Our vision of reforestation

Our definition of reforestation?

Reforestation corresponds to the action of reconstituting a forest ecosystem, by planting and/or assisted natural regeneration, after a cut of human origin or a natural hazard. It is the result of multi-actor cooperation, particularly at the local level, and aims to restore a multifunctional forest, based on biodiversity through different tree species, which will provide a wide range of ecosystem services for the well-being of all living organisms, particularly humans.

As a complement to the fight against deforestation, it is intended to be the best natural solution to both preserve and strengthen biodiversity and combat climate change. By helping to limit global warming, reforestation thus indirectly contributes to limiting drought phenomena, which are notably at the root of forest degradation. Other types of tree plantations contribute to these different objectives, such as afforestation (planting trees in an area that has never been forested, or not since a long time), urban forest plantations or wooded biological corridors in cities, or agroforestry. The latter, in intertropical zones such as the Amazon, offers a sustainable alternative to the agro-industry that causes deforestation, and thus contributes directly to the fight against deforestation.

Why plant trees or support their regeneration?

Forests are both the primary terrestrial carbon sink and the main source of biodiversity on land. In an unprecedented context of climate change and biodiversity erosion, forests are today our main natural allies in preserving and restoring biodiversity and in taking action against climate change.

But forests are much more than that. They provide us free of charge and on a daily basis with many services necessary for our individual and collective development as well as for natural balances. These services, known as ecosystem services, result from the particularly complex and rich functioning of the forest ecosystem.

When carried out properly, reforestation projects make it possible to sustainably restore ecosystems and make them more resilient to climatic hazards. Afforestation projects, on the other hand, create new forests that will serve as new carbon sinks and sources of biodiversity. In this way, they enhance the services provided by forests, to the benefit of all of us.

The fundamental principles of Reforest'Action

In order to preserve, strengthen and create diversified forests in France and around the world, Reforest'Action selects forestry projects, supports them and ensures their quality by applying four principles that underpin our actions.
 

Maintaining and strengthening biodiversity and forest ecosystem services

Each project makes it possible to strengthen all the services provided by the forest (CO2 storage, water filtration, soil retention, population well-being, etc.) over the long term and focuses on preserving and strengthening biodiversity. To achieve this, Reforest'Action has defined a Common Multifunctionality Base which aims to guarantee the development of ecosystem services and the capacities for resistance, adaptation and resilience to environmental disturbances (drought, insect attacks, etc.). Its main principles are the diversity of species planted, the maintenance or creation of habitats for local flora and fauna and the preservation of the carbon stored in the soil.

Having a concerted approach with local stakeholders

Reforest'Action makes sure that each project supported meets the local specificities and the needs (especially economic) of the populations as well as possible, and ensures the monitoring and sustainable management of the planted or regenerated trees. Reforest'Action favours small-scale community projects that are co-constructed and carried by different stakeholders (beneficiaries, local authorities, managers, local NGOs, etc.).

Monitoring projects over the long term

Reforest'Action monitors projects over time in order to ensure the growth of planted or regenerated trees in the best possible conditions. Monitoring criteria are defined by Reforest'Action based on international good practices and adapted to local contexts. This monitoring also makes it possible to assess the social, economic, biodiversity and climate impact of each project and to report on it to our stakeholders.

Adopting a humble stance

Forest ecosystems are complex and rich in differences. In order to understand our projects, we rely on the latest scientific work, on the skills of our local partners and those of the Reforest'Action team, but we also allow the environmental and social ecosystem to evolve freely. Indeed, faced with such a great complexity of interactions between the beings that make it up, we believe that a humble stance allows us to correct certain decisions that are not adapted to the local context. And thus to learn and improve collectively on a continuous basis.