The commune of Mahalevona had a clear goal: plant over 1,200 trees along a stretch of road in their region, mobilize their community to take part, and put in place the partnerships and monitoring needed to make sure those trees survive. Here is how they made it happen. 

Across the open areas surrounding Masoala, natural biodiversity is under pressure. Decades of shifting agriculture have depleted the land, reducing yields, and leaving many fields idle. Meanwhile, limited access to markets makes it harder for farmers to build any kind of sustainable livelihood from the land that remains. It is in this context that the Wyss Academy for Nature's local implementing partner, FCI (Full Circle Initiative), is working to turn degraded land into productive, biodiverse agroforestry landscapes. The reforestation campaign in Mahalevona, carried out as part of Madagascar's national reforestation effort, is one of the most concrete expressions of that work to date, and it started with a decision made locally. Rather than standing alone, the campaign forms part of our wider effort in the Mahalevona Valley to restore degraded land, strengthen local stewardship, and link biodiversity protection with more secure livelihood options.Thecommune of Mahalevona took the first step, approaching FCI to request support and sponsorship for a reforestation campaign along a stretch of road connecting Mahalevona and Fizono. From there, FCI's project lead NoelsonRanomenjanahary  and his team mobilized the partners whose expertise and institutional reach would be essential  to the campaign a success. 

 The organisations that came on board reflects the breadth of what reforestation actually demands. Madagascar National Park (MNP), the country’s leading national park management authority, brought its technical authority to the table. The Cantonnement des Eaux et Forêts,the regional forestry and water authority, provided regulatory guidance and field expertise. And because the campaign intersects directly with agricultural livelihoods, the Circonscription de l’Agricultureet de l’Elévage (CirAE) was also engaged, contributing its knowledge on farming practices and leading training and capacity-building sessions for local growers. Together, these partners brought both the know-how and the institutional credibility that a campaign of this scale requires.  

At the heart of the planting effort was a carefully sourced collection of young trees. One thousand seedlings came from Graine de Vie, a local project dedicated to nursery production and ecological restoration. An additional 200 seedlings were purchased from local nurseries, a deliberate choice that kept investment within the community and supported small-scale producers in the region. Community members also brought their own seedlings to plant, reinforcing their sense of ownership and contribution to the initiative. In total, more than 1200 young trees, together the locally purchased stock, were ready to be planted: 1000 native trees (local name : Hintsina or Intsia bijuga) and 200 spice trees (cloves) as well as other fruit trees brought by the community 

What happened next  said more than any number could. The mayor of Mahalevona put out a call to the community, and the community answered. Approximately 2,000 people turned up on the planting day; neighbors, farmers, youth, elders, teachers, motorcycle taxi drivers gathering along the road between Mahalevona and Fizono, united around something worth showing up for. The morning was given over entirely to plantingThe distances between planting points, however, proved longer than a single session could cover, and not every seedling made it into the ground. The remaining plants were left in the care of a local nursery worker, with an open invitation for community members to request a sapling for their own land,  provided they commit to monitoring its growth. 

The monitoring arrangement is central to the campaign. Reforestation is not an event; it is a commitment. FCI and the commune concluded a formal monitoring agreement, under which five people have been designated to carry out regular checks on the planted trees, ensuring healthy growth and replacing any that do not take. Wooden stakes were driven into the ground alongside each planted tree to help surveyors locate and track individual trees with precision. 

One month on, the early signs are encouraging. Not a single tree has been disturbed, and new growth is visible along the road. The stakes stand in neat rows, modest markers of something that will take years, perhaps decades, to fully reveal itself, but that has already changed the way this stretch of land and the people who tend it relate to one another. This is what the Wyss Academy for Nature & FCI's work in the Masoala region is ultimately about: not just planting trees, but building the relationships, institutions and local ownership that allow those trees and the communities around them to thrive. Mahalevona has shown what becomes possible when a commune takes the lead, partners align their expertise, and an entire community decides, together, that the future is worth planting for. 

In the Masoala region, where pressure on land is closely tied to livelihoods, market access, and the protection of nearby forests, efforts like this can become one piece of a broader system—linking restoration with local stewardship and the long-term choices that shape how land is used and cared for. 

Article co-written by Davidson Andrianasolo & Daria Vuistiner. Edited by Predrag Tripkovìc.