Today we celebrate World Wildlife Day and Africa Environment Day. However, there unfortunately is not much to celebrate. Due to the climate crisis, ecosystems are deteriorating at a rapid rate, threatening all life on our planet. In Africa, a large part of the population is already feeling and suffering from the consequences of climate change. The latest IPCC report, which was published earlier this week, has found that “Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.” Large-scale change is needed, right now.

At Hommes et Terre, we aim to be part of this change by actively restoring degraded ecosystems. During the past five years, we have restored more than 30.000 ha of degraded land, planting more than 20 million trees – numbers that keep growing fast every year. We do not just plant any kind of trees: for each of our sites, we carefully compile a selection of native species that ensures not only the growth of strong, biodiverse forests, but also the preservation of various tree species that are disappearing at a fast pace.

We are happy to say that our approach, although still at an early stage, seems to be working. Our trees are growing well, and our field agents have already noticed the return of many smaller animals such as frogs, rabbits, lots of insects and even snakes to our sites. This makes us hopeful that our sites will once again become home to many more species in the years to come.