### **Her commitment to the environment...**

I have always loved the countryside. Growing up, I realized that I live in a country with a wide variety of ecosystems, climates, and plant and animal species that are affected by climate change, pollution, and poor resource management. All of these negative effects are affecting the way of life of the Peruvian people and also my own, which is why I know that I have to commit myself to the environment.

### **Her background before Reforest'Action...**

I have a master's degree in Biodiversity, Landscape and Sustainable Management, and a bachelor's degree in Biology.

I worked as a project manager, implementing projects in different regions of Peru, in different ecosystems: subtropical forests, Andean highlands, inter-Andean valleys and areas surrounded by mining and protected areas. I was responsible for the design, execution and supervision . Before Reforest'Action, I also worked in Nepal and Tanzania.

### **Her missions and responsibilities for Reforest'Action...**

As Project Officer for Reforest'Action, my role consists of researching, developing and monitoring forestry and carbon projects in need of funding. I also conduct annual field audits and impact assessments of projects funded by Reforest'Action. I act as the link between Reforest'Action and the project leaders and ensure the proper conduct of activities in the field on a daily basis.

### **Her vision of the Peruvian forests...**

In Peru deforestation is a very big problem. In the Amazon forests, activities such as agriculture, cattle, illegal mining, and illegal logging are the main reasons for deforestation. On the other hand, in the Andean highlands, many of the forests were eliminated a long time ago due to agriculture and cattle raising. Now, the soils of these areas are very degraded, and their recovery is very slow and, in some cases, irreversible. The government and other private organizations carry out activities to recover these forests, but it is not enough.

![](/uploads/perou_foret_1401ef2a42.jpg)

### **The forestry projects for which she is responsible...**

Currently, I am working on tree projects located in the regions of Cusco and Tarapoto in Peru. The objective of all these projects is to restore degraded areas that were once covered by forests. To do this, the projects involve local communities in building nurseries and producing trees that will then be planted in the degraded areas. The projects also help train people in conservation and sustainable forest management. In addition, they encourage economic activities that generate income for families and prevent deforestation.

I am also in the process of evaluating two possible carbon credit projects, which are still in the early stages, but I am hopeful that they will soon be in place.

![](/uploads/juliet_po_projet_332bd192cb.jpg)

### **The added value of her local presence in the supervision of projects...**

I have worked in different regions of Peru, which allowed me to know the way of life and thought of these communities, their dynamics and their relations with public and private actors.

![](/uploads/perou_juliet_df8c4a814c.jpg)

### **Her goals for the coming year...**

My main objective is to set up a carbon project in Peru. In addition, I will contribute to several audits and due diligence missions within the geographical area I am in charge of, and carry out the selection of new projects funded by Reforest'Action.

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Reforest'Action around the world: Interview with Juliet Mormontoy, our Project Officer in Peru

In its [6th assessment report published in 2023](https://www.reforestaction.com/blog/synthese-du-6eme-rapport-sur-levolution-du-climat-du-giec-les-constats-les-options-dactions-et), the IPCC estimates that global warming will reach 1.5°C by the early 2030s. Yet, a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are caused by conventional farming. So we need to urgently rethink our production methods. Regenerative agriculture provides interesting solutions. This cultivation model is based on a wide variety of agronomic practices inspired by organic farming, agroecology and permaculture. It aims to guarantee long-term resilience and stability in the ecosystem - by producing net-positive impacts.

There is no static, unanimous definition for regenerative agriculture. Before anything else, it is still looking at restoring the quality of agricultural soil - at the very moment that a third of soils are already degraded. By introducing more life and biodiversity in soils, it encourages the development of organic matter, allowing the soil to be richer, more fertile while naturally increasing carbon sequestration. Healthy soil will also have an impact on water and air quality... and a whole ecosystem becomes more stable in the long term and resilient to climatic hazards.

**1\. Agriculture breathes new life into the living world**
-----------------------------------------------------------

**1/ An inbuilt capacity to regenerate**

Regeneration means “bringing the earth back to life”[\[1\]](applewebdata://EA7E696F-0DAE-4069-93C1-808A7DA52588#_ftn1). Regenerative agriculture is based on the philosophical principle that a system has the inbuilt capacity to regenerate. Its aim is to produce net positive impacts through practices that promote soil health, but also of people, animals and the environment. The goal involves improving - rather than simply maintaining - soil quality and farm health. These agricultural and pasturage practices help guarantee long-term resilience and balance in the ecosystem while maintaining and improving economic viability.

**2/ Practices that stand out from conventional or sustainable agriculture**

Conventional farming - the dominant model massively developed after World War 1 - has progressively degraded and exhausted natural resources. Its too regular tillage, too intense use of inputs, monocultures and lack of soil cover prevent CO2 from remaining in the soil and biodiversity from developing. The responsibility of conventional farming in terms of global warming is now irrefutable.

Regenerative agriculture also eclipses the ambitions of sustainable farming. It doesn’t only seek to minimize the impacts of production to simply make it more sustainable but **rather _optimize_ it by targeting a net positive impact through soil restoration.**

**2\. An approach guided by fundamental principles**
----------------------------------------------------

Farmers, foresters and businesses committed to regenerative agriculture are looking to improve ecosystems by combining indigenous knowledge, adaptive management, science and state-of-the-art technologies. They embrace a holistic vision and management approach insofar as decisions are made according to what seems best for the whole system: instead of concentrating on yield or productivity, they always search for efficiency. Farming practices must consider all their implications - whether environmental, financial or social.

**With this in mind, all regenerative agricultural practices are guided by a series of principles:**

1.  **Soil stability and health as the baseline.** Regenerating soils means seeking to improve their organic content by protecting the habitats of micro and macro-organisms thereby improving fertility. It also leads to better water infiltration in the soil and improved resistance to erosion.
    
2.  **Holistic vision and management.** Seeking to improve ecosystems through a holistic vision and management approach in harmony with nature: decisions are made according to what seems best for the whole system: instead of concentrating on yield or productivity and making negative compromises. Always looking for efficiency, farming and regenerative agriculture practices consider all their implications, whether environmental, financial or social.
    
3.  **An experimentation-based approach.** Regenerative agriculture promotes experimentation which achieves constant learning processes (by trial and error) that integrate new ways of cultivating according to each environment.
    
4.  **An approach that promotes impact.** Also called impact farming, regenerative agriculture values experimentation insofar as it is based on “results” objectives, which must be measured to check the regenerative effect on the social, economic and environmental ecosystem.
    
5.  **Context-specific practices:** For example, the practices used - which are very diverse - depend on the economic, community, ecological, climatic and bioregional context in order to meet their full potential, and to ensure and develop fair and reciprocal relationships between all stakeholders.
    
6.  **The desire to maintain economic viability:** Economic viability is central to the regenerative approach to continue producing raw materials in a production process that makes sure that capital does not deteriorate over time.
    

**3\. Agriculture that generates multiple ecosystemic services**
----------------------------------------------------------------

Regenerative agriculture provides economic, ecological and social benefits to humans and nature through the numerous ecosystemic services that it generates.

**1/ Soil stability and water quality improvement:** regenerative agricultural practices improve soil health and increase their fertility and water-holding capacity, thus reducing soil erosion and degradation. At the same time, regenerative agricultural practices help reduce water pollution by preventing nutrients and chemical products from leaking into waterways.

**2/ Preserving biodiversity:** not only does regenerative agriculture contribute to preserving biodiversity by limiting chemical inputs, it also promotes its development. Its farming practices, which rely on the introduction of trees and new plant species, provide more resilient habitats for fauna and flora.

**3/ Carbon storage:** Agricultural soil can be a carbon sink. Carbon is a **nutrient** required for the well-being of soil and proper fertilization. Soil rich in carbon will better adapt to the effects of global warming. Regenerative agriculture methods help increase sequestration and carbon storage in soils and maintain it to reinforce the production of organic matter and, by extension, to fight against GHG emissions from conventional farming practices.

**4/ Local socio-economic benefits:** Regenerative farming methods support the health of farmers and guarantee them a decent income, bring local investment via carbon credits and contribute to food security.

![](/uploads/microsoftteams_image_59_0_06f0516e88.png)

**4\. Practices adapted to each context**
-----------------------------------------

**Taking into account the type of operation, the environmental issues that are associated with it and the required impact** - carbon sequestration or biodiversity sequestration, for example, potential farming practices are varied:

**1\. Crop management**_:_ intermediate crops (temporary crops for fast-growing plants between harvesting a main crop and sowing the next one); diversified crops (which involve having several different crops in the same field); intercropping (associated crops planted between rows of the main crop); grass strips (multifunctional plant cover along waterways or planted across slopes).

