A Courageous Skydiver Drops 100 Million Native Plant Seeds Into the Brazilian Amazon
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Renowned Brazilian stunt performer Luigi Cani is a remarkable athlete with a truly extraordinary career. With nearly 14,000 jumps under his belt and an impressive collection of 11 world records spanning two decades, Cani’s reputation as a skydiving legend precedes him. However, what sets him apart is not just his daredevil feats but also his commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
In the year 2022, Cani embarked on one of his most heart-pounding adventures yet – a daring skydiving mission into a deforested region of the Amazon rainforest. What made this endeavor even more remarkable was the cargo he carried: a box containing an astonishing 100 million seeds from 27 native plant species.
The objective of this audacious stunt was to release the seeds midair, effectively planting 100 million new trees in the Amazon. Achieving this vision, however, was no simple feat and required five years of meticulous planning and preparation. The challenges were myriad, from securing the necessary permits from the Brazilian government to engineering a biodegradable seedbox capable of efficiently dispersing the seeds.
Two months were dedicated to cultivating the seeds from a nearby rainforest, and as the date of the daring jump approached, anxiety mounted. In a tense turn of events, three test seedboxes failed mere days before the scheduled jump in January 2022, throwing the team into a frantic search for a solution. Luigi Cani recollects, “We stayed up all night trying to find a way to seal a leak in the box.”
Once the box was repaired, Cani still faced the daunting task of maintaining a firm grip on it while ensuring the seeds were released at precisely the right moment. It was an arduous endeavor, as Cani revealed, “I struggled to hold the box. I nearly broke my wrist and fingers. I managed to stabilize myself at about 6,000 feet, and the seeds were released precisely where we wanted them to be. It was complete ecstasy.” Nevertheless, Cani admits that this particular jump was “the only jump in my life that I held my breath the entire time.”
Fortunately, the immense effort invested in this project has proven to be well worth it. With an impressive germination rate of 95%, Cani’s jump offers a promising opportunity for a significant portion of the deforested Amazon to flourish once again. Once fully mature, these trees could reach staggering heights of up to 50 meters. Cani’s dedicated team closely monitors the situation through satellite imagery, with a comprehensive assessment of the mission’s success slated for early 2024.
In the interim, Luigi Cani remains committed to harnessing his daredevil spirit for a greater cause. His sights are set on future environmental initiatives, including an upcoming jump aimed at addressing the issue of ocean plastic pollution. As Cani puts it, “I’ve been jumping for 25 years, and I’ve always pushed the limits with risky jumps. Now, I’m 51 years old, and I don’t have that drive for danger anymore. I want to do something to help. Like the seed drop, this next project will have real meaning behind it.”
In 2022, Luigi Cani, the legendary stunt performer, undertook a breathtaking skydiving mission into the Amazon, releasing a staggering one million seeds in a valiant effort to combat deforestation.
Source: mymodernmet
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