Project Summary
We are delighted to be partnering with Graine de Vie to help them plant trees in Madagascar.
Madagascar is one of the most deforested countries in the world, 2% of the forest area is destroyed every year. It contains vast reforestation territory and is one of the few countries on our planet where the rate of rainfall still enables large-scale reforestation projects.
Trees planted in Madagascar have a carbon absorption capacity 10 to 15 times greater than those planted in highly developed regions of the globe.
Graine de Vie was founded in Belgium as an NGO (non-governmental organisation) in 2009 and undertook tree planting in Madagascar that same year. To date Graine de Vie has planted over 25 million trees resulting in an offset of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Graine de Vie also have reforestation projects running in Benin, Togo and soon Cameroon
Graine de Vie members work with local communities to plant, develop and monitor each of their reforestation projects. Each planting site has a nursery which is looked after by people from local villages, who are also employed as tree planters thereby providing employment and helping improve the lives of the people living in the reforestation areas.
To date, Graine de Vie has created 132 tree nurseries in 16 of the 22 regions of Madagascar and in 8 schools. They have also initiated 9 projects restoring mangrove trees and 11 projects protecting and restoring the national parks of Madagascar.
Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1: No Poverty
Graine de Vie has created employment for 450 local staff in Africa and hires thousands of seasonal workers during the plantation period. The NGO puts a lot of emphasis on fighting gender exclusion and hires many women to work in tree nurseries. To help eradicate poverty, revenue generating trees are planted in the villages: cocoa, coffee, Ravensara, clove, citrus, etc.
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
Providing employment to the local population gives them more opportunity to source essential food and drinking water. Graine de Vie hires only local staff in the villages surrounding reforestation areas. In addition, the NGO provides villagers with free seeds and seedlings of fruit trees to be planted on their properties providing a sustainable source of food for families.
SDG 13: Climate Action
To date, in over a 10-year period Graine de Vie has planted more than 25 million trees, absorbing an estimated 100,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. Reforestation of these vast territories has a direct impact on earth capacity to absorb more CO2.
SDG 15: Life on Land
According to the IPCC list, Madagascar is one of the countries most exposed to the effects of global warming. 2% of the country’s national forests are destroyed every year, mostly by forest fires and human activities. Graine de Vie organises on-going activities educating locals about the need for forest protection and plants millions of trees every year in 743 reforestation areas, respecting biodiversity with 135 tree species planted. In addition, 9 projects of mangrove forest restoration and rehabilitation were completed to date.
SDG 17: Partnerships for Goals
Graine de Vie partners with European sponsors to finance all reforestation projects. On the ground in Africa the organisation mobilises local resources to achieve its objectives. New partnerships are established on a continuous basis. Currently many partnerships are formed with municipalities organising activities in schools to educate children about the importance of forests. The Graine de Vie partnership with Madagascar National Parks (MNP) includes reforestation and forest protection projects with 11 national parks. By partnering with the Malagasy Army, Graine de Vie has planted 10 million trees on 10,000 hectares around the country.