**2\. Soil management**: do not leave soil bare (e.g.: plant perennial cover crops); minimal or no tillage (labor-free techniques especially to preserve CO2 release and to not compress the soil); use natural fertilizers (compost, manure, green manure, biochar, natural treatments) and eliminate synthetic chemical inputs; till with consideration for slopes so that water follows the contour lines (terraced crops for example) to prevent soil erosion.

**3\. Agroforestry practices:** integrate trees into crops with specific approaches depending on the context such as intra-plot approaches, windbreaks or buffers; develop hedges around plots of crops; promote polyculture useful to biodiversity (polyculture, silvopasture, pollinator strips, for example).

**Conclusion**
--------------

At Reforest’Action, we firmly believe in the virtues of regenerative agriculture. On the one hand, it helps generate a series of environmental and social benefits by adopting customized approaches that are adapted to each context. On the other hand, economic viability is central to the regenerative approach to continue producing raw materials in a production process so that capital does not deteriorate over time.

We therefore support deploying regenerative agriculture within the value chain of businesses. Reducing their footprint, sustaining their production and preserving resources are just some of the many expected benefits. By offering companies a customized project design, we aim to optimize their impact so that it is consistent with the project context and each organization's objectives. Combining traditional and indigenous knowledge to simple, low-tech and high tech techniques, our projects are always based on impact indicators defined during the project’s initial design phase. They are specific to each project according to the context, project typology and objectives and encompass four pillars, which are climate, biodiversity, soil/water and social aspects.

**References**
--------------

Banerjee, S., van der Heijden, M.G.A. “Soil microbiomes and one health”, _Nat Rev Microbiol,_ 2022.

Brown, K., Schirmer, J., Upton, P., “Can regenerative agriculture support successful adaptation to climate change and improved landscape health through building farmer self-efficacy and wellbeing?”, _Current Research in Environmental Sustainability_, Volume 4, 2022.

Hawken, P., _Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation,_ [Penguin Publishing Group](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Penguin+Publishing+Group%22?Ntk=Publisher&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall), 2021.

Ikerd, J., “The economic pamphleteer: realities of regenerative agriculture”, _J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev_. 10 (2), 2021, pp. 7-10.

Leu A. F., “Maximizing Photosynthesis and Root Exudates through Regenerative Agriculture to Increase Soil Organic Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change”, SCIREA Journal of Agriculture, Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2023, February 3, 2023, [http://www.scirea.org/journal/Agriculture](http://www.scirea.org/journal/Agriculture )

Rodale Institute website – [https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/regenerative-orga...](https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/regenerative-organic-agriculture)

Savory Institute. (2020). Savory Institute. Available online at: [https://savory.global](https://savory.global/).

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), _Regenerative Agriculture: An opportunity for businesses and society to restore degraded land in Africa_, 2021.

* * *

[\[1\]](applewebdata://EA7E696F-0DAE-4069-93C1-808A7DA52588#_ftnref1) Rodale Institute website – [https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/regenerative-orga...](https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/regenerative-organic-agriculture)

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Rethinking our farming model with regenerative agriculture, or how to reconcile economic development and preserve resources

**The Amazon rainforest and the ancestral knowledge it contains are in danger of disappearing as the forest is exploited for its natural resources and converted to intensive agriculture. Home to 1,5 million of indigenous people who depend directly on its ecosystem services for their livelihoods, Amazonia also contains 10% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity and 20% of the world's freshwater reserves. Located between two affluents of the Amazon, on either side of the border between Ecuador and Peru, the Sacred Headwaters region, the richest reservoir of biodiversity in Amazonia, is particularly affected by oil extraction and the deforestation that precedes it. During a visit to the Reforest'Action offices, Domingo Peas Nampichkai, leader of the Achuar Amazonian people, and Atossa Soltani, director of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, discussed the urgent need to preserve this region, which is essential to the ecosystemic balance of the Amazon rainforest, and the ambition of the project led by an alliance of indigenous organisations and to which Reforest'Action is contributing.**

**![](/uploads/dsc03255_web_2f0461e8c9.jpg)**

### **The Sacred Headwaters, essential to the ecosystem balance of the Amazon rainforest**

#### **With a deforestation rate of 17%, the Amazon is close to its tipping point**

The Amazon rainforest is one of the three largest primary forests in the world, covering 550 million hectares, or almost 5% of the earth's surface. It contains 20% of the world's freshwater reserves through its 6,600 kilometres of rivers and [10%](https://www.wwf.fr/espaces-prioritaires/amazonie) of the known plant and animal species on Earth. It is also home to more than 34 million people, including 1,5 million of indigenous people distributed across 385 ethnic groups, who depend directly on the services provided by the forest - in particular its water sources, fruits, berries and medicinal plants - for their livelihoods.

Threatened by the extraction of natural resources such as wood, oil and minerals, but also by industrial agriculture, in particular the cultivation of soya, oil palm and intensive livestock farming, the Amazon rainforest is approaching a tipping point. If [17%](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aba2949) of the Amazon basin has already been deforested to date, the entire ecosystem would collapse definitively, with no possibility of being restored, if this rate were to reach [25%](https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aat2340).

Its destruction is not just a regional issue. In the current context of the global climate and biodiversity crisis, the whole planet is being impacted by this large-scale degradation. The hundreds of billions of trees in the Amazon biome absorb more than a billion tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to approximately [4%](https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2022/05/21/the-brazilian-amazon-has-been-a-net-carbon-emitter-since-2016) of global fossil fuel emissions, and therefore play a critical role in stabilising the global climate. However, [recent](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03629-6) studies suggest that deforestation is turning the Amazon rainforest into a source of carbon emissions, since the felled trees are releasing more CO2 than those still standing are absorbing. Interviewed at the Reforest'Action offices, Domingo Peas Nampichkai, leader of the Achuar Amazonian people, stresses the urgent need to restore this unique ecosystem: "By regulating the water cycle and purifying the air, the Amazon ecosystem is at the heart of the world. Preserving it should everyone's concern".

![](/uploads/tuutinentza_46_web_3e77df3c13.jpg)

![](/uploads/quito_taisha_6145_web_694990f541.jpg)

#### **The Sacred Headwaters : the richest reservoir of biodiversity in Amazonia threatened by the extractive industries**

Located between two affluents of the Amazon, the Napo River (Ecuador) and the Marañon River (Peru), the Amazon Sacred Headwaters bioregion, also known as Cuencas Sagradas in Spanish, stretches across the border between Ecuador and Peru, covering an area of 35 million hectares - the size of California. It is the richest reservoir of biodiversity in the Amazon and contains several endemic and critically endangered animal species, including the Rio Mayo titi (Callicebus oenanthe) and the Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin (Cebus aequatorialis). It helps maintain the hydrological cycle of the American continents and the ecosystem balance of the entire Amazon basin. It is also home to 600,000 people belonging to 30 indigenous peoples, representing 20% of the total indigenous population of Amazonia. These include the Waorani, the Kichwa and the Achuar, to which Domingo Peas Nampichkai belongs. "The Amazon is like a nurturing mother for indigenous peoples. It is a source of food, medicine and wisdom for us", he explains. "We are the sons and daughters of our Mother Earth, of our Pachamama, and we must return the help that the forest has given us, and take care of it in our turn."

However, the Amazon Sacred Headwaters region is particularly affected by oil exploitation and the deforestation that precedes it. Outside the Yasuni National Park, an area protected by the Ecuadorian government, the extractive industries are imposing their activities on the very territories of the indigenous populations. Not far from the Sacred Headwaters, the Lago Agrio region remains deeply scarred by the largest oil slick in Ecuador's history, associated with the American oil company Chevron and its subsidiary Texaco, which between 1967 and 1993 dumped more than 73 billion litres of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian Amazon, causing irreversible damage to natural ecosystems and crops, as well as fatal illnesses among the local population due to contamination of the air, water and soil.

Yet the Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments, whose economies are still heavily dependent on oil production, are only planning to protect 30% of the Sacred Headwaters region by 2030. The indigenous communities who live there consider this commitment to be woefully inadequate, as they are facing the oil industry on a daily basis and suffering the damage and pollution caused by this industry. "We have a dream", says Domingo Peas Nampichkai, "to take care of the forest for future generations - to put an end to major roadworks and to oil, mining and forestry exploitation".

![](/uploads/quito_taisha_6140_web_ad273aa44a.jpg)

### **Amazonian peoples join forces to protect the Sacred Headwaters**

#### **The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative: an unprecedented alliance of indigenous organizations**

In this context, an unprecedented alliance of indigenous organizations, bringing together the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE) and the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), joined forces in 2017 with the aim of achieving a minimum protection level for the Sacred Headwaters of [80%](https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/indigenous-groups-unveil-plan-to-protect-80-of-the-amazon-in-peru-and-ecuador/) of its surface area by 2025. "The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative was born as an alliance of 30 indigenous nations from the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon, determined to work in solidarity and coordination, with a holistic vision, to permanently protect the Sacred Headwaters region, stop the advance of the extractive industry, and restore the central role of the well-being of the forest and the people who live in it", explains **Atossa Soltani**, interviewed by Reforest’Action. Founder and president of the NGO Amazon Watch, she is now Director of Global Strategy for the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, alongside Domingo Peas Nampichkai, who is its official coordinator and spokesperson.

