Making Travel Planet & People Positive
Trees are one of the most powerful absorbers of carbon emissions – by growing trees in developing countries as we travel, we can help to restore eco-systems, biodiversity and support local communities through the dignity of employment.
Reforestation will help reverse climate change, but trees can be fragile and take time to grow, so to ensure a traveller’s carbon emissions are removed as soon as possible, Trees4Travel always assigns each tree with a share of an investment into a United Nations Certified Emissions Reduction renewable energy program, essentially doubling their promise.
OCTOBER 2023
The target planting density is 2,500 trees per hectare, with a plantable area of 495 hectares. Planting will continue in Jodhipur to reach the site’s estimated capacity of 1,237,500 trees needed to restore the area. Throughout this project, the team will actively protect the site and replant losses to ensure the native tropical riverine forest and sal forest ecosystem reaches its full potential. Ultimately, many of these trees will mature, producing their own seeds and helping the forest return to a point of natural equilibrium.
JUNE 2023
OCTOBER 2022
Our reforestation partners only hire locals to plant and care for the trees, this alleviates extreme poverty, giving an economic incentive to impacted communities to ensure the wellbeing and longevity of the restoration site. Over time these trees become a source of sustainable income for these communities. The focus is always on long-term strategies to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and support livelihoods. The preparations for planting are under way, including the set up of the nursery, then during the rainy season in 2023 the trees will be transfered to the reforestation site.
The leadership team on this site is comprised entirely of women. Before joining the reforestation projects many Nepalese women would stay at home, solely dependent on their husband's income. Many women were also married at a very young age, unable to complete a formal education. Over half of the Nepalese workforce in this reforestation program are now women, and for many, it is their first opportunity for consistent employment, helping to overcome gender inequality. By becoming nursery managers for example, they develop leadership skills and earn consistent income allowing them to support themselves and their family's necessities.
The Nepal reforestation project supports nine of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, helping to resolve many of the challenges and to achieve a better, more sustainable future for all.
JANUARY 2024
As the mangroves develop and grow, we can begin to see the restoration of a strong healthy marine forest which will help in the protection of the coastline from erosion, storm surges and tsunamis. As biodiversity havens, these mangroves will again support a huge variety of plants and animals, they will also act as nurseries for young fish and even become home to honeybees.
AUGUST 2023
Thank you for helping to support Trees4Travels first mangrove reforestation project in Kenya, on the east coast of Africa. Mangroves are some of the most powerful trees on our planet, an acre of mangroves can store 5 to 10 times more carbon that an acre of rainforest, so planting and conserving these amazing forests is essential to the wellbeing of our planet and people.
Trees4Travel and its partners were grateful for the opportunity to be able to learn about the important role of reforestation in Haiti and to have been able to help the indigenous communities restore their land. We have now completed our agreed reforestation commitment on this site. The local communities and government will continue to manage the land and protect the trees planted, so that not too far in the future, beautiful abundant forests and biodiversity can once again thrive and return to this place .
APRIL 2023
OCTOBER 2022
This reforestation site is a shared site, where many companies and individuals contribute to help restore the land and forests. From October 2021 to September 2022, through this support, the locals where able to plant 565,683 trees, which employed an average of 23 employees per month and created a total of 7,813 working days. With a steady income, the local employees can put savings aside, invest in their households, start micro-enterprises to diversify their income opportunities, and provide healthcare and everyday needs for their families. Additional significant socio-economic impacts include improved diets and health due to purchasing nutritious food and increasing education as families can afford to send their children to school.
JUNE 2022
La Vallée is a massive terrestrial reforestation site. This site is located at an altitude of 800 meters near the town of Jacmel. The community of La Vallée de Jacmel has a population of approximately 33,217 inhabitants. The population relies on agriculture, growing legumes, grains, and fruit, especially different citrus varieties, for income. It was once famous for its sweet potato production. According to reported stories, this city was once a coffee-producing basin with lush forest cover. The terrestrial reforestation program aims to reforest the area to enhance the bare land, restore its landscape, and make it more resilient. This project will contribute to increased plant coverage of the site, a higher frequency of precipitation, and improved plant species diversity.
MARCH 2022
As you can see these saplings are well on their way to becoming strong, beautiful trees and in the near future this site will start to become a thriving forest again. By working together in the fight against climate change we are truly building a more sustainable and equitable world. This reforestation project has so many essential co-benefits such as helping to improve the communities economic situation, improving soil strength, which in turn will help water quality and restoring ecosystems. Let's keep up the great work for people and planet!
