On Friday 10th November, 53 ARC participants travelled to the Parque Rural de Dormas. Ascending into the mountains in support of the Foresta Foundation, a charity founded to restore the native cloud forests, ARC crews worked together to plant native trees These included ‘Fire’ trees – which help prevent the spread of wildfire – helping to reverse desertification and erosion, as well as increasing vital carbon capture.
The World Cruising Club has been working with the Foresta Project since 2010. Over the past 13 years, ARC participants have planted over 3800 trees. A further 150 were planted by the ARC 2023 group.
Friendly competition
There was a great deal of competition amongst the various crews to see who could plant the most trees! The Swiss-German crew Wolfgang, Petra, and Carston of ‘Gian’ were victorious, planting a total of 15 trees between them! This was Wolfgang’s second contribution to the ARC Forest, having also climbed the mountain to plant trees in 2021, when he and Petra, previously completed the ARC.
David and PJ from ‘Pure Joy’ planted 8 trees between them. For David, it was an opportunity to give something back to Gran Canaria, as well as having a bit of fun and getting off the boat!
Giving back
For PJ, hailing from New Zealand, the trip was a little more personal. Like Gran Canaria, New Zealand also suffered a great deal of deforestation, with most of the country's ancient forest destroyed, so he understands the vital importance of replanting for the future.
Marissa, also crew onboard ‘Pure Joy’, is crossing the Atlantic as part of a gap year adventure, she aims to volunteer in every destination she visits. The Foresta project was an ideal opportunity for her to do this in Gran Canaria!
Foresta Foundation
Founded in 1998, the Foresta Foundation has planted in the region of 60,000 trees, over 726 hectares on the Island of Gran Cararia. These trees capture in excess of 1.5 million litres of water per year and almost 6000 tons of carbon dioxide.
The Foresta Foundation values the ongoing collaboration with World Cruising Club and, how year after year, they are helping to improve the biodiversity of Doramas Rural Park.