About the project:

The Boeny Region Restoration Program (BRRP) is a 335,925+ hectare (ha) restoration initiative in northwestern Madagascar. The program is a coordinated effort between Eden: People + Planet (Eden), communities, and government stakeholders to scale holistic programs that leverage restoration opportunities to restore and protect ecosystem services, improve livelihoods, and support biodiversity. The program’s AOI includes two of the largest remaining forest patches in the Betsiboka River watershed—the dry deciduous mosaic of Ankarafantsika National Park and the downstream mangrove forests of Bombetoka Bay in the Betsiboka River delta. These distinct forests are connected by the Betsiboka River, which flows from the central highlands to the Indian Ocean near Mahajanga.

According to Global Forest Watch, the AOI has lost 41,700 ha—over one-third—of its tree cover since 2000. This change is driven primarily by agricultural practices and charcoal production and is also influenced by a need for improved coordination on land tenure and natural resource governance. In addition to deforestation, the AOI has seen degradation due to cyclones, upstream soil erosion, and uncontrolled fires set to renew grazing pasture and clear fields for cultivation. The impact of this deforestation can be seen in the pattern of fragmentation in forest cover, soil erosion, and threats to endemic biodiversity.

In Madagascar, it is estimated that over 70% of the population relies on forests for daily needs and livelihoods. At the same time, Madagascar has lost over 4 million hectares of forest since the 1950s. In this context of extremes, restoration must balance the needs of communities, protection of biodiversity, and climate resilience to change the trajectory of the Boeny region landscape. The BRRP aims to do this through collaboratively designed initiatives that:

1. Address drivers of deforestation through community-based forest resource governance and fire protection.
2. Scale ecological restoration efforts in mangrove and dry deciduous forest systems to restore connectivity and landscape function.
3. Support climate adaptation and resilience through climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry practices that enhance connectivity for wildlife.
4. Diversify livelihoods at the household level to reduce reliance on forest resources in protected areas and their buffer zones.

These initiatives are in line with national priorities for landscape restoration and locally recognized issues. Through holistic restoration, the Boeny Region Restoration Project will create a variety of co-benefits for communities and biodiversity.

Eden Reforestation Projects has been working to restore mangrove forests in the area in 2012 and dry deciduous forests in Ankarafantsika National Park in 2014. Eden partners with the national government and local communities to restore and protect this landscape. During the first five years of restoration, Eden has brought hundreds of hectares of degraded forest land under restoration, and has successfully propagated one of the rarest baobab subspecies, Adansonia madagascariensis boninensis, a species with only a few mature trees remaining in the wild. Additionally, Eden's experience has unlocked innovations to mangrove and dry deciduous restoration that can only be gained in practice. Eden estimates that the project will support the long-term survival of millions of trees planted by Eden in the landscape since 2012. By bringing together and expanding Eden’s work in the forests of this region, the BRRP emphasizes the interconnectedness of mangrove and dry deciduous forests.

Core activities of this expansion include:

• Active restoration of over 40,000 hectares of degraded forests across two forest types.
• Protection (avoided conversion) of over 221,000 ha of forest cover in the landscape.
• Comprehensive, collaborative landscape and restoration planning for protected areas within the AOI, including updated management plans.
• Fire mitigation efforts and agroforestry initiatives to address slash-and-burn agriculture as a core driver of deforestation in the landscape.
• Identification and development of sustainable, forest-friendly value chains from forest and agroforestry products.

Stage of development:

This project represents an expansion of Eden's current work in this landscape. Restoration activities have already begun within the park with some exciting early wins. The Boeny Region Restoration Project is ready to receive funding to scale these efforst through broad engagement with other stakeholders, co-developed project design, detailed restoration planning, and the development of supporting initiatives to address drivers of deforestation and the long-term sustainability of the restoration work in the wider landscape.

Impact of your donation:

The primary returns on this investment are social and environmental, including:

• A comprehensive, collaboratively developed restoration plan for the largest area of old-growth dry deciduous forest under protection in Madagascar
• Millions of indigenous trees produced and monitored over the life of the project
• Increased forest connectivity within the landscape
• Livelihood opportunities for communities in and adjacent to protected areas, both through direct employment, seed collection, agroforestry programs, and complementary initiatives co-developed during project design.
• Protection of forests in Northwest Madagascar. Forests protected in this project are core to successful restoration because they contribute to the genetic diversity of the seed that supports broader restoration goals in the region

About Eden Reforestation Projects in Madagascar:

Eden began in Madagascar in 2004, scaling to the Boeny Region in 2014. In the last decade, the organization has planted millions of trees, protected healthy forests from fire, and provided a safe haven for lemurs caught in the wildlife trade. For more information, please visit Eden's website edenprojects.org.