Madagascar, Tulear, August 2023
As part of an innovative initiative to raise awareness among future generations of the importance of preserving the environment, an exciting educational reforestation project called ‘Forest & Life’ was launched at the end of 2021 by the association A Tree for You and its partners the Eau de Coco association and Kinomé. Combining education, sustainability, and concrete action, this project has transformed attitudes and restored a fragile ecosystem – the mangroves of south-west Madagascar – by planting 8,000 mangrove trees.
The first wave of planting of 4,000 mangrove trees took place during the 2021/2022 school year, with the active involvement of 200 schoolchildren. A second wave of planting of 4,000 mangroves took place during the 2022/2023 school year, again involving many local school classes. To prepare for planting, seeds were put in the nursery to germinate and propagules were harvested and quickly planted directly in the soil. Below are the species planted during the 2022/2023 plantation:
| Species | Number of mangroves |
| Yellow mangrove Ceriops tagal |
900 |
| Orange mangrove Bruguiera gymnorhiza |
900 |
| Red mangrove Rhizophora mucronata |
900 |
| Grey mangrove Avicennia Marina |
900 |
| Flower mangrove Sonneratia alba |
400 |
| TOTAL | 4,000 |
Madagascar’s mangroves are vital to the local environment and communities that depend on them. They protect coastlines from storms and waves, as well as providing a crucial habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species, many of which are endemic to Madagascar. They are also home to fishing communities dependant on natural resources for their livelihoods. The crabs, prawns, and fish living in the mangroves are an important source of food for local communities.
Madagascar’s mangroves are however threatened by habitat destruction due to logging, intensive fishing, and population growth. Mangrove degradation can also lead to salination of surrounding farmland, which can have negative effects on local communities.
Over 24 months, A Tree for You and its partners mobilised 400 young Malagasy pupils from local schools, educating them about the vital importance of forests while actively involving them in reforestation. The project combined educational workshops in the classroom, practical experience in the field, and exchanges with French pupils involved in the same type of initiative in French forests.
By sowing the seeds of knowledge and action, this educational reforestation project to plant and grow 8,000 mangroves is proving a catalyst for change, forming the minds that will shape a greener, more sustainable future for us all.
The time has now come to monitor and maintain the young trees planted. A new wave of planting, involving new pupils, has been launched for the 2023/2024 school year.
