Project proposal

Reforestation in Madagascar
Since 2001, ADES in Madagascar has been committed to energy-efficient cooking and promotes the use
of renewable energies. Its core tasks are the production and sale of solar and energy-saving cookers. This
enables large quantities of wood and charcoal to be saved. Moreover, it protects the climate, biodiversity
and health and makes it possible to escape poverty.
ADES sells the cookers at a reduced price to the local population and sensitises them to energy-efficient
cooking and environmental protection through intensive public relations and training. A new tree is to be
planted in Madagascar for every cooker sold (currently approx. 45,000 per year).

Dwindling forests - a threat to the environment and biodiversity

Madagascar is home to a unique fauna and flora with a high proportion of species not found anywhere
else. However, these are highly endangered, as less than ten percent of the original forests of the former
green islands have been preserved, and overexploitation of the forest continues. A further 120,000 hec-
tares of forest disappear every year. The consequences are devastating: erosion and desertification cause
the loss of habitats for humans, animals and plants as well as agricultural land. Watercourses carry humus
away and silt up, the climate changes, pests and diseases spread.
The trees fall victim to the extraction of tropical timber and construction timber as well as to the land re-
quirements for the cultivation of food. However, 80 percent of the wood felled is used for cooking. A rural
household uses four tons of firewood per year to prepare meals on an open fire. In the cities, charcoal is
used for cooking. To cover the coal needs of a household, six tons of wood have to be felled each year.
This not only has devastating consequences for the environment and the climate. Firewood and charcoal
are very expensive. The cost of the fuel needed for cooking is usually about a quarter of the average
monthly salary. And this in a country where 92% of the population lives on less than USD 2 a day and
about 85% of the population has no access to electricity.

A tree is planted (all photos: ADES) Ejeda tree nursery

ADES-Geschäftsstelle, Im Grindel 6, CH-8932 Mettmenstetten Tel. +41 44 466 60 50 [email protected] www.adesolaire.org

Bankverbindung: Raiffeisenbank, CH-8917 Oberlunkhofen PC Kto 50-1608-1 IBAN CH62 8080 8002 5845 3013 5
ADES reforests!
ADES already started reforestation in the Ejeda region in 2010. Five years later, ADES employee Daniel
from the Anranovory region started growing plants in a small greenhouse on his private property for refor-
estation. In the meantime, this has become the organisation AFA Association Fihaonana Aro-Ala (Associa-
tion for the Community Protection of Forests), of which Daniel is President. If a village in the region chooses
a reforestation project, it must become a member of AFA.
ADES uses the valuable experience and promotes reforestation around Ejeda as well as in other regions.
Get to know ADES' own project in Ejeda and Anranovory as well as the project in Ankazobe.

1. ADES project in Ejeda and Anranovory

Core initative
Ejeda, a municipality of about 43 000 inhabitants, is located in the south of Madagascar, on the main
road between Tuléar and Fort Dauphin. This area is one of the poorest in Madagascar. This also ap-
plies to Anranovory, which is also located in the south. Most of the inhabitants belong to the Mahafaly
tribe.
A relatively small, holy piece of forest, which is inhabited by two lemur groups, is still in very good con-
dition. However, poverty and the lack of rain drive more and more people to clear more forests to earn
some money with charcoal. There are only very limited other earning possibilities.

Project objectives
• Within six years (2019 - 2024), 20 villages have a
reforested, sustainably used forest
• On average, 2,000 trees are planted per village each
year. This amounts to 40,000 trees per year for the
two regions.
• After the total project duration of six years, the region
has approximately 240,000 new trees on around 240
hectares of land.
• 9400 trees are planted on 23 hectares in the
2019/2020 season. (The planting season in Mada-
gaskar lasts from October to April.)

The project pursues the following subgoals:

• Domestic hardwoods will be specifically planted.
These are neither deforested nor used for commer-
cial purposes, but are considered to be
• (Life) basis for humans, animals and climate.
• The forest is the property of its inhabitants.
• The forest provides bee pasture and medicinal
plants.
• The forest provides leaves and fruit for food.
• From a certain point in time, the forest regularly
supplies firewood and timber for construction.

The map shows the areas in which ADES carries out its afforestation
projects.

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Indicators
Generally From the 2nd project year From the 7th operating
year
2,000 trees of 18 different - 4 species of hardwood trees are - The forest supplies 93 -
species per year and village afforested per partner village. 200 m3 of logs per year
are grown and planted in tree - 4 tree species suitable for food per village.
nurseries (depending on the supply are planted. - The forest supplies 10 tons
size and goals of the village - 10 tree species suitable for con- of fruit/leaves/bark per
community). struction timber and firewood are year.
planted.

