Trillion Trees: Restoring degraded forests in Tanzania

Trillion Trees partner WWF, with support from the Trillion Trees ReForest Fund, has expanded its forest landscape restoration work in Tanzania. In 2022, they planted 48,000 trees in West Usambara and in 2023, 27,360 seedlings have been grown in East Usambara for planting in 2024. This mountain range in north-eastern Tanzania is one of the country’s most important biodiversity hotspots but is threatened by unplanned clearing of the forest for agriculture.

Trillion Trees is using innovative and multiple landscape restoration approaches both to enhance the wellbeing of local people and support biodiversity. This enables communities to engage in supporting natural regeneration through the sustainable management of community forests to generate more sustainable sources for fuelwood and livelihoods. Recently the project has been restoring forest patches, particularly in the Mbaramo area, supporting native tree-planting along river catchments to promote habitat connectivity for wildlife and improve water quality and supply to the area.

Restoration activities are already being carried out in the West Usambara Mountains, which provides water for the lowlands including Mkomazi National Park and Umba Steppe. The project has provided seedlings to community groups to grow trees around water sources, along streams, farms, school campuses and degraded lands