Madagascar has taken one of the most ambitious tree-planting roads and aims to plant 60 million trees in the upcoming months.
The nation on this island celebrated 60 years of independence this year and the beginning of the planting campaign on the 19th of January marked a year since the inauguration of President Andry Rajoelina when he promised to restore the lost forests of Madagascar.
He said to the hundreds of people who attended the launch in the Ankazobe district that the government is faced with a challenge of restoring the green island which Madagascar once was.
He also encouraged people to care for their environment and to help reforest as it will help the future generations.
According to the environment ministry, in a couple of hours, around 1 million trees and seeds were planted on a 500-hectar-land, an area one-and-a-half times the size of Central Park in New York.
The Oldest Island in the World & the 4th Largest
Madagascar is the oldest island in the world and the 4th biggest and spans over 59 million ha. It’s the home to a wide range of animals and plants.
Between 2001 and 2018; unfortunately, this impressive island lost 1/5 of its trees, according to the Global Forest Watch, due to the expansion of the agriculture known as tavy among the locals.
Destruction of the forests on this island could sound like the death sentence to numerous of the endemic species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
In order to collect the seeds and populate nurseries, months of planning and nationwide efforts were required. Numerous NGOs, schools, ministries, the government, and the army participated.
According to a prominent primatologist Jonah Ratsimbazafy, the current stage is tree planting, but the big question remains what’s the next-how can they best protect the young trees and don’t plant them in January and end up destroying them in July.
Although Madagascar has had tree-planting drives previously, this time, the push from the president’s office, is expected to make all the difference.
Nirina Rakotonanahary who participated in the launch said it was her first time in a tree-planting drive popularized by the president.
The launch is a clear sign that the government wants to make a balance between the planting of native species and the agroforestry species, some which are exotic and invasive.
For easier access to remote areas, the government will use airplanes and drones. In the launch event, around 5 tons of seeds in the form of seed balls were dropped from an aircraft over 500 ha of land.
The current worry is how to sustain the momentum for the tree planting. And, although millions of seeds may sprout in the coming months, the optimism about the green campaign hasn’t yet taken root.
Rakatonanahary notes that in Madagascar, they make efforts one day and then they don’t continue.
Sources:
