Mitsinjo Reforestation Project

Local tree planting team with Yousseff

Restoring the rainforest in all its diversity requires great care and attention.  Local people are employed in the planting, maintenance and protection of indigenous trees giving them a positive stake in the future of the forest.  Ysouffa, who is in charge of Mitsinjo’s nursery and responsible for reforestation, truly understands about trees and local ecology and is passionate about maintaining and restoring wildlife habitats.  With the Mitsinjo team, he has pioneered the innovative reforestation technique and Association Mitsinjo are considered reforestation experts in Madagascar:

• • • Seeds and Seedlings from between 60 and 100 indigenous species are collected from the wild; divided into categories according to growth rates and planted in the nursery.

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      River covering the road on the way to the replanting site

      Tree species are selected according to various criteria including how popular they are with birds, fruit bats or lemurs. In fact, local wildlife plays an active role in the reforestation process by spreading seeds in their faeces. coming back.

    • To grow successfully, each seedling requires the help of special fungi that live in their roots.  These fungi must be collected from the soil of the primary forest under at least 5 different plant families and it takes about 3 months to grow enough fungi for 10,000 seedlings.

    • Seedlings are nurtured and monitored in the nursery for up to 8 months before they are ready to be planted out.  During this time the land is prepared for planting out.

    • Seedling are planted out to emulate the natural variation of the primary forest.

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      Planting out the seedlings

      The newly planted areas are maintained (weeded and dead trees replaced) for at least the next 3 years, after which they are strong enough to continue growing.

    • Reforested areas are monitored in the long term.

In 2020, thirty-two families, from the hamlets of Sahatay and Sahakoa, in the Torotorofotsy buffer zone, have benefitted from training in improved sustainable agricultural practices to reduce the need for slash and burn farming.

Collecting new fruit trees

Training has included:

• Sustainable techniques for cropping and livestock raising,

• Compost production,

• Establishing tree nurseries,

• Tree planting

• Forest restoration.

Each family has received the seeds, plants and equipment needed to establish more sustainable and productive agricultural systems.  The families are benefiting from on-going technical support.  430 fruit trees have already been planted by 23 families.  500 quick growing timber species trees will be planted later in the year.

Preparing the land sustainably

These will benefit the families by

a) providing fruit as a source of nutrition and income and

b) reducing the need to cut down the native forest for timber and firewood.  Each year we plan to reach more families, helping to improve lives and decrease the pressure on the forest.

Community meeting

Community members are all invited to attended awareness raising sessions on climate change and the importance of local forest and wetland ecosystems for supporting human life.  They also learn about the unique value of their local environment and the long-term opportunities, such as eco-tourism, that arise from protecting the forest and the wetland.