What are the Eden Reforestation Projects?
Eden Reforestation Projects is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide impoverished villagers with a fair wage and thus contribute to the global recovery of forests. Since their launch in 2005, they have planted over 265,000,000 trees at 82 different project sites! It is not just the number of trees they have planted that is impressive, but also the jobs they have created to lift local people out of extreme poverty. The trees we plant through Eden's reforestation projects sequester 308 kg of carbon during their estimated 25-year growth phase.
The leader of such a project works with the surrounding villages who are committed to restoring their forests. Eden trains local people to plant new trees. They plant native tree species, exactly what Madagascar needs. The communities protect their new forests because it is in their own best interest.
Eden Reforestation Projects have commissioned studies that show a survival rate of over 80%, even higher when natural growth is included. Fantastic, right?
Why is tree planting necessary?
Madagascar is an extraordinary country, if we do say so ourselves. It is a country with over 200,000 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, more than 90% of Madagascar's original forests have been destroyed. This has driven out entire species of animals and left the community unable to make a living off the land.
Eden started its project sites in Madagascar in 2007 to restore mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are essential ecosystems whose tree roots serve as anchors to the soil and shoreline. This prevents erosion and provides a barrier against harsh weather conditions. What began as mangrove restoration and reforestation in 2007 grew to include a variety of dry deciduous tree species in 2012.
