Bugs To The Rescue

They may appear small or insignificant in the face of something as enormous as climate change, but these so called ‘bugs’, otherwise known as termites, are in fact incredible ecosystem engineers that can help to combat the impact that climate change is already having in West Africa.

Mitigating the Effects of Drought in Africa

It would be hard to miss the headlines of late, in which scientists are reporting on the driest conditions and hottest temperatures since satellite record-keeping began in parts of Africa.

Where drought is predicted to become more frequent, termites are a critical species that needs our support. That’s why they’re one of our projects.

With our customers' help we’re supporting the critical research that’ll help build a better understanding on how we can work with termites to fight the alarming rates of desertification in Benin, West Africa, by focusing in an area where both people and biodiversity are hardest hit and most vulnerable to climate change. 

Making Areas More Resilient to Climate Change

Termites might not make the top of the list of your favourite animals, but the initial research into their role in stopping the spread of deserts certainly puts them higher up on our list! 

Termites not only increase the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients, they help make savannahs and grasslands more resilient to drought, which is becoming an ever-increasing threat with climate change. 

Working with our partner Mossy Earth and the Benin’s National University of Agriculture, we’re supporting this ground-breaking research into termite mounds. These clever bugs have the potential to make areas more resilient to climate change than previously thought and that’s pretty exciting if you ask me/us!

What Does The Project Look Like?

In these images below you’ll see expert Dr. Elie Padonou as he takes his Master’s student Caleb to the project area.

I can’t wait to see this important project evolve and we’ll be continuing to share insights from this project, so stay tuned!

Thank you to all our customers who are continuing to make this work possible by choosing to book with us. 

Article written by Rebecca Woolford, project lead and Tiago, biologist at Mossy Earth.