PREVIEW

Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are going to extreme lengths to collect samples of rare plants to study - paramotoring into remote areas of Peru.

They worked with a team at Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air to boost conservation efforts in some of the most fragile and challenging parts of the globe.

Their new study demonstrates how paramotoring is a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to 4x4 off-road vehicles in reaching outlying areas, reducing CO2 emissions of up two-thirds, and most importantly with negligible damage to the fragile desert fog habitats and unexplored biological crusts.

The scientists used the unusual transport to reach the coastal fog deserts of Peru, where Kew scientists teamed up with professional paramotorists to explore and collect plants in areas where humans have yet to ever collect and survey plants.

Fog oases are a rare and unique island-like ecosystem in South America that stretch some 3,000 km along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. With virtually no rainfall to speak of, the desert's many endemic species of plants have adapted to the harsh conditions by relying on moisture from the fog sweeping in from the Pacific.

Known as ‘lomas’ in Peru or ‘oasis de niebla’ in Chile, these ecosystems are home to over 1,700 plant species and are extremely vulnerable to climate change and human activities. Kew scientists have been studying them for almost a century and yet they remain incredibly hard to map and, in some areas, only flourish once every decade.

Dr Carolina Tovar, Research Leader - Spatial Analysis and Data Science, at RBG Kew, says: “The lomas are incredibly unique and beautiful ecosystems that are sustained by seasonal fogs rolling in from the Pacific. Each year, they witness a spectacular transformation when the bare desert landscape flowers during the lomas season. But despite being centres of plant endemism, hosting crop wild relatives and medicinal plants, there is still so much we don’t know about their ecology, which is fundamental for developing conservation efforts.”'

Accessing the desert fog lomas can be highly problematic, as off-road vehicles cause surface damage, destroying fragile ephemeral habitats, increasing erosion, and leaving tyre marks that will linger for potentially hundreds of years. Furthermore, reaching unexplored habitats leaves new tyre tracks that are invariably followed by off-road thrill seekers.

To study the feasibility of working around this problem, Kew's scientists partnered with the French nonprofit Forest Air and the Brazilian paramotor team Aita (Escola Nacional De Paramotor). The paramotorists were trained by Kew and Huarango Nature scientists on how to identify target plant species and how to collect, georeference and preserve them for taxonomic study.

Márcio Aita Júnior, Director AITA Escola Nacional de Paramotor, says: “This was a unique experience that will never be forgotten, helping me understand a little about botany and lomas and their role in society, also it helped me to understand plant studies and their importance to the discovery of new medicines and food for the next generation. I was absorbed by the information, drawing me into local culture, and with certainty this experience changed my perception of the world and the importance of preserving nature as a whole.”

The expedition expenditure could only extend to seven intensive days in November 2022, with the scientists covering approximately 300 miles by land and air. The team focused their efforts on the locally named ‘Tillandsiales’ habitat, which is dominated by Tillandsia species (in the Bromeliaceae plant family, which includes other ’air plants’ and pineapples). These species cover large swathes of Peru’s hyperarid desert, and they are poorly researched and mapped as their unique leaf surfaces act like an invisibility cloak; diffracting light in a way that makes them hard to track using satellite sensors.

Oliver Whaley, Honorary Research Associate at RBG Kew, explained the importance of the study, adding: "Plants are often ignored or outright taken for granted when we think about wildlife conservation, which is unfortunate as every single aspect of our lives depends on them. The planet is in serious trouble and with botanical sciences facing a precipitous decline just when we need it most, we have to think of new ways in which we can inspire people to take action.”

“Our study shows that through an exciting and multidisciplinary collaboration, today's extreme sports enthusiasts can work alongside scientists to help monitor ecosystems, and with some basic training, gather crucial environmental data, protect species and aid conservation efforts.”
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Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are going to extreme lengths to collect samples of rare plants to study - paramotoring into remote areas of Peru.

They world with a team at Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air to boost conservation efforts in some of the most fragile and challenging parts of the globe.

Their new study demonstrates how paramotoring is a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to 4x4 off-road vehicles in reaching outlying areas, reducing CO2 emissions of up two-thirds, and most importantly with negligible damage to the fragile desert fog habitats and unexplored biological crusts.

The scientists used the unusual transport to reach the coastal fog deserts of Peru, where Kew scientists teamed up with professional paramotorists to explore and collect plants in areas where humans have yet to ever collect and survey plants.

Fog oases are a rare and unique island-like ecosystem in South America that stretch some 3,000 km along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. With virtually no rainfall to speak of, the desert's many endemic species of plants have adapted to the harsh conditions by relying on moisture from the fog sweeping in from the Pacific.

Known as ‘lomas’ in Peru or ‘oasis de niebla’ in Chile, these ecosystems are home to over 1,700 plant species and are extremely vulnerable to climate change and human activities. Kew scientists have been studying them for almost a century and yet they remain incredibly hard to map and, in some areas, only flourish once every decade.

Dr Carolina Tovar, Research Leader - Spatial Analysis and Data Science, at RBG Kew, says: “The lomas are incredibly unique and beautiful ecosystems that are sustained by seasonal fogs rolling in from the Pacific. Each year, they witness a spectacular transformation when the bare desert landscape flowers during the lomas season. But despite being centres of plant endemism, hosting crop wild relatives and medicinal plants, there is still so much we don’t know about their ecology, which is fundamental for developing conservation efforts.”'

Accessing the desert fog lomas can be highly problematic, as off-road vehicles cause surface damage, destroying fragile ephemeral habitats, increasing erosion, and leaving tyre marks that will linger for potentially hundreds of years. Furthermore, reaching unexplored habitats leaves new tyre tracks that are invariably followed by off-road thrill seekers.

To study the feasibility of working around this problem, Kew's scientists partnered with the French nonprofit Forest Air and the Brazilian paramotor team Aita (Escola Nacional De Paramotor). The paramotorists were trained by Kew and Huarango Nature scientists on how to identify target plant species and how to collect, georeference and preserve them for taxonomic study.

Márcio Aita Júnior, Director AITA Escola Nacional de Paramotor, says: “This was a unique experience that will never be forgotten, helping me understand a little about botany and lomas and their role in society, also it helped me to understand plant studies and their importance to the discovery of new medicines and food for the next generation. I was absorbed by the information, drawing me into local culture, and with certainty this experience changed my perception of the world and the importance of preserving nature as a whole.”

The expedition expenditure could only extend to seven intensive days in November 2022, with the scientists covering approximately 300 miles by land and air. The team focused their efforts on the locally named ‘Tillandsiales’ habitat, which is dominated by Tillandsia species (in the Bromeliaceae plant family, which includes other ’air plants’ and pineapples). These species cover large swathes of Peru’s hyperarid desert, and they are poorly researched and mapped as their unique leaf surfaces act like an invisibility cloak; diffracting light in a way that makes them hard to track using satellite sensors.

Oliver Whaley, Honorary Research Associate at RBG Kew, explained the importance of the study, adding: "Plants are often ignored or outright taken for granted when we think about wildlife conservation, which is unfortunate as every single aspect of our lives depends on them. The planet is in serious trouble and with botanical sciences facing a precipitous decline just when we need it most, we have to think of new ways in which we can inspire people to take action.”

“Our study shows that through an exciting and multidisciplinary collaboration, today's extreme sports enthusiasts can work alongside scientists to help monitor ecosystems, and with some basic training, gather crucial environmental data, protect species and aid conservation efforts.”