Our Africa Biodiversity Tree Planting Project 2023 – Patio Guys & OneTreePlanted

Partnering with OneTreePlanted for Biodiversity in Africa

Since 2019 Patio Guys has partnered with OneTreePlanted in a global mission to restore forests around the world. This mission has already planted over 3000 trees globally including many here in California as well as places like the Amazon rainforest. This year (2023), our efforts will be expanding across the Atlantic with Patio Guys’ first tree planting initiative on the continent of Africa.

Why Africa?

Africa is home to some of the world’s most significant forests. In fact, 21% of the continents total land area is covered with forest including the world second largest tropical rainforest located in the Congo basin. These vast forests play a crucial role in the planets fight against climate change and support one of the widest arrays of unique species on the planet. From apes to tree frogs, thousands of creatures call Africa’s forests home. However, many of these species find themselves endangered due to the severe deforestation of Africa’s forests for timber, agriculture, and urban development. This deforestation has led to extreme habitat loss, soil degradation, and a release of 450 million tons of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Winning the fight for Africa’s forests

All is not lost. Already global and local organizations are beginning to make headway to stop the continents rampant deforestation. Tree planting remains crucial as it holds the key to bringing back what has been lost. While natural reforestation can restore small areas of trees, it is simply not sufficient to bring back forests after large areas of land have been cleared. In large areas, soil degradation and the rapid growth of underbrush make the majority of the cleared land unlivable for saplings before the forest can naturally extend throughout the area.

OneTreePlanted bridges this gap by quickly getting mature saplings into the center of these deforested areas and overseeing their growth. These saplings prevent erosion and soil degradation allowing for full restoration of these critical natural habitats. Additionally, OneTreePlanted does their work alongside local communities; providing jobs and education that help support impoverished areas and make communities less likely to turn to drastic deforestation out of economic desperation.

Region Spotlight – Albertine Rift

One of the key areas where OneTreePlanted is focusing their African tree planting efforts is the The Albertine Rift near the eastern shore of the continent. The Albertine Rift is globally recognized as a biodiversity hotspot ranking first among Africa’s regions in terms of number of species. In fact, over half the species of birds and over one third of the species of mammals for the entire continent can be found in this region’s incredible ecosystem. Unfortunately, a huge number of the species in this area are endangered including all four species of Africa’s iconic Chimpanzee. More so than almost any other animal, Chimpanzees need large forests to survive and thrive. These highly intelligent, social animals live in groups of up to 150 within Africa’s dense forests and can live to over 50 years old when undisturbed. Due to rampant deforestation the total number of chimpanzees living in the entire world has dwindled to under 300,000.

To reverse this trend Patio Guys and OneTreePlanted have partnered with The Jane Goodall Institute on a reforestation project in the Albertine Rift focused specifically on creating a healthy habitat for endangered chimpanzees. “This project will plant 3 million trees as part of a long-term initiative that will connect forests for wildlife, establish tree nurseries, strengthen forest monitoring, promote agroforestry practices that integrate trees into farming systems, and much more!” Forest habitat is the key to reviving thousands of species endangered species in the Albertine Rift. Through your support, Patio Guys and OneTreePlanted have already begun seeing these critical forests restored.

What we gain: Biodiversity Explained

Many of the benefits of forests such as filtering water and preventing soil erosion are pretty straight-forward to understand. Biodiversity is often more confusing. What is biodiversity, why is it important, and why is planting trees so crucial to maintaining it? Biodiversity simply the variety of life or species we have in the world. Each time a species goes extinct we lose biodiversity as a planet. This may not seem like a huge deal but biodiversity, once lost, can never be regained. This means any potential medicine or advancement’s a certain species could provide the world are are lost forever. This is not the mention the impact the loss of biodiversity has on an ecosystem. Plants and animals interact with one another in complex and important ways. Whenever one species dies off it impacts the its ecosystem in unpredictable ways and leaves the habitat less resilient and more vulnerable than before.

For example, deforestation in Africa has contributed to a sharp decline in pollinator populations such as bees. With no trees for hives these insects are dying out or leaving whole regions entirely. This loss in biodiversity for a region has led to a reduction in crop yield and food scarcity for entire regions simply because biodiversity was not prioritized. When trees are replanted the habitats for thousands of animal species are restored allowing their numbers to recover and creating a diverse, well-balanced ecosystem for Africa and the world at large.

Nature’s Climate Warriors

Africa is more than just a hotspot for global biodiversity. It also boasts some of the largest forests in the world. These forests remove over 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year through the tree’s photosynthesis process. This makes Africa an absolutely critical region in the world’s fight against climate change which must be protected and restored if climate change is to be halted or reversed.

Conclusion

You made it! Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share about the an amazing continent of Africa and the work we have been doing there. Africa is so much more than the dessert pictures of the Sahara we commonly see. It is a continent with unique and diverse ecosystems teaming with life. This life, however, is intricately connected to Africa’s natural habitats. Habitats that are unfortunately being destroyed at alarming rates. Despite these challenges there is much to be hopeful for. Thanks to your support and refinishing orders our projects in Africa are already seeing results! These intentional, community engaged projects are restoring habitats, supporting local populations, and restoring Africa’s forests to the benefit of animal populations, local communities, and the world at large. Thank you.

We love hearing from our readers! Comment below an endangered species you would like to see make a comeback. Who knows maybe we will plant trees for their habitat next! Trees do far more than simply help biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gases. Click here to learn about all the benefits healthy forests provide.