Reforestation
Our experience is that the longer an area has been disturbed by people, the more challenging it is for the forest to recover.
Luckily, our forest is a humid tropical rainforest with plenty of rain. Hence, in most cases we just leave a damaged area to recover by itself (natural regeneration) and evolve back into forest. There are many fast-growing native tree species, and the endemic lemurs and birds are fantastic seed dispersers!
Unfortunately, there are some areas that have been disturbed too much to recover naturally. Many of these areas remain unchanged over many years. The most common example is former zebu (cattle) grazing fields, where invasive grasses and plants such as wild ginger form a solid mat that prohibits the germination of tree seeds.
For these areas, we collect seeds from native tree species from around the reserve and plant them in tree nurseries close to the impacted area. Our tree nursery staff tends the seedlings until they are ready to plant, after 4-7 months of growth in the nursery. We then manually weed the area until the trees are large enough to cast shade on the invasive plants, usually 9-12 months.
Reforestation is an important source of temporary employment for the local communities, and another way we ensure they are involved in and benefit from conservation.
Below is a selection of the most common tree species we use in reforestation. In each area, we aim for biodiversity by planting a variety of species and we use a different mix of species in each area. We of course rely on lemurs and birds to help out!
There are a handful of Canarium species that are endemic to Madagascar. Over time, they form impressive giants that tower over the forests in this area. They bear prolific fruit that is loved by all the lemur species.
Intsia are a large fast-growing tree that develop cankerous knots that are a favorite source of grubs for the endangered Aye-Aye. Intsia are in the teak family and are a highly coveted wood for furniture and construction. Thus they are hard to find outside reserves.
Nanto is a very slow-growing hardwood tree that is a favorite of local woodworkers due to the wood's attractive yellow and brown colors and wood grain.
Madagascar’s Rosewood (and the related Palisander) species are some of the most sought after trees in the world. Despite CITES restrictions, illegal logging and export continues due to the amount of money involved: a single tree can fetch over a million dollars at a market in China. These are slow-growing trees so we are trying to do our part to protect them. They play a vital role in the ecosystem because they are important nitrogen fixers and bear fruit loved by lemurs and birds.
Uapaca are a distinctive tree in the forest due to their cluster of stilt-like above-ground roots. They produce fruits loved by lemurs and have hardwood that is used in house construction.
