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Regrowing the rainforest

Meet the man who has spent the past 40 years turning a patch of exhausted farmland in the Amazon back into rainforest.

It has taken him 40 years, but Omar Tello has turned a patch of exhausted farmland in Ecuador back into rainforest. One of his biggest challenges was repairing the soil. His land was so degraded he had to make enough new soil - from unwanted wood shavings and chicken manure - to cover the entire plot. That alone took about 15 years.
He also travelled deep into the Amazon for days at a time, looking for seeds and plants he could rescue. Now his forest is flourishing and the wildlife has returned - it is home to snakes, toucans, monkeys and many other animals. And he is sharing what he has learned to encourage others to protect the rainforests instead of cutting them down.

Presented and produced by Jo Mathys.

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Tue 18 May 2021 21:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 01:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 07:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 13:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 14:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 17:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Mar 2020 19:06GMT
  • Tue 18 May 2021 07:06GMT
  • Tue 18 May 2021 14:06GMT
  • Tue 18 May 2021 21:06GMT

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