Barren landscapes
Standing in the middle of the still small intact remnant of the highland rainforest in Ankafobe, one might think one is in a tropical rainforest in view of the surrounding jungle giants and the exuberant green vegetation. However, the sparse, treeless grasslands surrounding the last remnants of the rainforest quickly shatter this illusion.
The land here is barren due to forest fires and the use of rainforest wood for charcoal production. Typically, after the rainforest is cut and burned, it is not replanted. Instead, it is hoped that the tree cover will recover on its own. However, since soils without vegetation cover erode quickly, i.e. the fertile soil layer is washed away during heavy rains, this is hardly the case. Moreover, without a mother tree, there is no seed to fall on the ground and germinate.
We finance three tree nurseries
Therefore, Naturefund is building three tree nurseries in Ankafobe, each of which will produce 5,000 native plants for the reforestation of the rainforest and will also enable the cultivation of endangered and rare species within the forest fragments. For this purpose, seeds of native plant species currently still growing in the rainforest are collected and grown in the nurseries. A total of 20 different tree species are currently being grown in the nurseries to enrich the degraded forest fragments. You will find out how and where we are planting them in the next project news.
You are welcome to support us in our reforestation project and plant a tree in the rainforest of Madagascar