Luke Powell delivered an invited seminar at Tufts University

Talk abstract: Humans destroy the equivalent of one Ireland-sized swath of tropical rainforest every year – mostly due to expansion of agriculture; meanwhile, the human population of Africa will quadruple by the end of the century, putting enormous pressure on natural resources. Fortunately, cacao, most of which is grown in Africa, need not be as destructive as other crops – it is grown under a lush canopy of rainforest trees, which if managed appropriately, can support biodiversity comparable to that of primary rainforest. These shade trees also provide habitat for the African birds and bats that save farmers millions of dollars through pest control. Using cutting edge techniques to sequence insect and plant DNA left in birds and bat feces, researchers are mapping thousands of species in the food web – including shade trees and important pest insects. With this novel framework, they aim to create a system in which African farmers benefit through inexpensive, sustainable management of cocoa, and rainforest animals benefit through the planting of trees that mimic their natural habitat.

Printscreen of the talk.