Our multi-year project in CAZ West, Madagascar, made possible thanks to the support of The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), includes a wide variety of activities, one of which is forest restoration. The destruction of rainforest is damaging to ecosystems and a significant contributory factor to climate change.

Local Ranger in CAZ West Recording Location of Damaged Forest Area  © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar  

Ecosystems are damaged by the destruction of vital habitat for wildlife, and the loss of tree species. Climate change impacts are caused as felling trees removes primary forest from essential carbon capture and burning degraded forest releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere.  Whilst local patrols in protected areas help reduce illegal practices it is also important to restore areas that have been degraded. 

Saplings in tree nurseries using old-style plastic pots  © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

Our community-led project in CAZ West includes a forest restoration programme that will take place throughout the project period during which tree nurseries will be established to grow saplings from collected wildlings at each of the 5 communities we are working with. In the wild, seeds are not widely dispersed but rather grouped in one area, giving only the chance for the strongest to survive. That’s why young wildlings, and seeds, across a range of native species will be collected from the forest during ranger patrols and cared for in the specially constructed tree nurseries. By collecting a wide range of tree varieties, it is possible to select enough different species to return forest composition and structure to something as close to what has been lost as possible. The tree nurseries will be basic structures to provide shade and protection to the young plants and local people have been trained to work in the nurseries, including learning how to prepare seeds and substrate, germinating, potting on young plants and wildlings, and watering them when necessary. By the end of the project, it is expected that approximately 75,000 saplings will have been transplanted into degraded areas of forest.

One of the women at our project site in Sakalava with newly woven plant pots August  2024 © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

This year, thanks to our collaboration with CEPF, our team were able to visit VOI Fitama, a local community association close to our site in Sakalava. We had been concerned for a long time about the unsustainability of using plastic plant pots in the community tree nurseries and the visit enabled us to see a solution already proving to be highly effective, the production of woven plant pots. It is something we have already put into action at some of our sites in the CAZ West project area.

The pots are beautifully crafted by local women in each community and, although they are completely biodegradable, they can be reused until they break down and degrade.     

The plant pots are not only a more sustainable option compared to using plastic pots, but they also provide employment and skills for the local women producing them. 

Varieties of Papyrus Sedge Grow in Many Countries, Probably Most Well-known for Making Paper in Ancient Egypt

There are numerous Cyperus species, and in Madagascar the endemic variety known as Zozoro is being used to provide the materials needed to craft the pots. Zozoro faces similar threats to many plants in the country. Mainly due to human activities threats include habitat degradation and loss due to agricultural activities, dams and water management, nomadic grazing, soil erosion and sedimentation. We are therefore encouraging the local women to grow the plant so they can replenish their own supply of materials. This adds to local community skills for managing natural resources in ways that are both sustainable and beneficial to wildlife, habitats and human populations.

The weaving process August 2024 © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

The papyrus reeds are harvested, dried, and stripped into narrow pieces suitable for weaving. 

Papyrus weaving is a valuable skill August 2024 © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar

Currently some of the communities we are working with for this project do not have weaving skills. We hope to be able to enable women across all the villages to take part in this process. This will give the women the opportunity to learn new skills, initially for making plant pots, but many other items such as baskets, bowls, and mats can also be produced from this versatile material.

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.