第3151期:Saving Senegal's Forests

Half of Senegal's household rely on wood or wood charcoal. 塞内加尔一半的家庭依靠木材或木炭。

To combat air pollution and deforestation, a cooperative of women produce biochar, an energy source made from straw. 为了应对空气污染和森林砍伐问题，一个妇女合作社生产生物炭，这是一种由秸秆制成的能源。

Theyburnit and mix the charred straw with clay and water. The end result is a carbon-neutral organic charcoal that does not involve chopping down trees. 他们将其焚烧，并将烧焦的稻草与黏土和水混合。最终得到一种碳中和的有机木炭，且无需砍伐树木。

The mixture is pressed and stored, resulting in about 150 pallets of biochar per day. 将混合物进行压制和储存，每天可产出约150托盘的生物炭。

The initiative is diversifying the economy of a rural region where many eke out a living from livestock and fishing. 该倡议正在使一个农村地区的经济多元化，在那里许多人靠畜牧和渔业勉强维持生计。

First of all, this biochar protects the forest. It protects our homes, it protects our supplies, it protects women, it protects the forest that no longer burns, it protects our lives. It is healthy. We thank God for this. 首先，这种生物炭保护了森林。它保护我们的家园，保护我们的物资，保护妇女，保护不再燃烧的森林，保护我们的生命。它有益健康。我们为此感谢上帝。

Biochar production has been launched in 18 villages in the region by the Nebeday ecological association, a name that means "tree" in the Wolof of language. Nebeday生态协会已在该地区的18个村庄启动了生物炭生产项目，Nebeday在沃洛夫语中意为“树”。

To fight deforestation, the group also plants trees in big cities and small villages alike. 为了对抗森林砍伐，该组织还在大城市和小村庄植树。

Since the beginning of the year, they have planted more than a million trees throughout the country. 自年初以来，他们在全国各地种植了一百多万棵树。

Nebeday director Jean Geopp says that putting straw to good use has an added advantage. Nebeday主任Jean Geopp表示，充分利用秸秆还有额外的好处。

Straw, which is the raw material of our biochar, in fact conveys thousands of bushfires across the country in the dry season. 稻草是我们生物炭的原料，实际上在旱季会在全国范围内引发数千起丛林大火。

So reducing this straw is reducing bushfires, and, therefore, preventing young trees from dying in the forest. 减少秸秆就是减少丛林火灾，从而防止森林中的幼树死亡。

So by consuming one kilogram of straw charcoal, we save the forest twice. 每消耗一公斤秸秆木炭，我们就能两倍地拯救森林。

The benefits can be seen in Senegal's Djilor Forest, patrolled by ranger Biram Gning, who was born nearby. 这些好处在塞内加尔的吉洛森林可见一斑，这片森林由护林员Biram Gning巡逻，他就出生在附近。

Gning lacks the authority to arrest those he catches cutting down trees, rather, he reports infractions to a local village chief. Gning没有权力逮捕他抓到的那些砍树的人，而是将违规行为报告给当地的村长。

Gning says rising delta waters have salted the land, posing an additional environmental challenge. Gning表示，三角洲地区不断上涨的水位已使土地盐碱化，构成了额外的环境挑战。

Deforestation is caused by, one, the harmful cutting of trees, illegal cutting by the population. 森林砍伐是由以下原因造成的：其一，非法砍伐。

Two, there are brushfires, which can ravage miles of forest. Three, the advance of salt from the sea to the forests. 二是有野火，它们能肆虐数英里的森林。三是海水向森林的侵蚀。

The African Union's Great Green Wall initiative is focusing on the Sahel among other regions to prevent desertification. 非洲联盟的“绿色长城”倡议正聚焦于萨赫勒等地区，以防治沙漠化。

The biochar project and efforts to combat deforestation are a vital piece of the puzzle. 生物炭项目以及应对森林砍伐的努力是解决这一难题的关键部分。