A small pump placed at the base collects water in the system with transparent pipes that feed the tree and make it alive, also moving fruits and birds. This is how the biomimetic tree made using recycled plastic by British artist Silas Birtwistle, who presented it to Bonn, Germany, at the UN World Conference on Climate Change.
"This sculpture shows how every living thing depends on a healthy and balanced ecosystem. The tree provides food and abode to birds and other animals. It also provides protection from wind and sun, allowing crops to grow and feed families. Trees also inhibit soil erosion in arid zones and are effective and natural agents for carbon dioxide absorption,
they explain from Imad (the International Fund for Agricultural Development, United Nations agency, which sponsored the work).
The invitation launched by Imad is to reflect on the consequences that climate change has for small farmers, but more generally also on the importance of trees to counteract the resulting poverty, as Margarita Astralaga, director of the division for the environment and the climate of Imad.
"Sculpture underlines IFAD's commitment to rehabilitation, which plants trees in degraded soils to stop soil erosion, build a barrier against desertification and protect crops," said Silas Birtwistle.
In the Sahel African region, IFAD has already recovered nearly 300,000 hectares of land. For example, in Niger, IFAD regenerated 100,000 hectares by protecting the land from over-exploitation and deforestation and by replicating trees. Land once unbroken, now houses about 50 trees per hectare. IFAD's agroforestry activities and its engagement in this field have contributed to the elimination of more than 58,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.