Eco Update: June 2024 – Tree planting to combat land degradation

Published 30 June 2024 at 11:00
Updated July 29th, 2024 at 08:07

From tree planting to aiding in peatland conservation, our support for Ecologi has revealed numerous opportunities to back various remarkable reforestation and ecosystem restoration initiatives. Ecologi’s approach to allocating the funds they receive ensures that the positive impact of their community is felt globally.

In June, three of the trees we funded were planted in Uganda’s Namayingo District. Here, subsistence farmers primarily cultivate cassava, a drought-resistant root vegetable. Despite its advantages, an over-reliance on cassava can result in nutrient deficiencies. The region has also experienced a reduction in tree and vegetation cover due to charcoal production, boat construction, and agricultural expansion, leading to soil erosion and loss of fertility.

Ecologi’s planting partner, Trees for the Future (TREES), has planted over 250 million trees worldwide. Specialists in agroforestry, TREES blends agriculture and forestry to create sustainable land-use systems. They address land degradation by supplying farmers with tree seeds, training, and ongoing support.

Since January 2024, TREES has collaborated with 400 farmers in Namayingo to plant 1,600,000 trees over four years. Each farmer will plant 4,000 trees, employing intercropping to grow a variety of crops between the trees. Farmers can select crops suitable for the region for both personal consumption and sale. This initiative will educate farmers on sustainable tree management, providing access to nutritious food, additional income, and land restoration, thereby reducing the necessity to cut down forests.

Over the past month, our contributions have once again supported peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia. The Katingan Mentaya Restoration and Conservation Project aims to protect and restore 149,800 hectares of peatland ecosystem. This includes safeguarding existing peatland forest through satellite monitoring and fire management.

You can view our profile here to learn more about the projects we have helped to fund. If you’d like to join the Ecologi community and support projects like these, you can get in touch about our webcasting services or register your business with Ecologi.

Please note: the information in this post is correct to the best of our endeavours and knowledge at the original time of publication. We do not routinely update articles.