In Burundi, one-time combatants who razed forests now raise seedlings

Saving Hawai‘i’s Forests plants koa trees and other native plants to reforest plots of land degraded by grazing livestock. As a result, the group has noticed the return of native wildlife to the plot, many of which are endangered or threatened species.

Auroville is home to foresters, ecologists, and other conservation advocates working on various reforestation efforts like propagating tropical dry evergreen forest species and planting drought-resistant species. Today, community-run nurseries supply about 50,000 saplings a year for tree-planting projects in Auroville. There are also “forest groups” made up of local residents who plant native species, collectively planting more than half a million evergreen saplings of over 200 different species.

In Brazil, the Friends of the Amazon Forest Institute is using the Miyawaki method in its reforestation projects to see fast results. The method requires planting several species of native trees randomly in organic soil and then allowing nature to run its course with little-to-no human intervention.

Volunteers of a nonprofit tree-planting initiative in Paris are planting pocket forests, based on Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki’s method, to increase biodiversity and combat extreme heat. These mini-forests are made of native species planted close together at random to mimic a natural forest.

The community on St. Helena’s two-decade reforestation initiative is successfully revitalizing rare native species through a community-driven approach. The project began with the intention to create a public place for island residents and that sense of ownership has allowed the project to keep moving forward despite obstacles.

Leganes Integrated Katunggan Ecopark in the Philippines is a mangrove rehabilitation project in which volunteers planted over 1,700 seedlings to restore a 200-meter greenbelt.

Nishiawakura, a village in Japan, was once the site of complete forest devastation due to the need for timber during and after World War II. Through trial and error, the country has learned what does and doesn't work when it comes to reforestation efforts. Now, their lessons are acting as a model for China, Pakistan and India as they turn their focus to reforestation.

Malawi ranks fourth in the world for deforestation rates, but the country is on a pathway to making a dent in recovery thanks to community and government efforts. In just one rainy season alone, running from December to April, the country has managed to plant 60 million tree seedlings and is showing no signs of slowing down. Designated as forestry season by the government, this initiative has helped spur a national planting movement from various entities including a hydroelectric power plant and singular individuals.

Ecosia, a nonprofit search engine that uses its profits to support tree-planting initiatives, is working with the Jane Goodall Institute Austria to grow 200,000 trees in Uganda. The organizations work with communities to design the projects around their needs and then support locals through the process of growing trees.

In October 2020, the Rhino and Forest Fund in Malaysian Borneo began to buy land once cleared for oil palm plantations, and reforests and rehabilitates the tracts into wildlife corridors. After replanting 40 tree species in the last 3 years, an increase in several threatened species has been documented traveling through the project sites.