NOVEMBER 2021
The plantation managers organise and collaborate with local farmers to plant agroforestry species within the reforestation areas. They arrange the training of field staff, developing training materials, and expanding agroforestry seedling distribution to all local farmers. Agroforestry can improve the resiliency of agricultural systems and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
AUGUST 2021
Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees are grown around or among crops or pastureland. This diversification of the farming system initiates an agroecological succession, like that in natural ecosystems, and so starts a chain of events that enhance the functionality and sustainability of the farming system. Trees also produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has multiple benefits, such as greatly enhanced yields from staple food crops, enhanced farmer livelihoods from income generation, increased biodiversity, improved soil structure and health, reduced erosion, and carbon absorption.
Mozambique is home to extensive biodiversity and varying landscapes with forests at the core of its social, environmental and economic wellbeing. However more than 8 million hectare's of forest have been destroyed. Cyclones, floods, cutting down trees for firewood and charcoal, clearing large areas for farmland and commercial logging are the leading causes of deforestation in this area.
Located in the district of Boane, the Mahubo site lies due south of the capital city, Maputo. The local community is made up of over 102,000 people, most of whom rely on agriculture for their livelihood. The reforestation site is 576 hectares, with a capacity of 10,000 trees per hectare with a total planting capacity of 4,000,000 trees.
The Mahubo planting site comprises of a narrow strip of partially degraded mangrove forests, located on the western bank of the Tembe river, approximately 18 kilometers south of its confluence with the Mbuluzi, Matola and Infulene rivers that form the “Estuário do Espírito Santo“ delta. This large estuary flows into Maputo harbor, the main commercial seaport of Maputo Bay in Mozambique
The mangrove forests in this area are an important habitat for marine life, birds, and animals such as turtles and crocodiles. Marine animals include the d'Urville's fiddler crab (Tubuca urvillei), mud crabs (Scylla serrata), mudskippers (Periophthalmus kalolo), and many species of sea snails and slugs.
The mangrove ecosystem of Mahubo also supports several native bird species, including the mangrove kingfisher (Halcyon senegaloides), a small, colorful bird commonly found in estuaries and mangrove forests along the east coast of sub-Saharan Africa. Smaller mammals, including shrews and rats, are quite common in parts of these mangrove forests, while the red bush squirrel and vervet monkeys are sometimes observed.
Mangroves are incredible for so many reasons, stemming from their ability to grow and thrive on the boundary of ocean and land.
The trees’ unique adaptations to salinity make wherever they grow a vital haven for wildlife and an important resource for the hundreds of millions of people living near these ecosystems. Their importance to people and wildlife could not be any clearer as ever-growing impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss threaten our planet.
Mangroves are some of the most powerful trees on our planet. Mangrove soils are highly effective carbon sinks. They are among the most carbon-rich tropical ecosystems globally and can contain more carbon per square metre than tropical rainforests. An acre of mangroves can store 5 to 10 times more carbon that an acre of rainforest, therefore, planting and conserving these amazing forests is essential to the wellbeing of our planet and people.
Mangroves are tropical marine forests with huge potential. They protect coastlines from erosion and storm surge, tsunamis and provide food and shelter for a diverse array of wildlife, and nursery habitats for commercially important fish and shellfish.
An estimated two thirds of the fish that are eaten in Mozambique spend part of their lives in the mangroves which act as their breeding and nursery grounds.
Mangrove species do not require nurseries. At 3-5 years of age, mangroves begin to produce and drop their own propagules (seeds), which can be used to give rise to a new tree. These propagules may be collected from existing trees or from trees previously planted. Mangroves are planted year-round in Mozambique.
Our reforestation partner hires local people to reforest their region by planting mangrove trees while stimulating economic growth, breaking the cycle of poverty, and empowering the community whilst building economic resilience.
Rhizophora Mucronata is a slow-growing, evergreen tree growing up to 27 metres tall, with a bole 50 - 70 cm in diameter. The tree produces numerous stilt roots from the base. One seed is developed per fruit & starts to germinate when the fruit is still attached or hanging on the tree. The root (radicle) gradually protrudes from the fruit, at first like a green cigar, then grows into a rod-like structure. In this species such a seedling root (hypocotyl) with a rough & warty surface may attain a considerable length (sometimes over 100 cm), the largest & longest in the genus.
