Eco-action in Madagascar - August 2021 Update

The Betsiboka River estuary, on the northwestern coast of Madagascar, is a massive 80,000-hectare labyrinth of intricate waterways, channels and small islands. The estuary sits just south of the port city of Mahajanga. The daily tidal exchanges and consistent movement of water provide the perfect conditions for mangroves to flourish. The complex network of mangrove trees support this huge biomass that provides a sustainable local fishery, habitat for hundreds of different species, and a barrier from storm systems that annually move through this area. Betsiboka is vital to the people of Mahajanga and the many small towns and villages located in and around the estuary. 

Our current planting site lies right in the heart of Betsiboka, on the island of Nosy Nanambotra, and we plan to expand to the nearby islands of Tambohibe and Tanindraza soon. Planting has been an overwhelming success with 3,660,051 trees planted so far. This year’s planting will create about 93 hectares of natural habitat and safe nurseries for the many species that call Betsiboka home. 

Our planting partner, Eden Reforestation Projects has directly hired and manages 106 full-time salaried people from the Mahajanga community. These employees can now support their families through education, medical care, and purchasing power to expand their livelihoods. This program offers steady employment to local communities that previously would have had few income-generating alternatives. Usually, villagers in this area are vulnerable to exploitation by a local gang of charcoal producers who cut down mangroves and bake them to form valuable charcoal.

Our Madagascar mangroves are taking root and thriving. We’ll be planting many more in the months ahead. Our Betsiboka site has the capacity for at least 7.5 million mangroves, spaced out at a density of 10,000 trees per hectare.

Funding for this planting project is automatically created with every member action within Evergrow — our affordable employee engagement app that unifies recognition, rewards, savings, wellness and climate action for growing businesses. Evergrow makes work more meaningful, and your impact more powerful. The more that members use Evergrow, the more trees we can plant, enabling more CO₂ to be removed from the atmosphere, reducing global warming.