At the Jane Goodall Institute, we strongly believe that taking action locally has an impact globally. This is underlined by our tree-planting activities, which are taking place in Belgium but also support our activities in Burundi – our way of contributing to a healthy and biodiverse future. For every tree planted in Belgium, at least one more tree is planted in Burundi. The trees in Belgium are planted at our annual Forest in One Day event. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed of our next planting activity!
Reforestation project with local communities in Burundi
Forests are crucial to protect biodiversity and soil and, at the end of the day, whole ecosystems. In Burundi, there is a limited number of chimpanzees and their existence is threatened by their declining habitats and for being hunted for meat.
We work with local communities and Roots & Shoots Burundi to raise awareness about the protection of the environment and the chimpanzees’ habitats. We also support the education, health and livelihoods of local communities and engage them in our activities.
Awareness raising and tree planting
With Roots & Shoots Burundi, we organise educational workshops and tree-planting activities in and around schools at deforested mountains. Our aim is to increase the protected areas where the few remaining chimpanzee groups live, and to create corridors so they can be connected to the groups in Gombe, Tanzania, to ensure a healthy future population.
For the tree-planting, we use a wide variety of species with emphasis on fruit trees of nutritional value and species that are good for water and soil conservation. Fruit trees are also distributed to the communities. This way locals do not have to go into the forests to find fruits and we can avoid human-wildlife encounters.
The reforested areas give the local communities protection against environmental degradation, and landslides, and help restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change. In addition to a healthier environment for animals, the projects support the livelihoods and health of local people, and protect them against the devastating effects of erosion.
How to sponsor a tree
Help us bring life to animals, people and the environment. For every tree sponsored and planted in Belgium, you will support our reforestation project in Burundi.
To sponsor your tree(s), you can simply fill out the form below. You can also choose to give it as a gift to a family member, colleague or a friend! After you’ve pressed ”submit”, we will send your tree certificate directly to the email address you have provided.
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