Bruguiera Gymnorhiza has the largest leaves, flowers, propagules and lenticels of all Bruguiera species. The name Large-Leafed Orange Mangrove comes from the orange flowers and the large leaves that can reach up to 25cm in length. They grow about 20 to 25 degrees north and south of the equator in an area with subtropical to tropical climates. These conditions enable this evergreen tree to produce leaves and shoots during the whole year. The leaves have an elliptic shape, the upper side is smooth and dark green, the bottom is waxy and light green. Occasionally three or four leaves are formed simultaneously.
Ceriops Tagal is a medium-sized tree growing to a height of 25 metres (80 ft) with a trunk diameter of up to 45 cm (18 in). The growth habit is columnar or multi-stemmed and the tree develops large buttress roots. The radiating anchor roots are sometimes exposed and may loop up in places. The bark is silvery-grey to orangeish-brown, smooth with occasional pustular lenticels.
Our planting partner for this reforestation program is Eden Reforestation Projects. Plantation Photos have been provided by our partner.
Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world with many communities depending on the natural environment for food, shelter, and income. Today less than 30% of Nepal’s forests remain and the consequences of this environmental degradation are devastating for local populations and wildlife.
This reforestation project will empower communities to sustainably grow their own food and restore their
local environment, enabling local villagers to enjoy the results of their labour.
The local leadership team in Nepal is comprised entirely of women.
Over half of the Nepalese workforce are also women, and for many, it is their first opportunity for consistent
Reforestation Site : Jodhipur Nepal : GPS: 28.367425, 81.302914
The Jodhipur planting site comprises of 1480 hectares of tropical forest, situated along the Babai River in west Nepal's Bardiya District.
The Babai River is an important wildlife corridor connecting the forest-dominated Bardiya National Park to the lowland plains of the Terai ecological zone. The national park is home to spectacular wildlife, including wild elephants, greater one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal tigers.
The landscape surrounding the national park is a patchwork of agricultural fields with scattered natural forest fragments. Residents rely on the remaining forested areas for household needs such as fuelwood, livestock fodder, and medicinal and edible plants.
Deforestation of this area has led to a host of environmental issues, including increased risk of flooding as well as socio-economic impacts to local communities due to topsoil erosion, low agricultural productivity, and in some cases, complete farm failure.
The nearby municipalities of Baganaha, Baniyabhar, and Dhodhari have a combined population of 31,622, including many indigenous Tharu people who have faced discrimination and economic hardship. Indigenous rights and community participation in natural resources management is central to the success of Nepal's robust community forestry program, which combats forest degradation while improving the livelihoods of rural communities.
The planting season in Nepal is from May to September which is the rainy season.
The team is utilizing a variety of planting methods including:
Traditional seedling nursery is the process of germinating seeds in a nursery, temporarily moving them to a bag or pot until they reach maturity. When the rainy season begins the saplings are then planted in the fields - in just a few years a sustainable forest emerges.
In addition to growing seedlings in nursery planting tubes, many nurseries also include seedbeds. Seedbeds are produced in raised soil located within the nursery and populated with an abundance of seeds. After the seeds germinate, the seedlings are efficiently harvested from the beds and quickly transferred to the planting site.
During dry seasons the team collect native seeds & prepare them in the nurseries.
A seed ball is a marble-sized ball made of clay, compost, soil, and seeds. Our planting partners ensure that the seed inserted into the centre of the ball is a fast-growing pioneer species with a high germination percentage. The field teams produce millions of seed balls every month, resulting in the replanting of large areas where the natural flora was formerly destroyed.
The seed balls are prepared at the end of the dry season, a month or two prior to the monsoon season. The method begins with local villagers collecting native species seeds which are then sorted and separated. Next, soil for the seed balls is mixed, which includes compost, soil, and clay. One to two seeds are embedded inside the soil mixture and rolled into marble-sized balls. The seed balls are then dried and stored until the onset of the rainy season, when the seed balls are then placed in small holes that have been dug and lightly covered with soil. Within a few days, germination takes place, and trees begin to grow.
Bare Root: At the onset of the rainy season, wild seedlings are harvested from healthy or remnant forests, which typically see a large influx of small seedling growth beneath the canopy.
Bare root (wild) involves the gentle collection of these seedlings and quickly replanting them at an adjacent deforested area. Transferring the seedlings does not harm the healthy forest, as overcrowding and excessive shade from the canopy means only a tiny percentage of the seedlings would have survived. This planting method strategically leverages nature’s abundance.
