A satellite perspective 🌍

You know we love sharing before and after images of our restoration work with you, and today we're bringing you something a little different.

This time, we're showcasing the incredible transformation at Pontal, Brazil, through satellite imagery. These pictures from our explorer.land map vividly capture the progress of our forest and landscape restoration efforts in the Atlantic Forest.

In the first satellite image from 2021, you see a restoration site pre-planting, with just four isolated trees. In the image below from 2024, the transformation is clear; the area is now dotted with thriving saplings and shrubs, which will eventually form a thick canopy.

We’ve been working here with IPÊ to reconnect the Morro do Diabo State Park to surrounding forest fragments with green “corridors” like this one, creating more space and migration routes for endangered species.

Our combined methods of assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting are helping communities make a living from restoring and protecting the forest through community nurseries and maintenance.

Take a closer look at the transformation on our explorer.land map and learn more about our work in Pontal.

Nature always finds a way 🍉

Look at these wild watermelons growing at our Labgar restoration site in Ferlo, Senegal!

These watermelons sprang up unexpectedly, thanks to seeds that were hidden in the fertilizer used to nurture the tree seedlings planted here last year.

Despite the low rainfall in this region, these watermelons have flourished, showing us once again that nature always finds a way and reveals the opportunities that can be harnessed.

Tree nurseries in full swing 🌱

We’re excited to share that our Ferlo project in Senegal now has its own tree nurseries fully operational, with one nursery per pastoral unit.

Plant production began in February 2024, and by early July, around 82,000 seedlings had been raised - well on track to meet the goal of 109,000 for the planting season.

This year, baobab (Adansonia digitata) seedlings are a key focus among the 13 species being grown. These resilient and multifunctional trees, though disappearing in the region, now make up the majority of the seedlings in all our nurseries.

Climate-smart agriculture 🐄

The new Dairy Expansion Scheme in our Copperbelt project, Zambia, is addressing agriculture-driven deforestation, the leading cause of forest loss in the province.

By training 620 smallholder farmers to transition to climate-smart agriculture, this initiative helps sustainably produce dairy feed and manage rangelands without clearing forests.

Additionally, selected cooperatives will establish agroforestry nurseries, providing reliable sources of seedlings while generating income and ensuring long-term financial sustainability - all while protecting the forest!

Meet Marcela 👋

Meet Marcela and her team in their tree nursery in Pontal, Brazil.

We visited Marcela in her nursery earlier this year and found that she has nearly doubled her production capacity from 2023; her nursery is now able to produce 700 000 seedlings per year!

Many of these seedlings will play their part in the work we’re carrying out with IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas) to connect forest corridors in the area, creating more space and migration routes so that endangered species can thrive again.

It’s women like Marcela who are building a better future for our planet, and all the creatures that call it home.