Work

Ecological Restoration and Tree-Planting Efforts in the Ihorombe Grasslands of Southern Madagascar

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: To mitigate global climate change and diverse socio-ecological crises, ecological restoration (ER) has emerged as a solution to repair damaged and degraded environments and landscapes. ER's primary strategy relies on planting trees, often in the geographical contexts of the Global South. Our preliminary fieldwork observations from the Ihorombe plateau in southern Madagascar show that large-scale tree planting efforts raise questions and concerns about, amongst others, political economic issues such as land ownership and livelihoods. Therefore, tree planting is not simply aimed at environmental repair, but intertwined with multilevel social, economic, and political issues. Keywords: ecological restoration, tree planting, Madagascar, pastoralism, land

Source: Suomen Antropologi Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society

DOI: 10.30676/jfas.163183

Authors: Jenni Mölkänen, Tellu Loikkanen, Matthieu Pierre, Fitiavana Tanjona ny Rindra, Marketta Vuola

Institution: Université de Fianarantsoa

Language: English

Topic: Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Ulkoministeriö