Europe's key animals 'making a comeback'

[Xipe Totec]

2. Interesting and surprising development

One of the stories I have been following in this regard is the cork industry:

Cork oak landscapes cover approximately 2.7 million hectares of Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France. As well as providing a vital source of income for more than 100,000 people, these landscapes also support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats, including globally endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx, the Iberian Imperial Eagle and the Barbary Deer

(snip)

The increase in the market share of alternative wine stoppers, specifically plastic stoppers and screwtops, could reduce the economic value of cork lands therefore leading to conversion to other uses, abandonment, degradation, and finally loss of one of the best and most valuable examples of a human–nature balanced system.

Because the forests have an economic value to local communities, people care for the forests. This helps maintain their environmental values as well as reducing the risk of fires and desertification

http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/corkscrewed.pdf

An amazing influence from such a humble product as the cork.