforested sites. That’s because accelerating tropical rainforest recovery is an important step in reaching the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

Sometimes, a rainforest needs a simple pick me up, too.