Tree-rich landscapes help birds and bats nearly double cacao yields in Peru

nature & planetPhys.org

Tree-rich landscapes help birds and bats nearly double cacao yields in Peru

from Phys.org

Tropical farmers are often expected to choose between high crop yields and protecting wildlife. However, an international team of researchers led by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with the universities of Göttingen and Würzburg in Germany and Bioversity International in Peru, shows that biodiversity conservation reinforces cacao production in agroforests via associated ecosystem services, such as natural pest control. The new study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, provides important evidence for sustainable farm and landscape management in one of the world's most biodiverse regions.

explained

Theobroma cacao (cacao tree or cocoa tree) is a small (6–12 m (20–39 ft) tall) evergreen tree in the Malvaceae family. Its seeds—cocoa beans when dried and fermented—are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa powder, cocoa butter and chocolate. Although the tree is native to the tropics of the Americas, the largest producer of cocoa beans in 2022 was Côte d'Ivoire.

From Wikipedia: Theobroma cacao (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗

how it works

Birds and bats feed on insects that attack cacao pods and leaves. Where more trees offer them places to roost and nest, there are more of them, and fewer pests survive to damage the crop.

so what

Chocolate comes from a crop grown mostly by smallholders in the tropics, so a farming approach that raises output while keeping trees and animals is good for incomes and nature alike. It gives farmers an economic reason to leave shade trees and forest patches standing.

fun fact

Cacao is pollinated by tiny midges, not bees.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