To reforest or not - is this a real question?

Every year, associations, groups of people, companies, and every citizen, mobilize for the reforestation campaign that usually takes place during the rainy season, between November and March. It is important to remember that our reforestation actions have very specific purposes and that no tree should be planted in vain.

Indeed, reforestation contributes to ecological restoration, which consists in reconstituting forests by planting the same species as the one destroyed.

It also supports our daily life through the planting of useful trees, especially for cooking or building materials. And finally, reforestation helps support tourism by restoring forests that represent a tourist asset and thus generate income for communities.

And if we decide to stop reforesting, what will happen?

• Forests could disappear completely in the coming decades since we are destroying faster than we are restoring. According to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Madagascar has lost about 90,000 ha of its forests per year over the last two years with a deforestation rate of 1.4% and now covers an area of only 8,716,519 ha
• Rainfall will be scarce because there will not be enough trees from which water evaporates and condenses to bring rain. Studies conducted by the Directorate of Meteorology on climate trends indicate a decrease in rainfall of 114mm per year by 2080
• The endemic species and all the biodiversity which constitute our natural wealth, will become extinct slowly because there will not be enough forests to serve as their habitat. A study on Malagasy mammals reveals that if all the species now threatened were to disappear, it would take 23 million years for such biodiversity to recover. In the case of lemurs alone, 98% of Madagascar's endemic species are threatened
• There is a risk of increasing the level of pollution because there will not be enough trees to absorb CO2 and produce oxygen. Soils will progressively degrade, lose their fertility and become more vulnerable to natural disasters because there will not be enough roots to preserve them.

Trees are generally made up of 20% carbon. According to the FAO, forests store large amounts of carbon and the destruction of forests sends billions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. When they are burned or cut down, they release carbon and become a source of greenhouse gases. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Madagascar is among the 20 countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. Moreover, the Ministry of Environment reported that the deadly floods during the last cyclone season were partly the result of massive deforestation.

However, if we continue to reforest, what could be the benefits?

• We will be able to progressively reconstitute the forests to re-green Madagascar. In 2021, 72,000 ha of forests have been reforested with more than 17 million seedlings planted (Ministry of Environment, 2021)
• We offer endemic species and all biodiversity the opportunity to live fully, reproduce and thrive in their natural habitat
• We will be able to have more rain over a longer period of time. We will contribute to the purification of the air and thus reduce the risks of disease related to pollution
• And finally, we will help make the soil more fertile so that communities can grow crops and improve their standard of living, but also protect them from natural disasters such as floods and landslides.

Our country is struggling to breathe and we are both the cause and the victims of this situation. It is the duty of every citizen to help re-green Madagascar. Also, let us act for nature and restore what has been destroyed. The 2022-2023 reforestation campaign will be officially launched on January 28, 2023 in Ilaka Est, District of Vatomandry in the Atsinanana region with the objective of covering an area of 75,000 ha.