![](/uploads/dsc03271_web_02d54495a2.jpg)

#### **A bioregional plan for the transition to an ecological model**

As the first milestone in the programme supported by this alliance, a bioregional plan was presented at COP 26 in Glasgow in November 2021 by a delegation from Amazonian indigenous communities. Developed with the support of their elders, known as "sábios", and international researchers, the plan combines science with the ancestral knowledge of indigenous peoples. It aims to support the region's transition from an extractive economic model, based on oil, forestry and mining, to an ecological model that promotes the permanent protection of the Sacred Basins, the well-being of Amazonian communities and indigenous territorial governance. Through nine transition paths, the plan includes the restoration of 8 million hectares of forest destroyed by the extractive industry, as well as the development of community tourism, agroforestry and a regenerative economy.

![](/uploads/quito_taisha_6134_web_4f013ed5cb.jpg)

### **Developing a regenerative economy in indigenous communities**

#### **Forest restoration and promotion of traditional and sustainable agroforestry systems**

As part of this holistic initiative, Reforest'Action is supporting a 300-hectare pilot project dedicated to the restoration and preservation of ecosystems, as well as the development of agroforestry and a regenerative economy within indigenous communities. The project is being carried out on the ground by Fundación Pachamama, an Ecuadorian NGO, in conjunction with the Amazonian indigenous peoples, CONFENAIE (on the Ecuadorian side) and AIDESEP (on the Peruvian side). The project is also part of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, established by His Majesty King Charles III as part of his initiative for sustainable markets powered by nature.

"The indigenous peoples live, heal and feed themselves only thanks to the Amazon rainforest", observed Stéphane Hallaire, President and Founder of Reforest'Action, during [his mission in Ecuador](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/blog/ecuador-creating-virtuous-synergies-safeguard-amazonia) in March 2022 alongside Marc Palahi, Director of the European Forest Institute and President of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA). "They embrace all its complexity and live at its pace, in contrast to the Western lifestyles we know. It is vital for them to continue to inhabit this extremely precious ecosystem. We need to initiate large-scale projects in collaboration with these communities, who are the guardians of a unique and invaluable know-how". This is precisely the objective of this project funded by Reforest'Action, which aims to promote the traditional Amazonian agroforestry system known as the chakra. The Amazonian chakra is a synergistic living space between humans, animals and plants. Often managed by women, it is a daily place where families come together to work, learn, cultivate edible resources, feed themselves and harvest medicinal plants and forest products in a circular and sustainable way. Within this programme, the emphasis will be on reintroducing and preserving native tree species such as plantain and yucca, as well as adding fruit trees and species that will create value chains, such as vanilla, macambo, patasmuyon, white cocoa and guayusa. The trees will be nurtured by indigenous communities over the long term, providing them with livelihoods and additional income as part of a circular, regenerative, nature-based bioeconomy.

![](/uploads/kallari_11_web_125222572e.jpg)

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#### **Creation of a school to train indigenous communities in sustainable forest management**

Reforest'Action also financed the creation of the Escuela Viva Amazónica, which was inaugurated on 9 March 2023 at the CONFENIAE headquarters in the town of Puyo, Ecuador. The school aims to train the younger generation of indigenous Amazonian communities in the creation of agroforestry systems and the sustainable management of edible forests, as well as facilitating the transmission of the knowledge of elders about medicinal plants and the whole of Amazonian culture, from its history to its arts. The ultimate aim is to encourage the emergence of new leaders from indigenous Amazonian communities so that they can take action on the international stage to protect the Amazon rainforest - like Domingo Peas Nampichkai, who concludes: "All human beings need the Amazon and the commitment must be collective. Indigenous peoples alone will not solve the problem. For the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, it is essential to create links and integrate indigenous and non-indigenous populations into the project. We will succeed by joining forces and working together.”

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In Amazonia, indigenous communities in Ecuador and Peru join forces to restore the Sacred Headwaters

**Cities without forests: the challenges**
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Cities and forests have almost always been seen as two opposites: a wild world, governed by natural laws, versus a universe shaped and controlled by mankind. As cities have become one of the main **drivers of climate change,** this antagonistic vision is reaching its limits.

### **When urbanization means artificialization**

By 2050, there will be **between 6 and 7 billion\*** city-dwellers on the planet, i.e. nearly **70%** of the world's population. In France, this percentage will soon reach **80%\*\*.** Little by little, the size of the cities is increasing and metropolises with more than one million inhabitants are multiplying. Such a volume and such a concentration of people imply managing space and the environment in a way that is incompatible with nature. In most cases, the rapid expansion of cities has taken place at the expense of ecosystems. At the same time, urban sprawl, via the construction of concrete infrastructure, has gone hand in hand with **the artificialization - and therefore the sealing -** of massive swaths of soils, which is one of the proven causes of climate change and the erosion of the biodiversity.

_\* World Urbanization Prospects, UN, 2018_

_\*\* Insee, 2020_

### **Cities: what impacts on the climate?**

The IPCC is very clear. Urban areas are the source of **70%\*** of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for current global warming.

In cities, the effects of global warming are exacerbated. Global warming manifests itself **in the form of heat islands,** which correspond to a rise in maximum temperatures in urban areas when compared with the surrounding natural environments. Contrary to popular belief, this phenomenon is not due to pollution but to the concentration of buildings that capture heat during the day and release it into the atmosphere at night. According to a recent study\*\* published in January 2023 and carried out in 93 European cities, **75%** of the urban population experiences **1°C** more than rural inhabitants, and **20%** of them are facing up to **2°C** more.

The FAO estimates that **60%** of urban people live in areas at high risk of exposure to at least one **natural disaster.** In the city, the phenomena of soil erosion and compaction coming from rainfall are the cause of increasingly frequent and intense floods and landslides, which can be fatal in certain regions of the globe.

_\* 3rd part of the 6th assessment report of the IPCC, 2022_

_\*\* Cooling cities through urban green infrastructure: a health impact assessment of European cities, study published in the medical journal The Lancet, 2023_

### **Biodiversity, the missing part of cities**

The construction of cities came along with a significant **anthropogenic change** in landscapes, with a degradation or complete loss of the natural ecosystems that were there in the first place. For centuries, urban sprawl has been at the root of biodiversity collapse, caused by the **destruction of native fauna and flora habitats.** This uncontrolled development has paradoxically triggered an uptick in certain animal populations, sometimes considered harmful, or in exotic plant species. Other species have had to adapt to the urban context by becoming “urban-adapted”, such as swallows whose wings have gradually shortened to fly between urban buildings.

### **A matter of public health**

In addition to being harmful to the climate and biodiversity, the city has undesirable effects on its own residents. Inhabitants of urban areas are exposed to **air pollution.** According to a recent study, the particles produced by the combustion of fossil fuels - due to cars and industries - would be responsible for **more than 8 million\*** premature deaths in 2018, i.e. just under **one in five deaths** worldwide. In addition to the diseases caused by urban pollution, there is a decline in **the average life expectancy** of people living in cities. In Paris and the Greater Paris area, where the air is particularly polluted, residents can lose **up to 2 years of their lifespan.**

Urban pollution is not only about air pollution, but also **noise pollution.** Noise, omnipresent in the city, can cause disturbances or a feeling of discomfort for many people, and is considered a long-term risk factor.

The lack of plants in the city is as much a public health problem as a question of **well-being.** While the presence of green or wooded spaces in the city is beneficial for mental health and stress reduction, their absence generates a host of mood-altering effects. This is why, in 2020, after difficult periods of lockdowns, **8 out of 10 French people** said that making cities greener should be a priority\*\*\*.

_\* Harvard study, published in Environmental Research, 2021_

_\*\* France Public Health Authority, 2016_

_\*\*\* Study conducted as part of the Green Cities Observatory, 2020_

![](/uploads/en_challenges_infographics_urban_forest_c5d5c84f35.jpg)
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**Transforming urbanity with forests**
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Faced with such a reality, making cities greener represents a leading solution for initiating the **socio-environmental transition** of cities. FAO, IPCC, WRI and Cerema are all unanimous: improving the urban forest is an excellent way **to mitigate the** environmental and social **impacts** of urbanization. Furthermore, developing cities’ tree resources contributes to creating a **sustainable and resilient** urban model.

