Tiny but dense Miyawaki forests emerge in Europe to combat climate change

Tiny dense forests are emerging around Europe as part of a campaign aimed at preserving biodiversity and combating the climate crisis. The miniature versions of the dense forests are being planted by using the technique of Japan’s most famous botanist Miyawaki.

The whole concept behind the movement is to plant densely-packed clusters of seedlings from indigenous plants to create a small functional ecosystem that can restore soil, protect resources like water and improve air quality.  The dense forest also acts as a biodiversity hotspot that can have a measurable effect on both the local and regional environment, as per a report.

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Miyawaki method adapted in Europe

The Miyawaki method is perfect for organizations like Urban Forests in France and Belgium, and the Tiny Forest initiative in Holland, as it grows 10 times faster, and possesses up to 20 times more biodiversity potential than contemporary forests. The dense forests also hold a strong capability to prevent the worst of climate change.

In March, the Urban Forests completed planting 22-species. The plantations are made in a very dense way, in order to favor the cooperation between the species, a volunteer of Urban Forests explained. Further 1,200 trees were planted on 400 square meters in Miyawaki forest in Toulouse, France. This is the first dense forest in the capital. Overall, Miyawaki forests across Belgium and France consists of 21,000 trees over 7,000 square meters in total.

Tiny Forest initiative originated in 2015 in the Dutch city of Zaandam by the Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability. It has produced 100 Miyawaki forests across the country and had proposed an additional 30 for the first three months of 2020.

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About Akira Miyawaki

Botanist Akira Miyawaki in 1970 learned that trees around Japan’s Shinto and Buddhist shrines tended to be indigenous species, well-adapted to the soil and climate of the islands of Japan. He founded a method of restoring indigenous forests on degraded or deforested land which had been lacking in humus and this came to be known as the Miyawaki method. Using this method he created over 1,700 forests throughout Asia.

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(Image Credit Instagram/urbanforestsbelgium)