Madagascar

Why reforest in Madagascar?

Madagascar is one of the world’s top biodiversity conservation priorities because of its endemic species and severe habitat loss rates. Reforestation in Madagascar is important because the destruction of the mangrove estuaries along the coastline has caused mudflats to wash into the ocean, destroying once-productive fisheries and increasing the vulnerability of coastal communities to hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods. In the dry deciduous forests, deforestation threatens one of the world’s rarest and most diverse forest systems.

How we started

In response to the large-scale loss of mangroves in Madagascar, we began restoring mangrove estuaries in Mahajanga in 2007. We worked with the local community to clear the estuary of dead trees, collect a variety of native propagule species, and plant trees during the low tide. Less than a decade later, our work in Mahajanga, Madagascar developed into a thriving mangrove forest, resulting in the return of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. What began as mangrove reforestation in 2007 grew to include a variety of upland dry deciduous forests in 2012.

Where we’re working

"Only at Eden": fighting fires in flip flops

While most people run away from fires, our team runs towards them. For example, in September 2021, a fire in Ankarafantsika burned over 1,500 hectares (around 6 square miles). As the fire continued to spread, the fire department reached out to our Madagascar project team for help because of our experience in fire mitigation. Our team collected their tools such as water packs, buckets, and shovels and joined the firefighters. They were on the front lines in t-shirts and sandals, extinguishing the fire. Our reforestation teams train in fire management to ensure that the trees we plant are protected from extreme events as they grow to maturity.

Our progress to date

With 93 project sites, Madagascar is our most prolific reforestation and poverty alleviation project nation. We have extensive infrastructure such as guardhouses, fire towers, and seed banks. We also developed a training center for local nursery managers to gain hands-on experience in seedling management and effective reforestation techniques.