### **Urban cooling**

The urban forest acts directly on the **climate of cities** by refreshing the surrounding air. Placed in strategic locations, trees can **lower the temperature by 2°C to 8°C\*** and reduce **air conditioning needs by 30%\*** when planted around buildings. This can be explained by several phenomena. First, a tree can absorb **up to 80%** of the sun’s rays. The shade provided by its foliage prevents concrete infrastructures from storing too much heat during the day. Second, thanks to evapotranspiration, a mature tree produces **up to 450 liters of water** in the form of water vapor, i.e. the equivalent of 5 air conditioners running for 20 hours\*\*, which creates a **cooler microclimate** around it.

According to the study published in _The Lancet_ at the beginning of 2023, doubling the plant cover of European cities - to reach **30% of surface area being tree-covered -** would make it possible to cool city summers by **0.4°C on average** and to avoid heat islands. It is important to remember that when it comes to global warming, **every tenth of a degree counts.**

_\* FAO, infographic Benefits of urban trees, 2016_

_\*\* Study published by Ademe, 2019_

### **Biodiversity and green network**

Urban trees and shrubs are important biodiversity support systems for the fauna and flora. Flowers, fruits, twigs, dead wood or even tree hollows represent a **source of food** for pollinating insects, birds, amphibians and small mammals that populate our cities, while providing them with **numerous shelters**.

Improving the urban forest makes it possible to create more **biological corridors,** forming what is called the **"green network"**. This “network” concept, defined by the French _Environmental Code,_ aims to link different reservoirs of biodiversity together in an uninterrupted area. Animals need to circulate to ensure their biological cycles and to protect themselves from predators; the urban forest thus facilitates their movements in cities, which are a very hostile environment for wildlife.

The presence of trees in the city also contributes to recreate a **living soil,** namely thanks to the dead leaves which decompose into humus and thereby strengthen the life of micro-organisms in the soil. Faced with growing artificialization, the urban forest is an excellent way to promote the **renaturation of urban soils.**

### **Improving air and water quality**

Urban trees help improve **air quality.** According to the NGO _The Nature Conservancy\*,_ they can reduce **the concentration of fine particles in the air by 20 to 50%** . The leaves of trees, covered with hairs or wax, have the ability to intercept airborne pollutants while the gaseous exchanges made with the atmosphere allow them to absorb certain atmospheric pollutants\*\*. However, the enormous amount of pollutants emitted in urban areas cannot be compensated by trees alone, which must be integrated into an overarching policy for improving air quality. Similarly, tree roots help **protect drinking water resources** by filtering water pollution, and well-designed green infrastructure can support wastewater treatment.

_\* The Nature Conservancy, Planting Healthy Air, a global analysis of the role of urban trees in addressing particulate matter pollution and extreme heat, 2016_

_\*\* such as nitrogen dioxide or ozone_

### **Sustainable water management**

Thanks to trees’ incredible root systems that help to fixate the ground, revegetation **protects cities from soil erosion and landslides.** In addition, urban forest is particularly useful for combatting **water runoff** from soil sealing, with one tree absorbing **up to 150L of water per day\***. How? Some of the rainwater is directly intercepted by the foliage of trees and shrubs, what is called the interception mechanism, and the remaining rainwater infiltrates the soil via the tree roots which maintain its porosity. In addition, plants consume water from the soil to grow, thereby avoiding soil saturation problems. Rainwater infiltrates very little, if at all, into soil already saturated with water.

_\*_ _Nicholas Martin, 2019_

### **Physical and psychological benefits**

The **_One Health_** **concept**, developed in the 2000s, highlights the relationships between ecosystems and human health. This global approach is particularly well illustrated in urban areas, where the health of people living in cities is strongly linked to the existence of wooded areas.

Based on data from 2015, a year of exceptional heat waves, scientists have estimated **that a third\*** of heat-related deaths could be avoided by planting trees in cities. Trees, with their ability to reduce pollution, limit the risk of contracting various pathologies caused by air pollution, such as asthma. Urban forest also provides us with increased **immune system protection**: it has been shown that during a day of hiking under the tree canopy, the human body produces **30%\*\* more immune cells** than during a day of walking in the city. Having access to green spaces reduces stress and anxiety, which goes hand in hand with a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. _Ultimately,_ the improvement of the physical health of people living in cities, associated with the presence of an urban forest, could increase their life expectancy by **7 years\*\*\*.**

The **well-being** of residents is also positively affected by trees. Quite naturally, urban parks, gardens and micro-forests promote **social fabrics** and outdoor **physical activities**, which lead to healthier habits. In addition, trees form a real barrier which, by **absorbing acoustic energy,** dissipates ambient noise.

_\* Cooling cities through urban green infrastructure: a health impact assessment of European cities, study published in the medical journal The Lancet, 2023_

_\*\*_ _Clemens G. A., The healing effect of the tree, the emotional, cognitive and physical benefits of biophilia, Le Courrier du livre, 2016_

_\*\*\* Kardan O. et al., Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center, 2015_

### **Economic benefits and attractiveness**

The many benefits listed above are difficult to quantify, although some of them have been the subject of further studies. In particular, it has been proven that improving the urban living environment using trees can increase the value of a property **by up to 20%\*.** Moreover, by reducing the pressure on the healthcare system, green areas would generate up to **several million euros\*\*** in savings. Finally, developing and maintaining the urban forest leads to the creation of a large number **of jobs** in a growing economic sector.

Wooded areas greatly contribute to the **diversity and quality of urban landscapes,** thereby enhancing their **attractiveness** to residents and visitors. The different categories of afforestation make it possible to remedy the monotony of “all concrete” while structuring the multiple spaces that make up the city. With its variety of colors, scents and shapes, the beauty of trees attracts and captivates.

_\* FAO, Urban Forestry_

_\*\* Asterès report on behalf of UNEP, Urban green spaces. Places of public health, vectors of economic activity, 2016_

### **Combatting climate change**

By **storing carbon,** urban forests are one of the strategic means for mitigating and adapting to climate change in cities. In fact, a small tree can sequester up to **16kg\* of CO2** per year, and a mature tree can absorb up to **360kg\***. In addition to the carbon sequestration generated by the aerial part of the trees, the reconstitution of the soil by their roots leads to an even greater storage capacity for CO2.

_\* Developpement-durable.gouv.fr_

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While the consequences of urbanization can no longer be concealed, the urban forest is a window to the city of tomorrow. Urban forests provide us with the opportunity to rethink urban planning, to create alliances between mineral and green spaces, to build bridges that connect the city with the countryside. However, investments in urban forests currently accounts for only 1.3%\* of major French cities budget. To increase this figure and reduce the environmental footprint of cities, public and private stakeholders need to work together. In partnership with many municipalities and companies in France and Europe, Reforest'Action is playing a key role in developing more sustainable and liveable cities. Discover our offer for planting [urban micro-forests.](https://www.reforestaction.com/plantez-une-foret-urbaine)

_\*_ _Unep and Hortis, Gardens & health: towards healthy cities?, Green Cities Observatory, September 2017_

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Urban forests: challenges and benefits

### **Her commitment to the environment...**

For many years, the extinction of species has not stopped growing because human beings have not been able to ally themselves with nature and understand it. I want to be an agent of change so that the Earth becomes viable again for all living beings.

### **Her background before Reforest'Action...**

I trained in the field of zoology with a Bachelor's degree from Delhi University. I also obtained a master's degree from the Forest Research Institute (Dehradun) in the field of environmental management. I have had several professional and volunteering experiences in biodiversity conservation, especially in a consultancy firm where I was able to provide my expertise in setting up wildlife conservation plans for endangered species. I also worked with an NGO specialized in environmental conservation, an experience that allowed me to discover the link between the impact of agriculture and species conservation, the causes of soil degradation and other environmental issues. I had the privilege of being part of an Indian government institute working on wildlife ecology and conservation. Along with these subjects, this opportunity allowed me to gain experience in human-wildlife conflict, aquatic ecology, landscape ecology and sustainable livelihoods.

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### **Her missions and responsibilities for Reforest'Action...**

As Project Officer for Reforest'Action, my missions include the identification, selection and qualification of carbon and regenerative agriculture projects, project management in terms of monitoring and control, research and development for the improvement of Reforest'Action's tools and procedures, and support on technical issues within my zone.

### **Her vision of forests in Asia...**

In Asia, the degradation of continental and mangrove forests is due to overexploitation of forest resources and anthropogenic pressure. Many natural forests are also being converted into agricultural land or cleared for development projects such as mines, highways or railroad lines, as the population is growing into billions.

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### **The forestry projects she is responsible for...**

I am currently responsible for developing and supporting new project opportunities in India. The project opportunities that I am looking at in India are aimed at restoration of mangroves for sequestering blue carbon, improving the livelihoods of local communities and conservation of wildlife. I am also helping to develop a regenerative agriculture project within the cotton sector in Odisha.

