Reforest highland rainforestin Madagascar

In Madagascar, only about 10% of the original forest cover is now preserved. One of these last remnants of forest can be found in Ankafobe. The special feature: the rainforest is located in the highlands at an altitude of about 1,200 meter and is one of the rarest forest types in Madagascar. Plants and animals threatened with extinction live here; some of them can only be found here. But slash and burn and deforestation endanger this last remnant of rainforest. We want to prevent the forest from disappearing forever. With every tree you donate for the reforestation of Madagascar's forests, the rainforest can grow again. Help us! Plant a tree in Madagascar for 6€.

10,834
+20
already donated 56,634 €
of 15,000
10,834 TreesNew trees during the last 7 days.+20 Trees4,166 TreesFaunaFloraInfo
509
+1
  • We join in!
  • 120 €
    Philip K.
    Wien
  • 12 €
    Anonymous
    Berlin
  • 60 €
    Anonymous
    Crimmitschau
  • 6 €
    Anonymous
    Altmünster
  • 6 €
    Martin L.
    Crimmitschau

Protect highland rainforest in Madagascar

The last remnants of the rainforest in ankafobe
Photo: Naturefund

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 28 million people live on the island, over 80% of whom work in agriculture. Those is based on traditional techniques that deplete the soil - without trees, without diversity.

The poverty of many farmers and the resulting struggle for survival often forces locals to damage the forest and natural resources. Be it by slash-and-burn to obtain more fertile agricultural land or by deforestation to cook and heat with wood or charcoal. The result: a permanent exodus of the last remaining forests. In the meantime, only about 10% of the original forest cover remains on Madagascar.

The highland rainforest of Ankafobe

One of these last remnants of forest in Madagascar can be found in Ankafobe. The rainforest is located in the highlands at an altitude of about 1,200 m and is one of the rarest forest types in Madagascar. It has therefore been declared a protected area. Today, only a few small fragments of this forest remain: of the 133 hectares of protected area, only 33 are still forested. However, these remnants of the forest contain a flora and fauna that are extremely worthy of protection and rich in species, including a number of endemic species. For example, four species of lemurs and 35 species of birds still live in the forest remnants, and more than 200 different tree species grow there. By comparison, there are only 90 different tree species in Germany. 

But the species-rich remnants of the highland rainforest of Ankafobe are also threatened, especially by fire: on the one hand, the wood from the trees is also used here for daily cooking, and on the other hand, the Malagasy burn their agricultural land after the dry season in winter to prepare it for the next season. There is always the danger that the fire could spread to the rainforest.

If the forest disappears, another of Madagascar's problems becomes apparent: erosion. Large parts of formerly fertile soil are simply washed away by the lack of plant cover and heavy rainfall. Without support, there are no future prospects here - neither for the plants and animals nor for the people.

Rainforest protection

In order to protect the remaining forest and support the local people, Naturefund's work primarily consists of reforestation of the forest that has been degraded by historical forest fires. Seedlings of the 200 local tree species are raised in an on-site tree nursery. So far, about 5,000 plants have been raised each year for the restoration of the rainforest remnants. Now, with our local partner Missouri Botancial Garden, we want to increase the number to 20,000 seedlings per year. These seedlings will then be planted around the forest so that it can grow a bit each year - a growth to 37 hectares, that's our goal for 2021.

Another pillar of rainforest protection is Dynamic Agroforestry: only through sustainable cultivation with trees around the protected area and a better income for the people can the permanent protection of the forest in Madagascar be ensured. Thirty pilot farmers are currently testing the DAF method in personal plots around the protected area. They are supported by five young people whom we train and who can later pass on this form of cultivation as DAF trainers.

Together, these 30 new DAF plots already cover an area of 4.4 hectares. Since the use of Dynamic Agroforestry is associated with great success, we want to further expand our activities. That means helping even more farmers convert their farmland to Dynamic Agroforestry, planting trees and thus preserving Ankafobe's unique flora and fauna.

Help us to preserve Madagascar's unique highland rainforest! For 6 € you can plant a tree and support people, animals and plants.

Informationen zum Waldschutz und Aufforstungen

Project news

Here you can find information and news about this project.

· Naturefund
Farming without deforestation and slash-and-burn? It really does work - as can be seen in our project in Madagascar. Here, we use the method of… Read more
· Naturefund
Deforestation is not only accompanied by the problem of erosion. Without the shade of trees, Madagascar's soils are defenceless against the sun's… Read more
· Naturefund
Baumsetzlinge stehen auf Tisch in einer Baumschule
An important component of our reforestation project in the highland rainforest of Madagascar is the establishment of tree nurseries in which native… Read more

What others say about the project

Claudia S.wrote at 03.04.2024
Die hohe Spendensumme kam durch viele Einzel-Spender auf unserer gemeinsamen Geburtstagsfeier zusammen ... herzlichen Dank an die Gäste!

Since 3. April

Supports 1 project

Dirk W.wrote at 01.02.2024
Für Mensch und Klima

Since 2019

Supports 27 projects

Ardita D.wrote at 24.01.2024
Vielen Dank!

Since 2022

Supports 3 projects