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Slide Sri Lanka

Wanakaset in Sri Lanka is a "forest retreat with a sense of purpose". It is located in the rain forest of Kitulgala, on the banks of Kilani River. Wanakaset Sri Lanka offers a breathtaking view of the Kitulgala valley with its magnificent tea plantation and astonishing highlands. This exclusive forest environment provides a haven for visitors looking for privacy and serenity.

WANAKASET IN SRI LANKA

Slide France - copy
WANAKASET IN FRANCE

Wanakaset Pyrenees Orientales in France is a "forest retreat with a sense of purpose". It is located on the hillside of the Albere mountain in the western flank of the Pyrenees mountain chain. Wanakaset France overlooks the “Côte Vermeille“ of the Mediterranean Sea.
This exclusive forest environment provides a haven for visitors looking for privacy and serenity.

Slide Panama
WANAKASET IN PANAMA

Wanakaset in Panama is a "forest retreat with a sense of purpose". It is located in the low lands of Chririqui, Boquette at about 300 metres altitude, on the banks of Rio Papayal River. Wanakaset Panama offers a breathtaking landscaping and the Boquette valley with its magnificent highlands and birds.

This exclusive forest environment provides a haven for visitors looking for privacy and serenity.

Slide Tunisia
WANAKASET IN TUNISIA

Wanakaset in Tunisia is an agricultural land that was harvested for crops by the Punic civilization and then the Romans and so on. Our plan remains the same…. Plant the most diverse variety of fruit trees and give nature some breathing space in one of the most beautiful coastlines on earth!

WHAT WE DO...

At Wanakaset, we are helping a forest in Sri Lanka, France, Panama and Tunisia to generate a healthy soil by using diverse, healthy, ecologically sound, and sustainable land-use techniques from permaculture, agroforestry and perma forest.

We strive to create a place where humans and other living organisms can find shelter and food in a natural environment. Our goal is to preserve and enhance the symbiotic relationships between microbes, fungi, insects, plants and animals.

Wanakaset is a combination of two words from the Thai language - Wana (forest) Kaset (Agriculture) - and means Forest Agriculture or Agroforestry.

SOME HISTORY ...

The forest we are looking after in Frances Pyrenees mountains have been supplying food for humans long before the rise of the Roman Empire. Ancient people developed terraces that survived hundreds of years to produce vegetable gardens and other crops in the middle of this wild forest.

In the 17th century, the war efforts of Louis XIV required the production of a lot of wooden warships. As a result of this increased demand for wood, the area was overran with fast growing tree kinds. Cork oak and oak trees were also introduced for charcoal production to fuel the local forges, who made use of the abundant iron ore of Mount Canigou.

A complex climate, a few forest fires and a changing economy slowly transformed the landscape throughout the eras. Finally, the forest was left alone for the last 70 years.

LIFECYCLE...

No matter how painful or dramatic change may sound, such is the story of almost every pieces of land on earth. In some cases, natural disasters, overgrazing and farming turned hundreds of square kilometers of land into barren deserts. But sooner or later, sometimes after hundreds of years, life takes over again.

Our focus today is accelerating the restoration of soil through biodiversity. We do this by planting thousands of different kinds of fruit trees, edible leaf trees, flowers and other plants on our properties.

We are continually experimenting with Phytosociology, the science which deals with plant communities, their composition and development, and the relationships between the species within them, without altering nor blocking the rest of the forests vegetation and wildlife.

In a couple of decades, our forests might become a more natural place attracting a diverse suite of living creatures and generating a healthy soil. At least assuming wildboars, deer and porcupines show kindness and a collaborative spirit.