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### **The added value of her local presence in the supervision of projects...**

It is easier to be in India to supervise Reforest'Action projects in Asia because, as a field researcher, I already have experience with local authorities, the private sector and communities. It is also much easier to understand where the risks of the project lie, who to approach to move the project forward within government departments, and to understand the connections between the local population and the field.

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Reforest'Action around the world : Interview with Srishti Manna, our Project Officer in India

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The private sector meets for the first time at the UNFF
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In the wake of the [2022 Global Forest Summit](https://www.globalforestsummit.org/2022-outcomes), co-organized by Reforest'Action and attended by Juliette Biao, Director of the [UNFF](https://www.un.org/esa/forests/index.html) Secretariat, a regular dialogue has been established between the two organizations. As a result of these exchanges, Ms. Biao's brilliant leadership and a common desire to bring businesses closer to the UN Forum, a panel bringing together the private sector was held on May 9, 2023 in New York on the occasion of [the 18th session](https://www.un.org/esa/forests/forum/index.html) of the UNFF.

Co-organized at UN headquarters by Nicolas Blain, Director of Institutional Relations at Reforest'Action, and Derek Nighbor, UNFF Focal Point for the Private Sector and President of the Forest Products Association of Canada, [the panel aimed to discuss](https://www.un.org/esa/forests/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/UNFF18-CN-Private-sector-240423.pdf) the positive role of regenerative agriculture and agroforestry in support of the [Global Forest Goals](https://www.un.org/esa/forests/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Global-Forest-Goals-booklet-Apr-2019.pdf).

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Regenerative agriculture as an effective solution to achieve the Global Forest Goals
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Moderated by Catherine Grenier, President of Nature Conservancy Canada, the panel featured Alexander Gillett, member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative's [Agribusiness Taskforce](https://www.sustainable-markets.org/taskforces/agribusiness-task-force/) (TF) and co-author of its [Global Action Plan](https://a.storyblok.com/f/109506/x/7b102e6831/agribusiness-task-force-white-paper.pdf), Stéphane Hallaire, President of Reforest'Action and Michèle Zollinger, Global Head of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Sourcing and Forest and Climate Issues at Nestlé.

In front of an attentive audience composed of representatives of UN member states, the speakers presented in a tangible and concrete way how the private sector can, via regenerative agriculture in particular, contribute to the fight against deforestation and restore forest landscapes.

Carbon finance, an asset to develop agroforestry on a large scale
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Based on concrete examples of projects deployed in Europe and Africa thanks to financing from Hennessy and Astra Zeneca, Stéphane Hallaire, among his various interventions, emphasized that the private sector can and must, via the carbon market in particular, contribute to mobilizing the [40 billion dollars needed](https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FOLU-GrowingBetter-GlobalReport.pdf) each year by 2030 to finance the development of regenerative agriculture. And this, by developing robust projects, financed by quality carbon credits, sold at a high price to project owners and local populations.

The stakes are high, for the climate and biodiversity. And for the economy, because the investments necessary for the global development of regenerative agriculture would generate 530 billion dollars in business opportunities by 2050 and an economic gain of 3035 billion dollars by the same date according to [The Food and Land Use Coalition](https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FOLU-GrowingBetter-GlobalReport.pdf). By helping to make business value chains regenerative, the development of this virtuous agriculture and agroforestry thus contributes to the fight against deforestation and the restoration of forest landscapes, two issues that are among the Global Forest Goals.

Towards a UNFF - Private Sector partnership
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Hailing the quality of this first panel organized during a session of the UN Forum, Juliette Biao thanked the participants before stressing that this panel is only a step and that it opens the way to a partnership between the private sector and the UNFF. A partnership that is now to be built, a mission to which Reforest'Action will be happy to contribute. This partnership would be the concrete expression of SDG 17, which Reforest'Action [had already illustrated in 2022](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/blog/world-forestry-congress-reforestaction-promotes-bioeconomy-and-private-sector-power-forest) at the World Forestry Congress.

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Regenerative agriculture: Reforest'Action brings together the private sector at the United Nations Forum on Forests

**Launched in September 2022, the AXA Forests for Good initiative aims to restore damaged forest ecosystems while making them more resistant to health risks and climate change. This 3-year program will be implemented on 400 of the 15,000 hectares of forests owned by AXA in France. The goal is to restore 87 plots in six forests that are being attacked by bark beetles across three French administrative departments: Meuse, Jura and Nièvre. To implement this project, AXA is supported by a group of active stakeholders, led by Reforest'Action and composed of AgroParisTech, two entities of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE Renfor and Biogeco), France Nature Environnement (FNE) and four local associations. They will combine their environmental, social, technical and educational expertise to support forest restoration.**

### The need to adapt forests to climate change and natural disasters is at the heart of the AXA Forests for Good initiative

#### Climate change and natural disasters are forest ecosystem disruptors

"Our ecosystems are disrupted by numerous things: while climate change, which destabilizes the traditional natural balance, is a main component, manmade commercial and international exchanges are another, as they cause an increase in the spread of diseases and tree pests such as bark beetles," wrote Hervé Le Bouler, a specialist on climate change’s impacts on forests in France and member of the AXA Forests for Good Project Consortium for Reforest'Action, in his book "Forests – Roots and Men". Temperate forests are therefore increasingly affected by changes related to climate change, such as droughts linked to rising temperatures and less summer rainfall, which lead to a high risk of fires, a risk of increased tree mortality and a weakening of trees, which become more vulnerable to other natural disasters. The health of temperate forests is also weakened by diseases and exotic insects imported due to globalization. Pathogenic fungi and pests account for most of the damage observed in French forests. Climatic change and natural disasters: these phenomena, which can happen at the same time, directly affect the multifunctionality of forests. When degraded, forests no longer provide their ecosystem services which are needed for the well-being of all living things.

#### AXA Forests for Good: a program dedicated to finding solutions to help forests adapt to climate change and health risks

The aim is to find solutions to restore damaged forests and enable them to regain their multifunctionality in the long term. "The forest manager must take action right away, because the urgency of forest decline calls for swift action, especially seeing as the world of forests definitely lives for a long time. A forest manager knows full well that their decisions and actions are irreversible, that they will affect the future for decades," added Hervé Le Bouler. Spread over a period of three years and made up of four components, the AXA Forests for Good initiative’s goal is the following:

*   Study the impact of climate change and soil artificialization on the loss of forest biodiversity through field measurements by Consortium experts.
*   Restore forests. Within six forests owned by AXA (Mauboux-Rosemont and Saint-André in Nièvre; Vaudrey, Pont du Navoy and Souvans in Jura; and Donquenay in Meuse), 87 plots impacted by bark beetle attacks will be involved in this program spread across a total of 400 hectares. After experimenting with several restoration options, the Consortium will make recommendations for species and silvicultural routes that promote the multifunctionality and resilience of restored forests.
*   Strengthen AXA's leadership on climate and biodiversity issues. The practices developed in this program will be subsequently rolled out at the French and European level and shared with the scientific community and the private and public forestry sector.
*   Contribute to a better understanding of forests’ role. The Consortium's stakeholders will raise awareness among schools about biodiversity and AXA will offer awareness-raising actions to its partners and employees.

#### A Consortium of stakeholders, led by Reforest'Action

To implement this project, AXA is supported by a group of active stakeholders, led by Reforest'Action and composed of AgroParisTech, two entities of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE Renfor and Biogeco), France Nature Environnement (FNE) and four local associations. As the Consortium’s leader, Reforest'Action has two major roles. First and foremost, structuring and coordinating the Forests for Good initiative. Thibaud Poulain and Côme Marret will manage the project internally. They have structured the project framework with AXA, allocated the Consortium's roles, and are in charge of leading the workshops, the production of deliverables, the organization of awareness-raising actions in the field, and the administrative management of the program. Second, guaranteeing operational and economic feasibility. With the expertise of Hervé Le Bouler, a specialist on the impact of climate change on forests, and Pierre Hermans, a forest management specialist, Reforest'Action ensures the practical implementation of silvicultural routes (choice of species, work to be carried out on plots) and coordinates with the members of the Consortium, taking into account IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) conclusions regarding the impact of climate change on the forests of France’s Greater East, as well as the different practices put in place at the European level to combat bark beetle attacks. Reforest'Action’s steering makes it possible to meet the AXA Forests for Good Consortium’s goal of combining the environmental, social, technical and educational expertise of all its stakeholders to support forest restoration.

