---
title: "Ascension Island: How a planting project created a lush cloud forest"
url: https://newscentral.site/ascension-island-how-a-planting-project-created-a-lush-cloud-forest/
language: en
publisher: "News Central Site"
section: "Science"
published: 2026-10-15T06:45:51.000Z
updated: 2026-10-15T20:40:01.671Z
id: f90a0a27-d73f-46f2-a166-a2d3c12934c8
source: "Phys.org https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ascension-island-lush-cloud-forest.html"
attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/ascension-island-how-a-planting-project-created-a-lush-cloud-forest/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story."
---

# Ascension Island: How a planting project created a lush cloud forest

Two British scientists' vision to harness moisture from clouds led to a thriving ecosystem on the island.

In a remarkable transformation, Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean has been transformed from a barren volcanic rock into a lush cloud forest over the past century and a half. This dramatic change was brought about by two British scientists, Charles Darwin and Joseph Dalton Hooker, who visited the island during their expeditions.

The duo's vision was to harness the moisture carried by clouds to create a thriving ecosystem on the island. To achieve this goal, they designed a system to plant seeds from botanical gardens located in various colonies of the British Empire. This ambitious project began decades ago and has had a profound impact on the island's environment.

As a result of their efforts, Ascension Island has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. The once sun-scorched volcanic rock is now teeming with life, boasting lush vegetation and a humid climate. The transformation from a desolate landscape to a vibrant rainforest is a testament to the power of human intervention in shaping ecosystems.

The significance of this transformation lies not only in its ecological implications but also in its potential lessons for addressing global environmental challenges. Climate change is causing widespread loss of biodiversity, with many ecosystems facing desertification and degradation.

According to Víctor Maull, a researcher at Pompeu Fabra University, the Ascension Island project has provided valuable insights into the delicate balance between human activities and ecosystem resilience. "Climate change is causing the loss en masse of the biodiversity of all Earth's ecosystems," he notes.

The island's transformation serves as a unique case study in ecological restoration, where deliberate human action has led to the creation of a thriving rainforest from a previously inhospitable environment. This process has been extensively documented over the past century and a half, making Ascension Island a fascinating subject for scientific research and study.

Researchers at the Complex Systems Laboratory are working on creating minimal models that can explain changes to ecosystems, particularly in cases where they have reversed their decline.

The team's interest in Ascension Island stems from its unique transformation from a barren volcanic landscape to a lush cloud forest through a planting project. To gain a deeper understanding of this process, researchers Maull and Knödlseder spent a month on the island with the Department of Conservation and government.

Their observations on-site were striking, as they witnessed firsthand the dramatic changes that have taken place on the island. The team noted that just 10 minutes' walk could take them from being drenched in rainforest to experiencing intense desert conditions, highlighting the remarkable diversity of ecosystems present.

Historical documents held by national archives provided valuable insights into the planting process and its engineering. Researchers consulted nautical charts, logbooks, and handwritten letters that detailed the entire undertaking, shedding light on how this new biome came to be established.

The study also involves examining the soil microbiome, a fundamental component of any ecosystem that undergoes changes in response to available nutrients. This aspect of the research will allow researchers to identify rapid changes that modulate the ecosystem, providing further understanding of Ascension Island's unique transformation.

The research team is now planning to analyze the microbiome of different regions of Ascension Island to gain a deeper understanding of its transformation.

This analysis will be carried out in collaboration with the BioFun Lab of the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville, allowing researchers to identify any patterns or correlations that may have contributed to the island's remarkable change.

The ultimate goal is to apply the lessons learned from Ascension Island to other ecosystems around the world that are struggling to survive, providing a potential model for reversing environmental degradation.

---
Source: [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ascension-island-lush-cloud-forest.html)  
Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/ascension-island-how-a-planting-project-created-a-lush-cloud-forest/