Philanthropic Landscape Restoration
A 200,000+ hectare (ha) restoration initiative in Chimanimani Mozambique is designed to improve forest connectivity, support local livelihoods, and conserve important wildlife habitat. The landscape restoration and reforestation project will capture an estimated 31 million+ tons of CO2e through forest conservation, ecological restoration, and agroforestry.
Project Overview
This is due to factors such as expanding agriculture, uncontrolled fires, unsustainable timber harvesting and charcoal production, and increasing population pressures on forest resources. These primary drivers of deforestation and degradation threaten local biodiversity and ecological balance.
This project takes a holistic landscape restoration approach to restore and conserve the ecosystem services generated by the Chimanimani Mountains, including the 170,000 ha buffer zone surrounding Chimanimani National Park. The Chimanimani Mountains are a biodiversity hotspot, containing at least 78 endemic plant species and three-quarters of Mozambique’s Afromontane Forest cover. The mountains are also a source of the Buzi River, which provides water to thousands of people in central Mozambique and creates the estuaries that are home to Sofala Province’s mangrove forests along the coast.
In Chimanimani, Eden's holistic landscape approach incentivizes sustainable land uses through restoration and value chain development. Practically, this includes:
Through this process, Eden works with communities to secure management rights and develop restoration and protection goals within their land, ensuring that the buffer zone can support people, forests, and wildlife for generations to come.
Forest connectivity improves ecological resilience, allowing the ecosystem to weather disturbances such as climate change, extreme weather, and fire.
Eden and its partners work together to incentivize sustainable land use practices through regenerative agriculture (including agroforestry), a strategy that improves soil health and agricultural yields at the household level. Eden also monitors, mitigates, and manages uncontrolled fires through environmental education, fire breaks, and early warning systems.
Our approach to reforestation and restoration prioritizes value chain development to create sustainable, climate-resilient livelihood opportunities that also support landscape function. We aim to increase the number of income streams at the household level through the development of forest-friendly value chains for non-timber forest products and agroforestry.
We manage invasive species such as Lantana camera and Vernonanthura polyanthes, which outcompete indigenous species and limit the forest's ability to naturally regenerate.
Since 2021, Eden has restored 7,500 hectares of degraded miombo forest through a range of techniques such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, direct seeding, tree planting, and applied nucleation across seven communities. Supported by five nurseries and a seedbank, these tree planting and reforestation efforts not only help restore ecosystems, but also create livelihood opportunities, strengthening community well-being. In collaboration with local communities, we also help prevent uncontrolled fires, ensuring sustainable restoration and conservation of these landscapes.
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
ANTICIPATED IMPACT
Eden’s landscape restoration work in Chimanimani is vital for mitigating the effects of deforestation, supporting biodiversity, facilitating sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities, and restoring critical landscapes. Over the next 15 years, Eden’s anticipated impact will create substantial benefits for the environment and communities, including:
With your support, we can generate a transformative global impact that fosters community well-being, mitigates climate change, and conserves natural habitats. Join us, and together we will restore environmental degradation, helping ensure a thriving world for all.