With the extremely sustainable - albeit time-consuming - approach, a multi-layered afforestation (hard-
wood, logs, fruit wood) is pursued, taking into account the needs and local conditions. For example,
one village needs wood for the timber industry, another wants more fruit trees and yet another has a
demanding soil for planting. ADES takes this into account. However, ADES does not accept monocul-
tures, even if they are desired by the villagers and/or landowners.

The intensive care of the villages is a mutual obligation:

1. The villages commit themselves to maintain a mixed forest.
2. ADES undertakes to provide the necessary funds for this, since the villages do not have this of
one's own accord.

Project activities
ADES already runs five nurseries in Ejeda for the cultivation of young plants from the area. These
young plants are to be planted in suitable locations as mixed crops. These activities will be extended
to 15 more villages in the course of the project period. From the second year of the project, hardwood
trees and trees suitable for food supply will be reforested. In addition, trees will be planted to meet the
demand for building timber and firewood.

ADES has been operating its own production and distribution centre for energy-saving cookers in
Ejeda since 2007. From this centre all project communities are supplied with energy-saving cookers,
which guarantees a sustainable use of the reforested forest. In addition, the centre provides infor-
mation and awareness-raising on the environmental situation, the effects of deforestation and the
advantages of energy-saving cooking.

Daniel grows seedlings at his house The young plants thrive in disused canisters

« In order that my parents could finance my studies for me and my siblings, they cleared a
large area of land. They made charcoal out of the wood and sold it. In the meantime, I have
inherited this land and a few years ago I started to reforest it for the benefit of the environ-
ment - thanks to the help of ADES. »
Daniel, ADES-employee, Satramafana

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Project risks
Bushfires occur regularly in these regions. The south of Madagascar is also very dry. Droughts can
therefore become a problem. The population often has no knowledge of the cycle of a tree or forest.
Seedlings and trees can be infested by diseases or pests, albeit much less frequently in mixed cul-
tures. ADES therefore invests in various protective measures, training, building wells and doing every-
thing in its power to protect the afforested areas from damage.

Project management
The national co-director for Madagascar, who comes from Switzerland, is responsible for the ADES
project. He has been living in Madagascar for several years and oversees technology, production, lo-
gistics and development. In his work, he can count on a very committed team that has been active for
many years, which ensures sustainability and seriousness in the difficult areas.

Site inspection by the project management. Negotiation with a village chief in the Ejeda region

Project budget
The costs for the ADES project amount to approximately CHF 40 000 per year, starting in 2019. They
consist of the following components, spread over a time axis of four different phases. Since ADES was
already in contact with villages before 2019 and already has seedlings for them, planting can already
begin this year.

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Harvest
Initialisation Planting Growth I
Grwoth II

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Harvest
Initialisation Planting Growth I
Grwoth II

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Harvest
Initialisation Planting Growth I
Grwoth II
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Harvest
Initialisation Planting Growth I
Grwoth II

etc etc etc etc

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

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 Stage Beschreibung

Initialization Search for suitable villages, negotiations with responsible persons, conclusion of
contracts, land cultivation etc.; training and further education of all parties in-
volved. This phase is very time-consuming and involves a lot of travelling.
Education and Those responsible in the villages as well as all helpers are intensively trained in
training all areas of afforestation with the aim of understanding the connections in nature
as well as the different phases. The training takes place in each phase.
Preparatory Delimitation of the areas to be cultivated for the current year by means of a
phase fence made of thorny bushes to protect against domesticated animals such as
chickens, goats and sheep, but also against wild animals; preparation of tree cul-
tivation (creating beds, shading, etc.).); excavations for wells; preparation of
sandy soil and analysis of trees sprouting naturally (tree species, marking, pro-
tection); removal of grass for fire protection; excavation of holes for planting; in-
troduction of compost (produced by the ADES centres, collected in chicken
farms); preparation of irrigation system (pet bottles for drip irrigation and their
support).
Tree nursery Procurement of seeds, preparation of seeds according to the type of tree using
various techniques, filling of bags with sand-compost mixture, introduction of
seeds and driven seeds, care of young plants: watering, shading, observation
(insects, fungi...).
Planting Transport of the young plants to their destination; introduction of the young
plants into the prepared hole; daily or two-day filling of the prepared irrigation
bottles; daily control of the plants (assessing growth, diseases, insect caused
damage, etc. and immediate alerting of the responsible person in case of un-
known incidents).
Growth I Irrigation and monitoring; permanent control posts on site by means of control
tours by security personnel (day and night protection against thieves and de-
stroyers.
Harvest From this stage onwards, fruit can be harvested for own consumption and/or
Growth II sale. In addition, logs may be felled for fuel, wood processing, etc. All forest
woods remain protected from felling and in future will serve exclusively as a
natural basis for humans, animals and the climate.
Budget item Description