### A co-constructive approach, carried out following a Living Lab approach, for AXA forests

#### A multi-stakeholder thought process to come up with ways to renew forests: the AXA forests case study

Today, more and more private forest owners are looking for solutions to adapt forest ecosystems to health risks and climate change. The AXA Forests for Good initiative, particularly with the expertise of AgroParisTech, is based on a multi-stakeholder understanding (Regional Natural Parks, communities, owners, naturalists, managers, NFB, citizens, etc.) which aims to come up with ways to renew forests to rehabilitate AXA plots damaged by the spruce bark beetle. The aim is to gather varied and complementary expertise, and to collectively design the best way to restore these plots.

This study will be carried out according to a Living Lab approach, which has been specifically adapted to meeting forestry challenges since 2018 by Maxence Arnould, teacher-researcher at AgroParisTech Nancy. This co-constructive and collective intelligence method, which is very new and innovative in the French forestry sector since the work of Maxence Arnould, makes it possible to co-construct innovative and collective solutions with, for and by forestry sector stakeholders. "As part of the AXA Forests for Good project, the Living Lab approach led by AgroParisTech will be conducted with collective intelligence methods that will aim to co-design technical roadmaps for AXA forests damaged by the spruce bark beetle," explained Maxence Arnould. "We will implement collaborative workshops that will bring together a wide variety of local forest stakeholders. This process aims to complement, in parallel, that of the experts and researchers of the Consortium composed of Reforest'Action, FNE, INRAE and AgroParisTech. Where the Consortium provides technical expertise, the stakeholders gathered as part of the Living Lab approach provide knowledge related to local specificities. It is a truly collective and collaborative process aimed at creating links and sharing around topics that are open to debate.”

#### The adapted Living Lab approach as part of the AXA Forests for Good initiative

Simply put, each of the six forests involved in the AXA Forests for Good initiative is the subject of the Living Lab approach developed by Maxence Arnould. The first local workshops aimed at establishing a diagnosis for each forest will take place between May and June 2023. The second phase of workshops will take place during the summer and fall of 2023 and will consist of analyzing the needs and expectations of stakeholders on the subject of forest renewal in a context of climate change. This will be followed by two other phases in 2024 to come up with forest renewal actions and to suggest ways to implement them. At the end of these co-constructive workshops, a final deliverable will be submitted to AXA by AgroParisTech, including all the workshops’ conclusions as well as an action plan ready for implementation. After the AXA Forests for Good project, the goal is to broadcast and transfer the results of the Living Lab approach to other forest owners and managers so that they can recreate this approach within their property.

### Research for strengthening forests

#### Experimental plots to test different restoration techniques

As part of the AXA Forests for Good initiative, research is also being conducted by the INRAE Renfor R&D team, a member of the Consortium, in certain plots of one of the forests involved in the project, in order to identify the most effective restoration techniques. "The objective is to offer the forest manager the best possible restoration option, depending on the desired level of intervention on the plot, and the necessary adaptation to the constraints of the site," explained Catherine Collet, a forestry researcher at INRAE in Nancy. To do this, plots in the Donquenay forest, in the French administrative department of Meuse, will be divided into several sections by the researchers, in order to apply different restoration methods over several years, and then the results will be compared to draw a conclusion about the best possible technical roadmap. Within these experimental plots, INRAE Renfor's recommendations will also focus on methods to remove site constraints in order to facilitate planting, as well as on the work to be carried out to control competition (for water, light and minerals) among plants. Another objective is to reduce tilling the soil by working mainly around the plant and not the rest of the plot, in order to reduce soil and environmental disturbances, to respect micro-fauna, bacteria and microbial diversity, and to limit carbon destocking.

#### Proposing roadmaps adapted to each plot of the AXA Forests for Good initiative

At the same time, the Consortium led by Reforest'Action will make roadmap proposals for all the other plots involved in the AXA Forests for Good initiative, in order to ensure the best possible development of forest ecosystems. The owner, AXA, as well as its project-associated managers, will benefit from the expertise of the Consortium's researchers and recommendations from several silvicultural roadmaps, which will explore several methods: assisted natural regeneration (where the plants will come from the seeds of the previous stand), reforestation (where the seedlings will be produced in nurseries), a mixture of assisted and improved natural regeneration or independent forest islands.

#### Strengthening forests through species diversity and adapted forestry

The choice of suitable silvicultural roadmaps will allow restored forests to be better adapted to climate change. "Thanks to the research conducted upstream of restoration work, we can anticipate changes in the ecosystem related to climate change and adapt the future forest stand to make it more resilient," said Catherine Collet. The prevention of health risks will be taken into account in the choice of species to be planted on each plot, carried out by all the members of the Consortium during the winter of 2023. The diversity of tree species chosen makes the restored forests more resistant to possible diseases or pathogens, as Catherine Collet pointed out: "As certain tree species are more sensitive to certain types of health risks, the diversity and mixing of species is certainly an asset in a plot because, should a health threat occur, certain tree species will be better adapted to resisting it." The diversity of species and the identification of key forestry settings to reduce risks in the forest environment will be the subject of two studies carried out within the Consortium by Hervé Jactel, research director at INRAE Biogeco.

### Biodiversity at the heart of forests’ multifunctionality

#### A multifunctional forest is a forest rich in biodiversity

A multifunctional forest is a forest whose mix – species, functions, audiences – allows it to provide a wide variety of environmental services (CO2 capture, biodiversity, air and water purification, etc.) and also to provide essential economic (wood production, tourism), social (employment, leisure, resourcing, etc.) and landscaping functions.

One of the foundations of this multifunctionality lies in the preservation and development of biodiversity. Part of the Consortium, France Nature Environnement (FNE) brings its expertise on the protection of biodiversity, ecosystems and the preservation of ecosystem services, in order to ensure the multifunctionality of restored forests. Nicolas Oddo, project manager at FNE, explains why the diversity of forest species is key to ensuring the maintenance of a forest's multifunctionality. "Living species provide services to each other and it is collaboration between species that provide all the services in an environment. As for forest ecosystems, for example, some tree species have a better capacity to store water or, inversely, to evacuate excess water into the soil. The choice of species when restoring a forest will therefore have an impact on its ability to survive droughts or floods. Similarly, animal species contribute to the ecosystem services of their environment. In this way, pollinating insects have a key role in the proper functioning and balance of an ecosystem.” In short, the resilience and multifunctionality of a forest directly depend on the biodiversity it supports.

#### A biodiversity evaluation to adapt forest restoration actions

In the 6 forests involved in the AXA Forests for Good initiative, an evaluation will be carried out in spring 2023 to take an inventory of the biodiversity in the forest plots (fauna, flora and their potential habitats) and to keep these elements in mind as part of the restoration roadmaps to be chosen. "The idea is to include biodiversity when the Consortium brainstorms in order to better promote them during restorations," asserted Nicolas Oddo. "For example, project plots show traces of natural regeneration that will need to be protected so that they can develop, be optimized and supported by forthcoming human interventions." As an expert in the study of ecosystem balance, FNE provides its recommendations to the Consortium to define sustainable forestry management for use on plots. The goals is for the forests restored today to still be in place in 30 years and to contribute to the long-term resilience of rural areas when combatting climate change and health risks.

#### Raise awareness and give forestry training to the public to preserve biodiversity

Because the AXA Forests for Good initiative also aims to raise awareness among different audiences about the importance of restoring multifunctional forests and to promote stakeholders’ use of forestry methods, FNE will organize workshops for school audiences and wood industry students, but also for forest managers and AXA employees to raise awareness about this forestry practice, even outside the plots to be restored as part of the initiative. A white paper will be written by FNE throughout the project and used in these awareness-raising workshops.

**The AXA Forests for Good initiative illustrates AXA's desire to set an example for implementing multifunctional forest management. With the Consortium’s expertise, led by Reforest'Action, the initiative brings three key parts of forest restoration and adaptation together to combat climate change and health risks: science, supported by INRAE and AgroParisTech and focused on experimentation and research; economics, to better represent the interests of forest owners and guarantee the socio-economic services provided by forests (wood production, recreational spaces for the public, etc.); and the environment, supported by FNE, protecting forest ecosystems’ balance and biodiversity. The goal of this dialogue is to implement a project that meets the challenges that are at the heart of forests’ multifunctionality. The synergy of the Consortium's stakeholders also makes it possible to open up the program to the outside world by integrating a plethora of local players into the process via AgroParisTech's Living Lab method, and by communicating with different audiences on all the work done thanks to the FNE’s white paper. The purpose of the Forests for Good initiative? Crowdsource thoughts and strategies drawn up as part of the initiative, in order to profoundly change private forest management in France into forestry methods capable of reducing the risks and impact of climate change and natural disasters locally while increasing their resilience in the long term.**

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AXA Forests for Good: a collective project to set up new sustainable forest management methods to combat health risks and climate change

### **Her background before Reforest'Action...**

I trained in the field of wood science and forestry with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Stellenbosch (in the Western Cape region of South Africa). I also obtained a double master's degree from the University of Eastern Finland in the field of European and international forestry. I also wrote my thesis at the University of Freiburg, Germany, on the effects of mixed versus monoculture regimes in the tropical forests of Central Panama; before moving back to Johannesburg, South Africa.

