Tanout, September 2008

I was so happy to come back to Niger and find the country still green. It rained not too long ago, and the greenness may last for a while, even if it won’t rain again for the rest of the season.

Although I haven’t been to the field station since my arrival this Tuesday, I thought I’d share some images from Eden’s field station this month.

The perennial grass next to where the seasonal rain water comes through…

The field station to me is an amazing place where time stands still. At first glance, you may not see much more than trees, but once you get well into the grounds and listen to the voice of the wind and the orchestra of sounds created by numerous animal species, you forget your stress and just enjoy life as it is.

It’s a sanctuary from modern civilization, where every species is respected.

Eden believes there is a purpose with every species, although man has often yet to find out what that purpose is.

In the meantime, while Eden’s research team carries on their long-term work, the rest of us can enjoy the intriguing visuals of what we do not know.

Life is beautiful, when you stop to look at the little things.

The researcher and her team monitoring the new plants

Once upon a time, Eden’s field station was a barren piece of land, housing only one tree that had been left by the previous owner to give shade. Today, it welcomes whatever fauna that comes hand in hand with the trees that have been established.

Believing in the benefits of biodiversity, Eden’s research takes into account the different obstacles that our plants will have to endure before they grow to become mature adult fruit-bearing trees.

Mice and ants are great seed thieves,

…but there are other animals that feed on them.

One of the larger inhabitants of the field station are the desert foxes, but they care little for human protocol, and mark their presence with nothing more than fresh foot imprints after a heavy rain…