Why does the Uruguay countryside remind some travellers of Australia?

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Dear reader

Did you know that Uruguay is aiming to have one million hectares of eucalyptus plantations? Apparently, nine hundred thousand hectares have already been planted - pretty close to target. The trees are planted on farms, and along roads, much as in Australia. Bee keeping is a growth industry, with some of the honey coming from eucalypt plantations – probably as delicious as Australian eucalypt honey. Uruguay has some 16,000 bee keepers, with tons of honey being exported. An interesting and all-consuming hobby for many, some of whom exchange ideas on beekeeping with their Australian counterparts!

To get the tree planting going, Uruguay has established “Forestry Priority Areas”. Apparently, close to 80% of early plantings have been eucalyptus, mostly for pulpwood production. It’s only in the last few years that attempts have been made to improve wood quality and tree size to improve solid wood products capabilities. Only three approved eucalyptus species can be planted under an incentives and benefits plan.

Eucalyptus was first introduced from Australia to the rest of the world by Sir Joseph Banks, botanist, on the Cook expedition in 1770. It was subsequently introduced to many parts of the world, notably California, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa, Uganda, Israel, Galicia and Chile. In Portugal and Spain, eucalyptus have been planted in pulpwood plantations.

Antonio Lussich, a Uruguayan sailor, arboriculturist and writer (1848 – 1928) first introduced eucalyptus into Uruguay in approximately 1896, throughout what is now Maldonado Department. Since then it has spread all over the south-eastern and eastern coast, previously tree-less. Lussich also introduced many other trees, such as acacia and pines, which have not spread as widely. And when not busy tree planting, he wrote ´Los tres gauchos orientales´, depicting rural life in 19th century Uruguay.

Bee keeping in Uruguay goes back even further. The first managed bee colony was brought to Uruguay in 1834 by Bernardino Rivadavia, the first president of Argentina (1826-1827), who had long shown an interest in bringing agricultural development and European colonists to the temperate grasslands around the Rio de la Plata.

Apparently, domestic honey consumption Uruguay is now on a par with dairy by-products in the winter months. Four years ago, Uruguay exported 20,000 tons of honey, worth 40 million dollars. But in the last season, production dropped to just 5,000 tons. Exports in the current season are expected to be higher than that, but not by much. Some scientists are forecasting that in the next 10 to 15 years, climate change in Uruguay will take the country from sub-tropical to tropical, with adverse effects on agricultural production and the wider economy, which is largely based on agricultural exports. As a result of already evident climate changes, average honey production per hive has started to level off. Beekeepers are starting reduce the number of hives. The effects of climate change are threatening the entire beekeeping industry and the foreign exchange it brings to Uruguay.

The common honey bee was introduced to Australia from Europe in the 1820s, over three decades after the arrival of The First Fleet in 1788. Bees had been imported previously to that, but had all died. I can’t wait to see how the Australian eucalyptus honey compares with the Uruguayan equivalent!

Bye for now

Guapita

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Comments

[Kim]

Very interesting
Very interesting about the Eucalyptus plantaions and honey production in Unruguay. Do you know if Uruguay has native bees?

[Guapo and Guapita]

Very interesting
I believe Uruguay has native bees (not honey producing).

[Guapo and Guapita]

Very interesting
I believe Uruguay has native bees (not honey producing).