Madagascar reforestation MBP

Madagascar was originally covered in 594,221 square kilometers of forest.
Only 59,038 remain.

An area the size of over 11,000football fields of Madagascar's forests are destroyed every year.

In just 2012, the MBP has planted nearly 30,000 trees.

Our goal is to plant another 1 million!

The current statistics about world deforestation are daunting. According to the World Resources Institute, 80% of the earth's natural forests are already gone, with more being destroyed every year. In Madagascar, 90% of the forests are
gone, and the MBP has witnessed the effects of deforestation firsthand. The forests surrounding the area of Kianjavato, in southeastern Madagascar, were once connected but are now severely fragmented due to slash and burn agriculture.

These forests are home to some unique species, including critically endangered Black-and-white ruffed lemur, and the world's most endangered primate, the Greater bamboo lemur. The fragmentation isolates forest inhabitants, forces inbreeding to occur and hinders access to habitat and food resources.

Help us turn this back into a forest!

In 2009, the MBP began a grassroots reforestation program in collaboration with the Kianjavato community. The goal of this effort was to establish a 7 km (4.3 miles) corridor reconnecting forest fragments.

Lemurs: vital reforestation partners

The MBP's Education Promoting Reforestation Program, or EPRP, utilizes the important seed dispersal function of the Black-and-white ruffed lemur. These lemurs have a diet of almost 95% fruit, but do not harm the seeds during consumption. MBP found that the seeds in the lemur droppings would germinate, producing seedlings of the tree species that the lemurs like to eat. The MBP reforestation project evolved from this, with the goal of transplanting these seedlings into the corridor, extending the animal's habitat.

By using the seeds from the fruit that the Black-and-white ruffed lemur loves to eat, we are ensuring that our reforested area will have the tree species that are important to the lemurs. When these new trees are old enough to start producing fruit, this will entice the lemurs to venture into these reforested areas. And as seed dispersers, the lemurs will continue to help supply the new forest with more trees.

Ensuring community-based support for conservation

The MBP has also implemented an education component with the reforestation project by having primary school students and local community members participate in planting the seeds in nurseries. Once grown, the seedlings are transplanted into the corridor by local volunteers. Each tree is individually labeled so participants can revisit their tree as it grows. COMING SOON: You too can adopt a tree in Kianjavato!

Reforestation for the Community

The MBP has expanded the EPRP to benefit Kianjavato's community by including commercial trees (like rosewood, citrus and cashew) as part of the reforestation program. Planted in zones closer to the village and away from the corridor, these trees provide community members additional income. The MBP hopes that by teaching the community how to plant and grow their own trees, they will have a greater sense of pride toward the unique flora that surround them.

Source MBP