ORCHID TREE – Bauhinia Purpurea
is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. When used for medicinal purposes, it is most commonly in the form of medicinal tea to treat fever and stomach ailments. The dried flowers are also believed to possess medicinal properties that can also help treat cancer, strengthen the immune system, and improve eyesight, as well as in making poultices for treating swelling, bruises, boils, and ulcers. It is also a food plant: the leaves, flower buds, flowers, and young seedpods can be cooked and eaten. The flower buds are often pickled and used in curries.
HIMALAYAN CYPRESS Cupressus Torulosa
is an evergreen conifer tree species found on limestone terrain at 300–2,800 metres, growing to a height of 45m with a trunk diameter sometimes exceeding 2m. Cypresses have very important roles in the wild, since they tend to grow along rivers and in wetlands where they are excellent at soaking up floodwaters and preventing erosion. They also trap pollutants, preventing them from spreading too. Frogs, toads, and salamanders use bald cypress swamps as breeding grounds. The branch, cone, and oil are also used for medicine, to treat coughs, the common cold, prostate conditions and is also used to heal wounds and infections.
WHITE SIRIS - Albizia Lebbeck
is a moderate to large deciduous tree that reaches 30m in height in rain forests. Its dense shade-producing crown can be as large as 30m in diameter too. The tree develops a straight bole when grown in dense forests, but is spreading and low branching in the open. The tree is loaded with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, making a great species for medicinal purposes. The paste prepared from the leaves of this plant can be applied externally on the skin in case of wounds and other skin diseases. It helps improve skin complexion and detoxifies the skin.
CUTCH TREE - Acacia Catechu
is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15m in height. The bark of this plant is a strong antioxidant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antifungal
in nature. The extract of this plant is used to treat sore throats and diarrhoea, also useful in high blood pressure, dysentery, colitis, gastric problems, bronchial asthma, cough, leucorrhoea and leprosy. It is used as mouthwash for mouth, gum, sore throat, gingivitis, dental and oral infections.
Our planting partner for this reforestation program is Eden Reforestation Projects. Plantation Photos have been provided by our partner.
Kenya is famous for its diverse wildlife and wide range of forest types that have long supported its communities. However, in recent decades these forests have experienced extreme environmental degradation through human activities such as logging and charcoal burning.
Over 90% of Kenya has been deforested and 42% of the population live below the poverty line.Together, through our partnerships, we can help tackle poverty and deliver climate, biodiversity and local-level benefits to communities.
This mangrove reforestation project supports 10 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, helping to resolve many of the challenges and to achieve a better, more sustainable future for all.
Located on the eastern coast of Africa, the Marereni and Kurawa planting site is a degraded mangrove forest north of Malindi Town. The local people face limited freshwater, poor road connectivity, and insufficient education facilities.
Large-scale mangrove deforestation in this region results from land clearance for salt production, fuelwood, charcoal, and prawns. As a result, wild fisheries are in decline, and soil erosion threatens coastlines.A consistent income tied to sustainable land-use practices will significantly improve the overall wellbeing of this community.
Our reforestation partner hires local people to reforest their region by planting mangrove trees while stimulating economic growth, breaking the cycle of poverty, and empowering the community whilst building economic resilience.
The reforestation site is 2,630 hectares, with a capacity of 10,000 trees per hectare with a total planting capacity of 6,500,000.
Mangroves are incredible for so many reasons, stemming from their ability to grow and thrive on the boundary of ocean and land. The trees’ unique adaptations to salinity make wherever they grow a vital haven for wildlife and an important resource for the hundreds of millions of people living near these ecosystems. Their importance to people and wildlife could not be any more clear as ever-growing impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss threaten our planet.
Mangrove species do not require nurseries. At 3-5 years of age, mangroves begin to produce and drop their own propagules (seeds), which can be used to give rise to a new tree. These propagules may be collected from existing trees or from trees previously planted.
Additionally, mangroves typically grow along coastal forests, providing an irrigation system that is largely self-sufficient.
Mangroves are planted year-round in Kenya.
Rhizophora Mucronata is a slow-growing, evergreen tree growing up to 27 metres tall, with a bole 50 - 70 cm in diameter. The tree produces numerous stilt roots from the base. One seed is developed per fruit & starts to germinate when the fruit is still attached or hanging on the tree. The root (radicle) gradually protrudes from the fruit, at first like a green cigar, then grows into a rod-like structure. In this species such a seedling root (hypocotyl) with a rough & warty surface may attain a considerable length (sometimes over 100 cm), the largest & longest in the genus.
