Tree Planting

With our partner Eden Reforestation Projects, we plant 50% of trees across the world in Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique.

The other 50% will be planted in Nepal which is one of the least developed countries in the world with many communities depending on the natural environment for food, shelter, and income.

We pride ourselves on being transparent and putting people and the environment in everything we do. Our pricing is fair and transparent and we make sure 85% of your donation go to the projects. As a social enterprise, we also invest at least 51% of our profits back into nature-based projects and climate technology of the future.

In our partnership agreement with Eden Reforestation, it specifically states that all trees will be planted within 18 months of receiving donations. They provide access to a photo album, which will have new images every month from all of their general planting sites. They can also provide us with GPS coordinates to each general planting site in every project nation. As millions of trees are planted daily, it is difficult for Eden to determine the exact location of each tree planted by every donor. To do so would require increased monitoring, which in turn would increase our current planting prices.

In addition to the above, Eden is currently working with Preferred By Nature, a third- party verification organization that will provide more transparency to all of our sites. They have already completed reports for a few sites, which you can review here.

They are also in the process of implementing a sophisticated forest monitoring and reporting system.

Eden hire forest guards as part of the labour force to protect the forests. They make every effort to ensure the forest they plant becomes permanent and sustainable and have implemented the following steps:

• They work carefully with all levels of government to secure written agreements designating the restoration sites as protected in perpetuity.
• They hire people from local communities to plant trees. In this way, they alleviate extreme poverty within the impacted community. Fair and consistent employment provides an economic incentive to ensure the well-being of the restoration project. Additionally, those who plant the trees have a sense of “ownership” over the restored forests so they protect them with great care.
• A percentage of the trees planted are agroforestry species (fruit, fodder, and construction species designed to provide food security and benefit legitimate human needs). Over time these trees become a source of sustainable income.
• They do everything possible to supply the local communities with alternative fuel sources (e.g., fuel-efficient dry wood stoves and solar parabolic stoves), reducing and or eliminating the dependence on charcoal.
• They also set funds aside for re-planting in the case of natural disasters.
• Most significantly, they have seen the local communities fall in love with their forest. They benefit from the restored forest through an increase in fisheries, improved farming, cleaner water, and the formation of micro-enterprises. As Eden’s employees work to restore their land, their lives are transformed as well.

Both Earth9 and Eden’s goal is to plant native species that belonged in an area initially. To select their trees, they take an in-depth look at the region itself. They research, conduct field surveys, and speak with the local community to determine what types of native trees existed.

As a result, they plant a variety of different native trees at their project sites, and never introduce any invasive species. Having different tree species in an area increases biodiversity and encourages natural regeneration, where the forest begins to grow new trees without any help.

There are a couple more factors that influence what types of trees will grow that they do not control. At many of the planting sites, there is a small percentage of trees that the project did not plant. This happens because as the trees grow into an emerging forest, wildlife that once thrived in the area returns. These animals carry seeds on them or in their digestive system and release them into the reforested area. The dispersed seeds begin to sprout and grow alongside the restored forest. Eden have also discovered that many of the planting areas contain dormant seeds or root systems in the soil. As the planted trees grow and wildlife returns, these seeds, and root systems become active and start to grow.

Although reforestation remains the main focus, a percentage of agroforestry species is also planted (i.e., wood, food, fodder, etc) for the community to use. This provides greater community benefit and ensures that the village is involved in protecting newly reforested areas.

Poverty and deforestation are directly linked. Therefore, Eden’s reforestation efforts begin with the dignity of employment. They developed the “Employ to Plant” methodology whereby people living in the communities surrounding the planting sites are hired to restore their land. Through steady employment, people who have been living in poverty can quickly begin to provide food, shelter, and resources for their families.

Eden provides fair wage employment that surpasses the minimum wage requirements of each nation. The wages provided have proven to be transformational for those who work for them. Employee wages vary based on the wage requirements of each project nation and the position being filled. While salaries in developing countries are much lower than many of us are accustomed to, all employees receive fair and consistent income to lift them out of extreme poverty and enable them to care for their families. Employees are paid a fixed daily salary and receive the same amount even if the day is short or if poor weather conditions prohibit them from working. During COVID 19 restrictions, their teams received their regular salaries and were amazed and pleased with the continuance of their employment while so many around them had lost their income source.

Eden begins each restoration project by prioritising the needs of the local community first. Before being hired by Eden, most people working at Eden Reforestation Projects’ nurseries and planting sites never had a cash-paying job. As the land is restored, it begins to provide for them through improved soil for farming, improved fishing due to decreased erosion, and restored and refilled aquifers. Additionally, food security and income increase as Eden’s employees further benefit from agroforestry projects and their ability to begin micro-enterprises. Many of their employees report that their income from Eden has enabled them to purchase their freedom from debt slavery. They can buy boats, fishing equipment, and many now own land. They can afford medication and get medical care when it is needed. They no longer live day-to-day, and thousands of children who used to have to work to help their parents make ends meet are now attending school. Eden have even built two schools in Madagascar to enable children in remote villages to go to school.

You can learn more about Eden’s socio-economic impact through their Youtube videos. Here are two that are really inspiring: Shaffi’s story and Maman’i Kambina.

Eden also has a profile on Candid, a platform that rates nonprofits, where they have achieved a Platinum Seal of Transparency EDEN REFORESTATION PROJECTS – GuideStar Profile.