Trillion Trees

Trillion Trees is an unprecedented collaboration between three of the world’s largest conservation organisations – WWF, BirdLife International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society – to help end deforestation and restore tree cover. Our partnership is founded on our commitment to a shared vision, and the belief that working together we can achieve more than we can individually.

Tree cover is an essential part of what makes Earth a healthy and prosperous home for people and wildlife, but the global stock has fallen – and continues to fall – dramatically. In fact, we are still losing 10 billion trees per year.

The consequences? More carbon emitted and less absorbed, dwindling freshwater stores, altered rainfall patterns, fewer nutrients to enrich soils, weakened resilience to extreme events and climate change, shrinking habitat for wildlife and other biodiversity, insufficient wood supply to meet rising demand, harsher local climates, and harder lives for more than one billion forest-dependent peoples across the world.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The two key steps that will reverse these trends – keeping existing trees standing, and restoring trees to the places they once grew – are within our capabilities.

Visit the Trillion Trees website

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Restoring Depleted Forests, Limpopo Province

The Mupo ( meaning `wild` ) Foundation has emerged out of the African Biodiversity Network ( ABN ), a network of organisations seeking African solutions to the environment and socio-economic challenges that face the continent.

Limpopo is an area of mixed grassland and trees generally known as bushveld harbouring the Kruger National Park, one of the oldest and largest wildlife reserves in the world. This project primarily covers three areas of critical value for biodiversity and livelihoods, namely: Tshidzivhe, a protected “Holy Forest” within the massive Thathe Vondo plantation; Tshiendeulu, a sacred mountain for all Venda people; Mphaila Tswime a unique mountain where hot springs are still used for ritual and healing.

Proposed activities include;community learning dialogues;tree planting and forest protection activities;training on tree management;tree and seed exchanges for communities.
Mupo expect to achieve community rights to sacred forests recognised and secured, reforestation on community land with the rehabilitation of rivers and reservoirs, protection for endangered forests and the youth linked with elders to ensure long term understanding of natural processes and practical skills.

Restore Our Planet has agreed to fund this project initially for two years from 2008.

To see a film made on the work of Mupo click here (opens a new window)