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### **Her missions and responsibilities for Reforest'Action...**

As Project Officer for Reforest'Action, my role consists of researching, developing and monitoring forestry and Carbon projects that need support and financing. I also conduct annual field audits and impact assessments of projects funded by Reforest'Action. I act as the link between Reforest'Action and the project leaders and ensure the proper conduct of activities in the field on a daily basis. In addition, I have managed creative projects such as the production of a short film for our clients, involving the management of cameras, journalists and project leaders.

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### **Her vision of forests in South Africa...**

The urban forests in the city of Johannesburg, where I live, are under attack by bark beetles, invasive parasites that kill trees in a flash. This is a major threat to South Africa as the infestation spreads across the country.

South Africa's history is one of unjust and legal oppression and inequality, and this has extended to green spaces as much as anything else. Today, in Johannesburg in particular, only the richest areas are planted with trees. This means that trees and the services they provide are still a white privilege in this country. I would like to change this and act for more environmental equality.

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### **The forestry projects she is responsible for...**

I am in charge of monitoring the Fynbos restoration and community development project conducted in the Western Cape region of South Africa by our partners Breedekloof Wine and Tourism (BWT). This project contributes to restoring biodiversity and natural seed banks, regulating water systems, balancing expected fires, and thus continuously improving overall ecological resilience. I am also in charge of the Kuzuko project in South Africa, where our local partner is contributing to the restoration of ecosystems through the planting of Spekboom, a local species essential to the ecological functioning of the region, which will contribute to the appearance of a large diversity of tree species. Another project I manage is an agroforestry project in Tanzania mountainous region, where locals are able to grow fruit trees and upskill themselves.

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### **The added value of its local presence in the supervision of projects...**

As Project Officer, I consider myself a bridge between Reforest'Action's office in Paris and rural Africa. This means that I have the task of translating all the needs, wishes and necessities between these two entities. It also means that I have to understand the functioning of an office and the French customs, but also the functioning of a village without running water or electricity.

The project leaders I have worked with so far have so far appreciated the fact that I am a fellow African representative of Reforest’Action, and that I am able to speak their language (e.g. Afrikaans), so they feel more comfortable, and as if our support is more accessible and close to home. Also, I understand the mindset of South Africans (and other neighboring countries in Southern Africa such as Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, etc.) because I grew up here and have been immersed in these cultures throughout my life. This is essential for the best possible results.

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Reforest'Action around the world: Interview with Ané Venter, our Project Officer in South Africa

**From 2019 to 2021: review of three years of action**
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The project started in September 2019 pursued two main objectives, articulated around **two distinct components.** Let's look back at the first three years of the project and the benefits generated.

### **Component 1: Developing agroforestry**

**Rooted in the region of Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia, the first part of the project has made it possible to plant over 123,000 trees in agroforestry on about 110 hectares of land between the years 2019 and 2020.**

Within private family plots as well as on on indigenous lands, the implementation of agroforestry systems aimed to establish a **sustainable agricultural model** in the face of widespread monospecific soybean fields and intensive cattle breeding, which are responsible for deforestation. Working with communities, the NGO Rioterra succeeded in convincing native farmers and families of the need to integrate diverse forest and fruit species into their farmland. The are in fact many benefits: protecting their crops, enriching the soil, but also generating additional and stable income.

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### **Component 2: Create edible forests**

**Initiated in October 2020, the second part of the project made it possible to restore illegally degraded former pastures. A total of 251,000 trees from 56 different native species have taken root on 139 hectares of the legally protected "extractivist reserve" of _Rio Preto Jacundá._**

This restoration project marked the first large-scale Amazonian native flora recovery effort. With the objective of combining the restoration of natural ecosystems with the socio-economic development of communities, a selection of indigenous fruit trees was planted, leading to the creation of **edible forests.** With free and unlimited access, the production of fruit from the trees is already contributing, and will continue to contribute, to the food security of the traditional populations who have lived in the natural reserve for generations.

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**Since 2022: Supporting the CBCA initiative**
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The 2022-2023 planting season, which began in **August 2022,** is part of a **250-hectare area, recently granted to CES Rioterra,** where the land has been illegally deforested and degraded by intensive cattle breeding. Despite a new turn, the objective of the project remains intact: to restore the Amazon forest cover, preserve its biodiversity and improve the economic conditions of the beneficiaries.

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### **Taking action for the Amazon primary forest**

Nursery production, soil preparation and tree planting were conducted in October and November 2022. The new project season resulted in the planting of more than **100,000 trees** from **87 native species** on **40 hectares** of degraded forest. Whereas a 2-week drought, related to climate change, caused the death of some of the trees, all of which were replanted between January and February 2023.

As for the planting method, **2,500 trees per hectare** were divided equally between **two functional groups:** cover and diversity. The "cover" functional group consists of fast-growing species, such as coumarou (Tonka bean tree), which will shade out invasive grasses and develop the structure of the forest, while the "diversity" group includes various endangered native species, such as Amazonian walnut or Brazilian mahogany, which will thrive under the "cover" group and thus ensure the resilience and diversity of the forest in the long term.

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The quality of the plantation activities is enhanced by the **strong technical knowledge and experience** of our field partner, the [Centre for Cultural and Environmental Studies of the Amazon Region Rioterra.](https://rioterra.org.br/site/)

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### **Being part of a global framework: the CBCA**

More broadly, the plots to be restored are part of the **900 hectares** covered by the **Centre for Bioeconomy and Conservation of the Amazon (CBCA).** The 40 hectares concerned by the project are thus to be added to the **170 hectares** already restored by the CBCA. This initiative, the first of its kind in the Amazon, aims to promote the sustainable development of the Amazon by spreading **scientific and empirical knowledge** about the necessity of rehabilitate the native vegetation of the Amazon rainforest.

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Consequently, the restoration work financed by Reforest'Action contributes to the progress of the CBCA and to the **enrichment of the scientific data** it disseminates. As the ultimate goal is to maximise the environmental, social and economic impacts of forest ecosystem restoration, the use of the collected results will be extended to the entire Amazon region.

### **Communities as key players of this new planting season**

In the framework of this last planting season, **social benefits** such as job creation and income generation are made possible through the inclusion of local communities in the restoration process.

To ensure the optimal development of activities, a partnership was established between CES Rioterra and the local association of producers and residents. Local inhabitants were invited to take part in a project's presentation meeting and were then encouraged to participate in the various field tasks. In the end, **52 people** lent a hand: 18 to produce the seedlings, 3 to prepare the soil, 24 to plant the trees, 4 cooks and 3 people for support and logistics.

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To ensure the **sustainability of the project,** CES Rioterra continues to work hand in hand with the populations, who will be the driving force behind the monitoring and maintenance of the planted trees in the years to come. Through workshops organized by our partner, the project's **31 beneficiaries** have been trained in the preservation of the restored forest plots, so that they can achieve an autonomous development that will benefit their environment. The forestry activities, in addition to contributing to the economic and social development of the communities involved, will also raise awareness among residents and farmers regarding the importance of preserving the Amazonian rainforest and its biodiversity over the long term.

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Brazil : new planting season within the Center for Bioeconomy and Conservation of the Amazon (CBCA)

**In mid-February, a Reforest'Action team went to [Tanzania](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/usambara-tanzania) to carry out an audit of our reforestation project. The objective of this mission? To exchange with our local partner Friends of Usambara, to monitor the trees already planted in the field, to record environmental, economic and social indicators, and to meet the local communities to continue to develop our project alongside them.**

### Meet our partner in the field

Lushoto. After the overwhelming heat of the Maasai plains crossed on our way from Dar Es Salaam, it is a breath of fresh air that welcomes us, in the hollow of a green valley, at 1200 meters of altitude. Caroline, in charge of our international projects, and myself, in charge of reporting on the field, are welcomed by the team of our local partner, Friends of Usambara. **This NGO, founded in Lushoto, specializes in reforestation, sustainable tourism and school environmental education programs** - a young and generous team, experienced in setting up and deploying reforestation programs in the heart of the Usambara Mountains. Since their creation in 2008, they have already planted 22 million trees. This achievement makes them the main contributor to the massive effort to conserve the region's plant and animal biodiversity.

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**_The offices of our partner Friends of Usambara are anchored at the entrance of the main nursery._**

At the edge of the mother nursery that supplies the NGO with seedlings throughout the year, the 11 members of Friends of Usambara are gathered to welcome us in the coolness of their offices. Every day, during the rainy season, **they roam the Magamba Reserve from one planting site to another, coordinating tree planting and identifying new areas for reforestation.** Protected by the Tanzanian government since March 2016, the reserve covers 9,283 hectares, but signs of deforestation are still clearly visible in the landscape. These include the expansion of agricultural and grazing land at the expense of forests, and cutting for charcoal and fuelwood production.

