The survival of the African baobab tree is dependent upon monkeys and baboons who eat many of the seeds - so many in fact that some seeds are not chewed. The unchewed seeds pass through their bodies and are pooped out into the desert. These seeds are then able to sprout and draw nutrients from the pile of excrement.
A shifting equation links modern farming and forests
A shifting equation links modern farming and forests New studies of deforestation activity around the
world suggest that high-tech agriculture can be either a culprit or
a saviour under different circumstances. Improving agricultural
practices in the developing world should relieve pressure to cut
down nearby forests, but this may not be the case everywhere. For
example, in Brazil, a new strain of soybeans planted by farmers
wound up accelerating the destruction of the tropical forest.
High-tech farming in the tropics should reduce the overall amount
of land dedicated to agriculture but different factors, such as
labour availability, must be taken into consideration. In the long
run, practising sustainable agriculture may or may not be relevant
for saving the Earth’s remaining forests. 12 NOVEMBER 1999, P. 1283
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