Material seedlings, tree nurseries, tools, construction materials for wells, protective
measures, pipes, etc. CHF 10 500.
Initialization As mentioned above, the first phase in particular can be very time-consuming. In
and accompa- addition, there are the various training and further education programmes for all
niment participants as well as the constant monitoring of all phases by the project man-
agement. CHF 20 000.
Further devel- Experiences gained must be analysed and the project further developed accord-
opment, re- ingly. Due to the risks mentioned above, additional costs may arise at any time.
search, risks CHF 5 000.
Administration CHF 4 500 (12,7 %)

The costs per village can vary a lot and are therefore not detailed. Since each village has different
needs, each landscape and soil is different, the weather cannot be predicted etc., exact figures per vil-
lage cannot be budgeted. Therefore, we expect a cost ceiling of CHF 40 000 per year. Would you like
to support this project? It takes about three years for a tree to reach phase 4. This results in a price
for this period of time of:

3 Swiss francs for 1 tree

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2. Reforestation in Ankazobe

Core initative
Ankazobe is located about 80 km north of the capital Antananarivo at 1 700 m above sea level. The
NGO TCOTPE (The Capital of the Planet Earth) owns 600 hectares of land there in the form of a
grass savannah with valuable remains of galaria forests, springs and streams - ideal terrain for refor-
estation.
This is also the idea behind TCOTPE. The two founding members have been active in the area for five
years, living on the property and trying to build a small settlement there. They also want to reforest
with eucalyptus, paulownia (blue bell tree), pines and useful fruit trees such as mangos, avocados, pa-
paya and moringa. More than 15,000 plants have already been planted. The first fire protection strips
have been ploughed.
ADES has signed a contract with TCOTPE to financially support landowners in reforestation.

Natural vegetation in the protection of a valley with stream Water is available all year round (Photos: ADES)

Project objectives
ADES has set itself a reforestation target of three to five hectares and around 12,000 trees in Ankaz-
obe for 2019.
ADES participates in the purchase of tree seedlings, in the rental of tractor and oxen ploughing days
and evaluates annually how the individual species develop and whether fire protection measures need
to be adapted.
• By the end of 2019, around 12,000 trees have been planted on an area of three to five hectares.
• Around 10,000 trees will be planted annually in 2020 and 2012.
• TCTOPE undertakes to ensure that the trees financed by ADES live for at least three years and
secures this above all with fire protection strips and firefighting.
• After a good five years, the first dead wood, eucalyptus poles and other tree products such as
fruits, medical preparations, branches, wood etc. should be available. Moringa leaves are already
available after few weeks as food addition. Pineapple and manioc plants are used to counter fire
with "green stripes". These help to nourish the players.

Project activities
Under the direction of TCOTPE, farmers from the
surrounding area work on the reforestation, who as
members of TCOTPE later benefit from wood, fruit
etc..
The areas of Ankazobe are easy to visit from
Antananarivo. ADES has the right to visit the
country with employees, students or other ADES
target groups. Also excursions with school classes
are an ideal way to take part in planting activities.

Fire protection strips

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Seedlings

Project management
A forester from Germany is responsible for the pilot project. He is also responsible for the project man-
agement of the Mobile Centre.
Regular monitoring visits make it possible to evaluate the development of afforestation, the condition
of the plants, the existing biodiversity and cooperation.

Project budget
The partnership with TCOTPE is contractually regulated from 2019-2021, with the possibility of re-
newal.
As this is a pilot project, we calculate at short notice despite the three-year contract. The expenses for
2019 are calculated as follows:

Budget item Description

Reforestation 12 000 trees result in costs of CHF 12 000.

2019 This includes the seedlings, any replanting and transport,
fire protection measures, monitoring by TCOTPE with monitors,
grass growth controls, any irrigation, project controls.
We expect 1 Swiss franc per plant per year for further growth.

Any amount is welcome. We appreciate your support in Madagascar's nature and future.

Thank you very much for your contribution!

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