from the International Monetary Fund
— this post authored by ANNA JAQUIERY
Three decades ago, while still in their 40s, Marlene and Patrick Anderson decided to drop out of the rat race. Since then, they have been planting trees and helping New Zealand fight climate change.
Their 884-hectare property is tucked away at the end of a long gravel road, outside a town called Shannon, about an hour and half’s drive northeast of the capital, Wellington. The couple rely on satellite for their internet connection. Past their gate, there is a pretty, meandering stream that runs through an oasis filled with various species of trees and plants.
“I always wanted a stream with no one upstream,” says 80-year-old Patrick.
“Back in 1987, when we bought the place, there were no trees,” he says. “The land had been cleared and was used for sheep farming.” Since then, the Andersons have planted tirelessly and have helped bring back native trees.
“Our ultimate aim is to return it to native forest,” says Patrick. “A lot of that reversion does happen on its own. We nurture the process.”
Patrick used to be an engineer with Honeywell International, a giant US-based conglomerate, working in the management of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. His wife stayed home, raising their three children. When he turned 48, he decided it was time for a change.
“I thought, ‘I’ve had it with the rat race,’” he says. “We had to find something different to do.”
Their children were 8, 11, and 14 when the family moved. They sold their house in Wellington and bought land from a local farmer.
“The owner took us in an old Toyota to a vantage point. We knew instinctively this was it,” says Patrick.
Though Patrick had grown up on a farm, he knew nothing about farming. But he has always enjoyed gardening, like his father before him. Marlene’s family were market gardeners. So there was an appreciation for the outdoors and for nature, but no hands-on experience.
“We thought we could develop it into a viable farm,” says Marlene, who is originally from Australia. “For 14 years, we tried sheep farming. It was hard. From 2001 onwards, we leased the land out to other farmers for grazing to generate income.”
In 2007, then – Prime Minister Helen Clark introduced an emission-trading system to tackle climate change. In 2008, forestry was included in the program, giving landowners an opportunity to generate revenue from the carbon dioxide sucked out of the atmosphere by trees planted since 1989.
The couple realized that growing trees offered a more profitable use of their land than grazing sheep. But money wasn’t their only motivation.
“Patrick loves trees. He talks to them,” Marlene says.
“If we wanted to make money, we would only plant pine. We’re using the credits to help regenerate the native forest.” Radiata pine is the dominant plantation forestry species in New Zealand, has a very fast growth rate, and absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide.
The Andersons have a wide range of native trees on their property, including kamahi, red beech, and tawa. They have also taken steps over the years to look after their stream. In 1996, a freshwater ecologist from a nearby university came to see them.
“He was looking for streams with native fish,” Marlene says. “He found lots in ours. We decided it was worth protecting. For a start, we realized it wasn’t a suitable place for cattle and took the animals out of that area.”
The stream is a haven for native species, which include the whitebait species of banded and short-jawed kokopu, as well as koaro, torrent fish, and red-finned bullies.
The couple have passed on their love of nature to their children.
“Our kids are tree huggers,” Marlene says. Their son Luke is working on a documentary film on different ways of looking at rivers “from a spiritual and ecological point of view.” David, the eldest, works for a stamp manufacturer, and Monique, who has autism, receives support to run a microenterprise that produces handmade jams, chutneys, and pickles.
The Andersons say their life journey feels fated. “If you have it deep in your head, it almost finds you, doesn’t it?” Patrick says. “It was meant to be.”
PHOTOS:
COURTESY OF LUKE ANDERSON
Source
Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy.