Regrowing Native Rainforest, One Tracked Tree at a Time

Green Again Madagascar works with rural landowners along a fire-scarred stretch of Madagascar's eastern rainforest to replant only native species, never eucalyptus or other exotics, after a devastating 2013 fire. Every seedling is grown from rainforest-collected seed, nursery-raised for up to 18 months, then tracked by GPS number through three more years of care, a bottom-up method that lifts survival rates to over 70%, compared with roughly 30-35% for typically planted trees. By 2020 the Malagasy-led crew had planted about 57,000 trees across four east-coast regions, and the project has since grown its palette to more than 70 native tree species raised in eight community nurseries. The restored canopy is designed to rebuild critical habitat and food sources for Madagascar's endangered lemurs while employing local Malagasy staff full-time.