**Here, soil erosion is a tragedy for the environment and for the people.** Under the pressure of rainwater, the soil disintegrates and becomes sterile, creating landslides and making cultivation impossible. Roads are lined with gigantic rocks that have fallen from the mountains. **"We are planting on the mountainside to hold the soil and prevent the rocks from falling,"** says Madawa, the technical advisor of the reforestation programme at Friends of Usambara.

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_**This hill bears the marks of erosion caused by deforestation.**_

Thanks to funding from our corporate partners and our community of Reforest'Actors, **1 million more trees will take root this year in the heart of the [Usambara Mountains](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/usambara-tanzania).** Since September 2019 and the initiation of our partnership, nearly 630,000 trees have already been planted. The remaining 370,000 seedlings will be planted by July and the end of the rainy season.

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### Nurseries as far as the eye can see

After a time of exchange with Yassin, the founder of the NGO, we follow Issa, the tree nurseries coordinator, through the maze of the mother nursery. The fresh morning air rustles with the music of butterfly wings and the flow of the stream that meanders through the open-air nursery. A veritable Garden of Eden opens up to us, populated by a multitude of tree species, **90% of which are of indigenous origin.** Erythrina Abycinia, Markhamia Lutea, Podocapus Usambarensis, Cedrela Odorata... So many species whose Latin and Swahili names, inscribed on signs, serve as landmarks in this ocean of greenery, where we move from one deck to another, crossing the stream, amidst the trumpets of the ipomea and bougainvillea.

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Issa explains the different techniques used by Friends of Usambara to produce the young trees. **The NGO obtains seeds from the Tree Seedling Agency,** a government entity, which are sown directly in the nurseries. Thanks to the know-how of the NGO and the nurserymen and women, the germination rate is excellent: 95% of the seeds planted or sown in tubes come out of the ground. The seedlings only need 3 to 4 months to reach a stage of maturity suitable for transplanting. **Seedlings are also harvested directly from the surrounding forests** in order to obtain the greatest possible genetic diversity. They are then placed in polythene tubes for 6 weeks before being replanted on the field.

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_**Issa from Friends of Usambara and Caroline from Reforest'Action talk about tree care in nurseries**_

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_**Loaded into the trailer of a truck, these young shoots come directly from the forests of Magamba. They will find in the nurseries the best possible conditions for their growth.**_

In the middle of the treebeds, or sheltered by a wooden roof against the equatorial sun, women take care of watering the plants or bagging the seedlings. **Thanks to the work of 40 people, most of them women, the three nurseries associated with the project will eventually produce 30 million trees.**

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_**Putting seedlings in tubes, watering flowerbeds... So many tasks accomplished on a daily basis by the 40 nurserymen associated with the project.**_

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### Train schoolchildren to protect the environment

After this bath of greenery, we continue the road to **the Mhelo Primary School, where a micro-nursery, financed by Reforest'Action, has been installed by our partner.** Under the aegis of their teachers, the schoolchildren, all dressed in blue, are waiting for us at the top of a rocky promontory, which overlooks the plains to the horizon and offers us a breathtaking view of the Kambé mountain.

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**A total of 395 schoolchildren in 6 schools in the Lushoto region** receive technical training in the creation and maintenance of a nursery, provided by Friends of Usambara. The objective? To create true ambassadors of the forest from a very young age, by raising awareness among schoolchildren of the importance of environmental conservation and the benefits of trees. These micro-nurseries will eventually produce 5,000 seedlings per school, or 30,000 trees in total. **The young shoots will then be planted around the schools, or brought home by the children to take root in agroforestry in their parents' fields.**

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_**Thanks to the expertise of Friends of Usambara, schoolchildren are trained to maintain a nursery and protect forests.**_

We are experimenting with our first Swahili words with the schoolchildren, who are showing us their willingness **to plant thousands of trees and open their own nursery when they are older.** Our visit ends with the singing of an ode to nature by the children, who celebrate their forests with all the light and colour of Swahili.

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### Get the local communities involved through agroforestry

The next day, we head to Malibwi to discover another part of our project. There, in this small village in the Lushoto region, we are welcomed by Janeth and her husband Frank Mlwati. Thanks to funding from Reforest'Action and the technical coordination of our local partner Friends of Usambara, **they were able to plant 350 trees of various species, including avocado and Nile tulip tree, in their maize field.**

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This practice, known as agroforestry, involves integrating trees into agricultural plots to improve soil quality, limit erosion and increase crop yields, while making agriculture more sustainable. It also diversifies the products harvested and improves the social, economic and environmental conditions of farmers. **"One avocado tree can produce up to 9,000 avocados per year,"** says Issa. **"Prior to the development of this project, Janeth and Frank could only rely on the cultivation of a single crop, maize. Now they have a solution to diversify their income and protect their crops."** A valuable solution for this household, whose maize harvest is now dependent on the vagaries of climate change.

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_**Exchange time between Caroline from Reforest'Action, Madawa from Friends of Usambara and Janeth from Malibwi village.**_

Like Janeth and Frank, **200 farmers in 9 villages in the Lushoto region** will benefit from this programme. **A total of 82,000 trees will take root in agroforestry this year thanks to our funding.**

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### Reforesting the Usambara Mountains, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots

The final component of our project in Tanzania is **the restoration of the mountains,** which have suffered from severe deforestation over the past 40 years. **Classified as one of the world's 35 biodiversity hotspots,** this ecosystem is home to **many endemic plant and animal species,** such as the West Usambara two-horned chameleon, whose sunbathing we were able to observe at the bend in our path.

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_**Forty years ago, this plain was covered with forests. It is to preserve what remains of this natural heritage that we are replanting trees...**_

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_**West Usambara two-horned chameleon, one of the endemic species of the region.**_

On the heights of the village of Malibwi, **518,000 trees financed by Reforest'Action will take root by the end of the planting season.** A steep walk takes us to the plantations perched at the top of the mountain, where Caroline measured the recovery rate of the trees planted since September. The results are excellent: **95% of the plants** have survived the first six months after planting.

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The next day, a real hive of activity awaits us in the village of Chambogo. Men and women are gathered to unload the plants from the nurseries. Representatives of the surrounding villages are also present. **"The water sources that feed our villages come from these mountains,"** says Omari Kabwe, the Village Executive Officer from the neighbouring village of Makose. **"If these reforestation efforts are not sustained, there is a good chance that we will experience many droughts, which will lead to increased food insecurity for the villagers."**

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_**In the village of Chambogo, local communities prepare the trees that will be planted on the mountain.**_

Around us, the women are getting ready to climb the mountain, dressed in a loincloth and a blanket on their shoulders, sandals on their feet, a basin full of young shoots on their heads. We set off with them, along an increasingly steep path. At our feet, the valley spreads out its terraced crops and the thick foliage of banana trees under the storm clouds. The contours of the small red earthen houses with white roofs become smaller as we climb higher. The summit awaits us, where the local communities have already started planting.

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**Here, 370,000 trees will cover the mountainside,** at an altitude of over 2,000 metres. Among them are ficus, mahogany cedars, silky oaks and African tulip trees, which will help regenerate the soil and restore the forest cover that populated it just a few decades ago.

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It's a real team effort: **the men clear the ground with machetes and dig the holes that will receive the trees, while the women start planting with communicative energy.** Planting takes place all morning, under the changing mountain skies.

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We too put our hand to the earth and add our tree to the edifice of this forest in the making, before sharing honey cakes with those who have become our working companions.

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### Discovering the relics of the primary forests

It is in the Mazumbai forest that our mission ends, **where we discover a relic of the primary forests that populated the region hundred years ago.** Discovered by a Swiss explorer and protected thanks to his joint efforts with those of the local university of Sokoine, the Mazumbai forest, which extends over 4200 hectares, is still today home to the very discreet Black Colobus monkeys, several hundred species of birds and a multitude of endemic species of trees and plants.

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Alone in the forest, just before nightfall, we share a last moment of recollection in front of so much beauty, attentive to the murmur of the leaves and the birds, the song of the monkeys and the rustle of the streams.

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_**A good illustration of the synergy between our two teams, the Friends of Usambara wear t-shirts in the colours of Reforest'Action.**_

This week of audit and exchanges between Reforest'Action and Friends of Usambara ends here, in the middle of these forests that we are working, together, to preserve and restore.

Did you like this report? Share it on your social networks and [help us plant even more trees in Tanzania!](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/usambara-tanzania) We are counting on you ;)

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1 million trees for Tanzania: the report of our mission on the field