‘Tree of life’ could help slow climate change as changing way fruit is harvested can boost ecosystem

Mauritia flexuosa has the highest concentration of carbon of any part of the vast Amazon region

Changing the way fruit is gathered from a “tree of life” could slow the impacts of climate change and boost the global ecosystem.

The palm tree Mauritia flexuosa was dubbed the “tree of life” by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt based on the plant’s nutritional value and food source for birds, fish and mammals.

An international research team, jointly led by the University of Leeds and the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP) has shown for the first time the widespread harm caused in Peru by cutting down the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa in order to harvest its fruit.