WHAT WE DO:

At our core we are a forest conservation and restoration organisation. We look at the basic causes of deforestation, in very specific locations, and we develop real, economic, grass-root based alternatives to reverse the problem:

We have found that the main causes of forest loss are as follows:

  1. Conversion of forest to agriculture (mostly slash and burn and in some cases industrial) >40%

  2. Harvesting for firewood and charcoal >30%

  3. Uncontrolled burning (I really don't understand this situation, as it appears to be for hunting or arson, which is outrageous.) +15%

  4. Harvesting for timber. While it is not a big percent these are the guys who open the door by building access roads etc  9%

  5. The rest, can be described as general stupidity (Like open cast mining…poorly planned human settlement and infrastructure…

A common thread in all of these is the inequitable share of the benefits derived from the use of forest resources, resulting in the kind of extreme poverty that makes bad decisions and then escalates the problem.

Maps of Madagascar showing forest cover loss in 2000, 2012, and 2019, with decreasing green areas indicating deforestation over time.
A woman standing in a plant nursery with green plants in black plastic bags on wooden shelves, wearing a black t-shirt, colorful patterned skirt, and headscarf, surrounded by seedling pouches on the ground.
Group of people in traditional attire dancing and playing drums in a lush outdoor setting.
A tall white flower with long, thin, curly petals and numerous stamens, growing in a garden with green foliage and dried pine straw on the ground.
A smiling man standing behind a large decorative wooden mirror frame in a woodworking workshop.