The West African ebony tree produces large fruit eaten by forest animals, including elephants. The seeds pass through the elephant and, as the animals move through the forest, are deposited far from the parent tree, encased in dung, which masks their scent and thus protects them from smaller animals scavenging for their next meal. The elephant, it turns out, is essential to the tree’s regeneration. In other words, the future of a material used to make guitars is tied to the fate of a critically endangered animal. Surprising, right?
Jon Honea
flipped into Env'l Economics
