Tree Planting in Mozambique
Jan 1, 2023
Terrestrial forest restoration in Changalane
Mozambique is located on the Eastern coast of Africa, with 2,500 kilometres of Indian Ocean coastline facing toward Madagascar.
Around 68% of the 31 million population of Mozambique live in its vast rural areas, and its population is relatively young – with around 66% of the country under the age of 24. Historically home to vast mangrove estuaries and forests, Mozambique’s forests have been largely decimated and destroyed due to intensive tree-cutting for firewood and charcoal.
In recent years, parts of Northern Mozambique have suffered from ongoing extremist threats. Conflict and unrest causes displacement to thousands of local Mozambican people. These ongoing conflicts also exacerbate existing development challenges such as providing access to education and healthcare. The population’s reliance on subsistence agriculture as a result of these challenges causes further environmental degradation.
The village of Changalane is unusual in the region, due to its majority adult-aged population, of which more than half are women. Historically, this village earned its livelihood through agriculture and the sale of coal, and high poverty rates mean the population relies heavily on its natural resources and forests for survival. The intensive practices of tree-cutting for firewood and charcoal has led to a heavily degraded environment.
The Changalane project employed 15 full-time nursery workers to plant and grow the seedlings, and 30 full-time planters from the local village. Through reforestation, we can help provide long-term financial stability to local families, as well as restore the terrestrial ecosystem.
Through the efforts of Ecologi and their planting partner, Eden Reforestation Projects, funding from our community supported the planting of over 2.2 million dry deciduous trees during the project period. These trees will help to re-establish a thriving ecosystem, and planting activities will prevent further deforestation by helping to alleviate local poverty.
