Madagascar’s flora and fauna have been threatened for decades by slash-and-burn farming. Only a few contiguous forest areas remain today, and very few of these are even protected. And even official protected areas have long been under threat: zebus graze on the slopes and hills. Fires are set to clear land for farming. Time and again, people have to chop firewood in the forests so they can cook themselves a hot meal. For years, on our travels, we have been observing how Madagascar’s rainforests are getting smaller and smaller.

As it is often unclear when collaborating with existing projects where the donated money actually ends up and how much of it is actually channelled towards the original cause, we decided to take matters into our own hands. In collaboration with a nature reserve on the east coast of Madagascar, TANALAHORIZON therefore launched the project Ala kely – meaning ‘small forest’ – in 2015. This involves a forested area covering a total of 85 ha, which is, however, divided into two parts by a large, bare patch and can therefore only be used to a limited extent by lemurs and other native animals. Lemurs, for example, no longer enter the area that was cleared years ago at all, and for many other animals, such as reptiles and insects, the barren patch offers no shelter. However, trees are soon to grow again on this area of around 8 hectares – with your help!

A portion of every booking made with TANALAHORIZON is donated to Ala kely for reforestation. Not a single cent of these donations is lost, as we hand them over directly on site. We cover all administrative costs and flight expenses out of our own pockets – so the donations are used for nothing other than the purchase of young trees. Furthermore, when purchasing the young plants, only native and useful seedlings are used, sourced from the sustainable nursery of a nearby NGO. The plants used include, for example, rosewood and ebony, as well as a number of fruit trees that are highly beneficial to lemurs and other animals. In the long term, the aim is to use both fast- and slow-growing trees and shrubs to re-establish a large, interconnected habitat that provides sufficient space for endemic animals and plants. By now, a good portion of the area is green again, and we are now working on filling in the last remaining bare patches.