We're Rebuilding A Rare Forest That Makes Its Own Water

Ajouté : 2026-05-23

[00:00:01]We are bringing back one of the rarest ecosystems on planet Earth. A special type of very ancient forest that can stay completely wet without rain while generating water for an entire region.

[00:00:14]And its home is somewhere you would least expect right here in the immense rugged terrain of the Andes. This is a vertical world where ancient civilizations achieved the impossible, building stone terraces and complex water networks that communities still rely on today. But these ancient systems can only function if the water cycle above them is complete. And right now, the very source of that cycle is breaking down, which is why we are partnering with a local community to fix it. The loss of this ecosystem is triggering a severe crisis. Temperatures in the Andes are rising at nearly double the global average, pushing the rainy season back by weeks and drying out vital wetlands. These high alitude pastures are the lifeblood of local communities, the sole source of their income, textiles, fertilizer, and food.

[00:01:07]The answer to turn all this around is the restoration and reforestation of these ancient forests. But how exactly does a forest stay wet without rain while sustaining an entire watershed?

[00:01:19]And how can the impossible task of regenerating an ecosystem in this harsh high altitude climate actually work? To understand how we turn this around, we have to travel to up to 4,000 m above sea level to the high plains of Patakancha. And to do that, we met with Daniel, a leader in the community there, who took us to see how families still live and farm in deep harmony with the mountains, just as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. We are part of more or less four indigenous communities who are maintaining the culture from our ancestors, from our grandparents.

[00:01:55]>> Daniel's community has made the deliberate decision to revive their ancestral culture which is profoundly rooted in their relationship with nature.

[00:02:03]>> For any activity we do, we are like allies with nature, with the mountains, with the earth, and we try to keep everything natural. The people of these high valleys have survived here for centuries through a system of collaboration with the landscape and each other. To illustrate this, Daniel took us to see how the community comes together to help everyone harvest potatoes on their individual land.

[00:02:26]>> What we practice here is a and minka where we all work together to harvest each other's fields.

[00:02:32]>> This is an extremely ancient social system that is thought to go back to the beginning of potato domestication. here.

[00:02:38]>> It's like today we work in your field and tomorrow we work in my field. That's a and minka.

[00:02:44]>> Higher up the mountain they graze llamas and alpacas which are an essential form of income. However, their entire survival relies on these high alitude lakes and these wetlands made by the forefathers of the Inca to feed their livestock and sustain their way of life.

[00:03:02]This lake was made by my ancestors a long long time ago. So there would always be water here.

[00:03:08]>> But these ancient wetlands are drying up. The water is vanishing.

[00:03:12]>> Where I am standing, there used to be water. But every year it is going down and there is less and less.

[00:03:17]>> And reversing this crisis requires doing something that sounds completely impossible. But before we find out, Daniel showed us the ruins of a town destroyed by the Spanish where the Incas retreated to before they eventually disappeared into the Amazon. The tragedy about this magical place is that it used to be a high alitude cloud forest, which is now one of the rarest types of forest on the planet. The Andian Polus cloud forests are extremely ancient. Their lineage evolved millions of years ago alongside the rising Andes mountains.

[00:03:50]They were incredibly efficient at producing water without rain. So, we went to see one of the last remaining pockets of these forests to find out how they are able to generate so much water.

[00:04:00]A crucial feature of these forests are their unusual type of plants which live symbiotically amongst the moss and lychans on trees called epipites. This abundance of plants growing on the trees is the key to why there is so much water here. Because the epipites, moss, and lychans all intercept moisture directly from passing clouds and mist which condensates on the plants and drips down into the earth, replenishing the ground.

[00:04:27]But the most mind-blowing secret of this forest is completely invisible. It's hidden underground. Because normally a forest stores carbon in the wood of the trees. But here at high altitude, fallen organic matter decays so slowly, it creates a massive living sponge that can be up to 3 ft deep. It stores more water and locks away carbon more permanently than conventional tree plantations that hold less than 5% organic material.

[00:04:55]Whilst an ancient polylpus grove can reach up to 47.6% 6% pure organic matter, holding the moisture securely at the top of the world and releasing it gradually over the 6-month dry season.

[00:05:10]This wealth of plants and water supports an incredible biodiversity, including endangered species, and is home to 15% of the world's land dwelling animals.

[00:05:21]But these forests aren't just historical remnants. They are a living solution to stop and reverse a looming climate crisis. Research reveals that up to 80% of the rainfall across this region is generated by these last remaining forests, which have been compressed to just 3% of its original territory.

[00:05:40]However, the cloud forests in Daniel's Valley were completely cleared by the Spanish for silver mining, construction, and to prevent rebel inca communities living secretly like Robin Hood in the woods.

[00:05:53]>> Before the Spanish came, there was a big forest here. One day I hope to grow the forest back so there is more water here for my community and the communities below us.

[00:06:02]>> Today these high altitude plains are a biological desert and an ecological shadow of their former abundant past.

[00:06:10]Which is why we are starting a reforestation and wetland restoration project with Daniel and the community to bring back the abundant ecosystem that belonged here. Because the top soil has been degraded for centuries, native polyepish tree seeds can no longer germinate on these exposed slopes. To break this bottleneck, our first step is to establish a community-man-managed nursery in the village. But we aren't just planting a single species. We are cultivating a diverse ecosystem of native trees, high alitude shrubs, and understory plants to completely rebuild the living soil sponge. And we really need all the help we can get. So, if you are interested in helping support that, check out the link in the description below. And for anyone who wants to visit the communities we've covered here in the Sacred Valley to learn about their ancient corn and potato culture for yourself, check out the ancient farming and culinary experience of a lifetime we are organizing on our website. Hope to see you there.