Avicennia Marina, also known as gray mangrove or white mangrove, is a shrub or tree belonging to the Acanthaceae family. They are generally 10–14 m long and have light gray or whitish bark with stiff, brittle, thin flakes. Their leaves are thick, glossy, and bright green on the upper side and gray or silvery white with small hairs on the lower side.
Ceriops Tagal is a medium-sized tree growing to a height of 25 metres (80 ft) with a trunk diameter of up to 45 cm (18 in). The growth habit is columnar or multi-stemmed and the tree develops large buttress roots. The radiating anchor roots are sometimes exposed and may loop up in places. The bark is silvery-grey to orangeish-brown, smooth with occasional pustular lenticels.
Bruguiera Gymnorhiza has the largest leaves, flowers, propagules and lenticels of all Bruguiera species. The name Large-Leafed Orange Mangrove comes from the orange flowers and the large leaves that can reach up to 25cm in length. They grow about 20 to 25 degrees north and south of the equator in an area with subtropical to tropical climates. These conditions enable this evergreen tree to produce leaves and shoots during the whole year. The leaves have an elliptic shape, the upper side is smooth and dark green, the bottom is waxy and light green. Occasionally three or four leaves are formed simultaneously.
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Our planting partner for this reforestation program is Eden Reforestation Projects. Photos have been provided by our partner.
LOCATION of REFORESTATION - Site Name: La Vallee DP, Haiti - GPS: 18°15’11.33”N, 72°39’45.10”W
Haiti is one of the most environmentally degraded countries on earth. With 99% of its forests already gone, the United Nation estimates that 30% of Haiti’s remaining trees are destroyed each year. Charcoal production is a major cause of the continued deforestation of Haiti. This deforestation magnifies the effects of hurricanes and contributes to soil degradation, leaving the community with diminished natural resources.
Years of ecological devastation in Haiti have led to varying levels of crop failure, flooding, soil erosion, and water table depletion. To combat these effects, our partners work directly with community leaders to plant, protect and guard native trees to maturity. In doing so, hoping to help restore the natural environment and also implement agroforestry techniques to aid in food security.
The team is utilizing a variety of planting methods including Bare Root, Cutting, Direct Seeding and Seedling Nursery.
The planting seasons:
The team has primarily used bare root methods and also focus on germinating seeds in the nursery.
Bare Root: At the onset of the rainy season, wild seedlings are harvested from healthy or remnant forests, which typically see a large influx of small seedling growth beneath the canopy. Bare root (wild) involves the gentle collection of these seedlings and quickly replanting them at an adjacent deforested area. Transferring the seedlings does not harm the healthy forest, as overcrowding and excessive shade from the canopy means only a tiny percentage of the seedlings would have survived. This planting method strategically leverages nature’s abundance.
During dry seasons the team collect native seeds & prepare them in the nurseries.
Traditional seedling is the process of germinating seeds in the nursery, temporarily moving them to a bag or pot until they reach maturity. When the rainy season begins the saplings are then planted in the fields - in just a few years a sustainable forest emerges.
Gliricidia Sepium
The species Gliricidia sepium is cultivated and used for a variety of purposes in tropical regions. The flowers of Gliricidia are edible when cooked. The whole plant is a folk remedy for various conditions such as but not limited to colds, cough, fever, headache, bruises, burns, rheumatism, ulcers, and wounds. It can also be used as a rodenticide and general pesticide.
Leucaena Leucocephala
Young leaves, pods, and flower buds are edible and usually eaten raw, steamed or mixed in soups or with rice. The seeds can also be eaten either raw or cooked, or dried then used as coffee substitute. The plant also yields edible gum used in sauces. Roasted seeds can even be used to moisturize skin. The wood is often used for its fiber, mainly to make paper.
Delonix Regia
Besides its ornamental value, it is also a useful shade tree in tropical conditions, because it usually grows to a modest height (mostly 5 m or 15 ft, but it can reach a maximum height of 12 m or 40 ft) spreads widely and its dense foliage provides full shade. In areas with a marked dry season, it sheds its leaves during the drought, but in other areas it is virtually evergreen.
Our planting partner for this reforestation program is Eden Reforestation Projects. Photos have been provided by our partner.