How to Plant 60 Million Mangrove Trees in 3 Months

The mangrove tree is essential to tropical zones around the world, helping to nourish local ecosystems with fish and plants, protect shorelines and soak up carbon. And now it's vanishing at an alarming rate. Since 1980, the planet has lost up to a third of them.

But in the West African country of Senegal, citizens aren't taking the loss of their trees lightly. Through the end of October, over 70,000 people across the Casamance and Saloum regions will plant an estimated 60 million of the essential trees.

With the help of a local NGO, Oceanium, and French corporate sponsors Danone and Voyagers du Monde, here's how they'll do it.

The mangrove tree is essential to tropical zones around the world, helping to nourish local ecosystems with fish and plants, protect shorelines and soak up carbon. And now it's vanishing at an alarming rate. Since 1980, the planet has lost up to a third of them.
But in the West African country of Senegal, citizens aren't taking the loss of their trees lightly. Through the end of October, over 70,000 people across the Casamance and Saloum regions will re-plant an estimated 60 million of these essential trees.

With the help of a local NGO, Oceanium, French corporate sponsors Danone and Voyagers du Monde, and a breathtaking determination, here's how they're doing it.



The Mangrove Emergency

It is hard to understate the role that the mangrove plays in ecosystems across the planet: Indigenous to salt water, it can turn barren salt flats into habitats for fish and important plants like rice, help desalinate soil, replenish nitrogen, strengthening vulnerable coastlines, and soak up massive amounts of carbon.
But for three decades, the mangrove has been on the decline. The latest data from NASA and the US Geological Survey shows that the world has lost 35% of its mangrove forests since 1980, due to cutting and drought.

In Senegal, the loss of mangroves is debilitating to local economies. Once, mangrove forests supported oysters, shrimp, tilapia, barracuda and catfish. Now, many of those species are gone.


The Casamance, Senegal

The Casamance, in southern Senegal is dominated by lush tropical landscape, captivating beaches and views, and the culture of the Diola, the region's largest ethnic group.
Both French and Portuguese colonists laid claim to the region before a border was negotiated in 1888 between the French colony of Senegal and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau), to the south.

Separated from the north of Senegal by the Gambia, which juts into the country like a knife, the Casamance is also known for occasional tensions between the government and a separatist movement, called Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which has been linked to street violence and terrorism. It's also home to millions of farmers, who depend upon the region's embattled mangrove tree.




Illegal Logging

Along with the mangrove, trees like baobab give Senegal one of the larger rates of old growth forest in West Africa.

But since 1990, the country has lost 7.2% of its forest, due to a number of factors, including felling for fuel wood and charcoal, logging for building materials, and burning to clear land for agriculture. In addition to a fast growing population, wildlife poaching, hydroelectric projects and road construction have also added pressure on forest areas.

The deforestation contributes to soil erosion, desertification, floods and drought, all of which have negative consequences on agriculture.



Oceanium, an NGO Dynamo

Originally a diving center in Dakar, Oceanium has transformed over the years into a working center for the protection of the ocean and for the sustainable management of natural resources in Senegal and beyond.
Under the leadership of the indefatigable Haidar el Ali, pictured, the group launched its first mangrove campaign in September 2006, replanting 65,000 propagules in partnership with the population of Tobor, a village in Casamance.

In 2008, the number grew to 6 million, and to 30 million in 2009. Now in an effort to plant 60 million seeds, the project includes over 130 villages and upwards of 70,000 volunteers and workers.

Photo: Oceanium



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