Regenerating Rainforests

by Health in Harmony
Play Video
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests
Regenerating Rainforests

Project Report | Sep 20, 2017
Garden to Forest: New Reforestation Technique

By Jonathan Jennings | Executive Director

Gunung Palung National Park
Gunung Palung National Park

This past February I had my first opportunity to visit our partner ASRI and colleagues. I’d like to tell you about one new and particularly innovative initiative I saw called the Garden to Forest program. It’s illustrative of how we approach the conjoined challenges of human development and conservation of our natural world.

The Garden to Forest program is a reforestation initiative that provides economic incentives and technical support for slash-and-burn farmers to help them transition to sustainable agroforestry. The program is an enormous opportunity for rapid reforestation and biodiversity enrichment.

ASRI negotiates agreements between owners of ‘illegal’ gardens (small farms) and the National Park administration. I say ‘illegal’ because the gardens are technically inside the boundaries of Gunung Palung National Park (GPNP). Farmers commit not to clear additional land, in exchange for legal rights to harvest non-timber forest products. ASRI also provides materials and helps farmers re-plant their gardens with native tree seedlings, some of which produce marketable fruit or other products farmers can sell.

Our planting target of 1,000 seedlings per hectare of garden will ultimately establish a closed canopy. A percentage of the seedlings are fast-growing nitrogen-fixing legumes, producing beans that farmers can sell and orangutans and other wildlife can eat. The majority of the seedlings are a mix of 15 to 30 native hardwood species, some of which will also produce valuable non-timber products like fruits. Although we don’t completely return gardens to natural forested conditions, this method improves farmers’ livelihoods, limits rainforest loss, and restores native canopy cover for orangutans, sun bears, clouded leopards, hornbills, and thousands of other species.

When talking with the farmers and the ASRI staff, I could see the impact of our respectful, radical listening. ASRI started with a pilot project in one of the villages where active slash-and-burn practice is common inside the Park. They held a series of community meetings and secured the participation of 28 farmers managing 14 hectares of illegal gardens. Then they negotiated a contract between farmers, the Park administration, and ASRI. Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to provide funds to help each farmer establish a native tree nursery on their land, which ASRI stocks with seedlings. We also build farmers’ business management mindedness so they can effectively access markets with their products.

We are now scaling the program to multiple villages. We are in the process of securing the seedlings and obtaining planting permits from GPNP. Next, we will help the farmers transplant seedlings from the nurseries to their gardens during the planting season – November to December 2017. We will monitor seedling growth and survival and assess the economic success and needs of the farmers. I look forward to sharing photos and stories as those gardens slowly but surely transform into forest canopy – forest that supports the livelihood of the farmers and preserves GPNP’s biodiversity.

The Garden to Forest program differs from intensive reforestation techniques in its ease of scalability (farmers learn to do the work themselves), its relatively low costs, and community engagement opportunities. It’s the kind of win-win-win (farmer, ecosystem, park administration) solutions that are not rocket science, that are distinctly possible, that help script a hopeful narrative to supplant so much of the pessimism and dystopia clouding social and political efforts to preserve our planet.

I’m grateful to each of you for making win-win solutions possible, for doing your part to protect our planet, and for championing the narrative of hope – even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Health in Harmony

Location: Portland, OR - USA
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @HIHngo
Project Leader:
Devika Agge
Portland , Oregon United States
$62,248 raised of $75,000 goal
 
1,302 donations
$12,752 to go
Donate Now

Help raise money!

Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.

Start a Fundraiser

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.