Refugees’ trees now store carbon in Nepal
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Bhutanese refugees who settled in eastern Nepal in 1990 brought agarwood tree seeds and seedlings with them, planting them as reminders of home and potential crops.
Over the next three decades, these plantings expanded as other farmers learned the trees, Aquilaria malaccensis, a fragrant and critically endangered species, could be valuable. Researchers from Tribhuvan University and the Ministry of Forests and Environment studied these trees across Koshi Province, surveying 38 sites and interviewing 101 farmers.
The study found over 30,000 agarwood trees growing at elevations from 75 to 2,600 meters, demonstrating an unusual adaptability for a tropical hardwood. The trees are accumulating carbon at a rate exceeding Malaysian plantations, with a single 30-year-old tree storing 745 kilograms of carbon. This suggests Nepal’s agarwood forests function as a notable, though currently unrecognised, carbon sink.
Beyond carbon storage, local communities in Koshi Province use agarwood in traditional medicine, primarily for treating asthma and stomach discomfort, a practice supported by modern research into the plant’s anti-inflammatory properties. However, Nepal currently lacks the technology to reliably induce resin production in the trees, the source of the valuable oudh or gaharu wood, hindering commercial development of the crop.
Researchers recommend training programs and support services to help farmers trigger resin production and connect with buyers, allowing the trees to become a source of income and further contribute to climate mitigation.
