The prettiest fruit in the world
Your May hike with Morfo.
Hi there,
The forest often holds incredible surprises. During our recent project in Bahia, we encountered two surprises that shared the same metallic blue color. The first surprise, measuring nearly 20cm, had a bouncy flight pattern due to its enormous wing area in relation to its body size. It is the emblem of our company and one of the 120,000 butterfly species in the world. It accompanied us for several kilometers before reaching the plantation site. You guessed it: it's the Morpho butterfly.
The second surprise was round, protected by a small green covering. It might be the the world's most beautiful fruit: Maria Luiza.
Let's grow!
Pascal, Co-founder of MORFO
P.S.: Have you ever wondered why MORFO is spelled with an F instead of PH like the butterfly? The answer can be found at the very bottom of the newsletter. Try to guess…
🌳 - THE FOREST
🫐 Maria Luíza, the prettiest fruit in the world
Presented here by Crispin, one of our seed collectors in Brazil. This fruit starts out green but ripens to a brilliant iridescent blue when it falls to the forest floor. It is likely that the plant has evolved this unusual coloration because it helps birds see the fruit, which they eat and disperse. As you can see, it is a very small fruit, only 1.4cm in size and composed of 4 or 5 lobes. At Morfo, we love to replant its seeds as they have high germination rates and will produce a tree with fairly rapid growth and a fairly tall shape, called the Bastard Hogberry or (more elegantly) Margaritaria nobilis.
Additionally, the plywood-packed fibers of cellulose within the cell walls of the fruit's skin reflect light. Cellulose is not usually iridescent; it is the same material used to make cotton T-shirts and paper.
👷 More lands reforested in Bahia, Brazil
In late April, our Brazilian Team embarked on a project located in the municipality of Santa Cruz Cabrália. The primary objective of this endeavor is to restore a biodiverse ecosystem, and we have already planted over 20 different species across the initial 14 hectares that have been restored. We are thrilled to announce that there are many more hectares slated for restoration in this region.
This particular project holds a distinctive significance due to the following reasons:
We have formed a partnership with the esteemed environmental organization, Natureza Bela. Their invaluable support encompasses various aspects of the project, including hand planting, seed research, and more.
The project boasts a strong social impact, as it generates employment opportunities at the local level. These opportunities range from seed collection to planting and monitoring the project's progress.
This endeavor holds great importance for us, as it provides an ideal platform for testing our latest innovations in monitoring and analyzing plantations.
🌳🌳 - THE RESSOURCE
☁️ Sorting the truth out from the lies
In recent years, the term "carbon-emitting forests" has been recurring a lot. We have written this article to help you better understand the concept of carbon-emitting forests. Where are they in the world? Do they really contribute to global warming? Is this phenomenon reversible? This article reviews the causes, problems and solutions that can be brought to forests that become carbon emitters.
✅ 10 Golden Rules for Forest Restoration
In 2021, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew) and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) published a review defining the "Ten Golden Rules for Forest Restoration". As a large-scale reforestation provider, we thought it would be appropriate to take a step back and evaluate our actions in light of these rules.
🌳🌳🌳 - THE TEAM
🔬 At the center of the Forestry Science of the UFParan
The Universidade Federal do Paraná is one of the most active universities in Brazil regarding forest management. Our Head of Forest Ecosystems R&D, Emira Cherif, was there to develop new scientific collaboration opportunities and introduce MORFO activities.
🎙 Talk to Finance experts
Our CEO, Adrien Pages, recently spoke at the "The Rise of Nature-based Solutions as New Asset Classes" conference at HackSummit in Switzerland. This event brings together some of the most impactful founders and investors from across Europe.
🌳🌳🌳🌳 - SOME GOOD SEEDS
Just like every month, we end this newsletter with articles that we want to share with you:
Climate Burnout: Working for the environment brings a range of emotions, from hope to frustration. A survey of 240 individuals from 108 organizations in the US revealed concerning results. Despite high burnout rates, 63% of respondents said they would not leave the climate change and environmental field for a job with similar compensation or benefits. Get the report.
Learn for free: The United Nations has developed +15 free Sustainability courses in English, French, Portuguese... Here is the full list!
No more generalization: Attacking carbon projects distracts from real corporate accountability on climate change. That’s Carolyn Ching, senior manager food and forests at Ceres, opinion. Read it on ESGClarity.com
Carbon challenges: The world's first dedicated carbon removal business conference, Carbon Unbound, was held in New York. After the event, carbon removal expert Robert Höglund shared 8 valuable insights.
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 - THE END
⚠️ We need you:
We are thrilled to announce that we have been chosen as one of the top 5 "Environment & Climate" startups at Vivatech, Europe's largest startup and tech event. Show your support by voting for us and helping us secure the first place!
😁 Answer to the F question:
Replacing the "PH" in Morpho with an "F" is a play on words and an abbreviation of "More Fo-Rest." That's also why all our email addresses end with morfo.rest. Did you find it?
Thank you for reading this newsletter until the end! If you enjoyed it, please share it with your audience, friends, or colleagues 🌍.
We'll be back again in June!
MORFO