The Rediscovered Forest

Who are we?

This adventure is first of all the meeting of two people. Ange, French, Corsican of surplus, left to live on the red island and Judith, Malagasy, native of Mahajanga.
Apart from their respective activities in Internet technologies and in tourism, they decide to try the adventure of making a success of the awareness on the importance of the forest.
It is this French-Malagasy couple who has thus involved their friends, their family and a whole village in this reforestation project.
We are not dreamers, we do not want to teach anyone a lesson, we are just aware that we live on a planet that deserves a little more attention than what is currently given. That if we want to continue to live happily and far from the tensions on this beautiful earth, we must protect it.
So we try, with our means, to participate in this mission.

The field

The land is located less than 45 km from the center of Majunga with a direct access on the national road 4 which is very important to ensure access. Indeed, during the rainy season, the secondary roads being tracks, they often become impassable and some areas become inaccessible. The rainy season is, for us, the season of great activity since it is during this period that we do most of the planting.
The first area of 35 hectares has undergone a heavy deforestation almost integral.
Since January 2020, we have taken over the management of an additional 100 hectares adjacent to the first plot.
In this region, as everywhere in the bush in Madagascar, the vegetation has suffered from a cultural evil which is cooking with charcoal.
However, all the wooded areas have been totally deforested to produce this famous charcoal. Woods and forests have become deserts, everyone wants charcoal, but no one wants to plant trees, such is the paradox that leads to a programmed tragedy.
But this is not a fatality, there is still time to act.
We have already acquired the land.
With this first piece of land, we are developing reforestation techniques that we have discovered in other countries and areas that have suffered the same fate with local techniques and habits. We want to make it the “pilot” land that will animate the surrounding community to follow us in this process.

The project

The project that we wish to live with you is a challenge and a commitment for the future. With the election of a new dynamic and more involved president, the Malagasy state has understood the situation and is now taking measures in this direction
We are thus in a dynamic of reforestation and institutions like the DREF will be able to support and accompany us (Regional Direction of the Environment and Forests).

If at first sight, it seems difficult to imagine a reforestation in this area which seems hot and dry, by analyzing the reality of the figures, it jumps to the eyes that on the contrary, the region is abundantly touched by the rain. The pluviometry in this area is the same as in Paris and 50% higher than in London… It rains indeed, nearly 1000 mm of water per annum, and this on a period of approximately 5 months (from November to March).

The axes of production thus envisaged

– Arboriculture: Reforestation by planting fruit trees, endemic species and trees for essential oils such as Ravintsara, katrafay, niaouli, saro.
– Transformation into essential oil.
– Production of fruit puree for food industry (mango, tamarind,..).
– Classic food crop for local market.
– Cultivation and export of whole exotic fruits with the “organic” label
– Nursery for local sale of trees
– Research on optimized irrigation methods and energy self-sufficiency in rural areas
– Agrotourism and ecotourism with partners that we have begun to solicit (Sur les hauteurs, Akaoka, Apamera, …)