Africa Landscape Restoration

With over 85% of their original extent already lost, the Guinean Forests of West Africa are among the most biologically diverse yet critically endangered ecosystems on the continent.  Driven by agricultural expansion, mining, illegal logging, and charcoal production, rapid deforestation continues to decimate habitat for endangered species like the Western Chimpanzee, Pygmy Hippopotamus, and Jentink’s Duiker. Important tree species such as African rosewood are also in steep decline due to unsustainable harvesting. The loss of these keystone species not only disrupts forest regeneration and ecological balance; it threatens the well-being of communities who depend on these forests for clean water, food, and livelihoods.

One Tree Planted’s restoration efforts are urgent—and essential—for securing the region’s natural heritage and increasing food security through regenerative agroforestry. Combined, these impacts are strengthening rural economies across West Africa.

The Eastern Afromontane region contains some of Africa’s most irreplaceable montane forests, home to freshwater lakes and cloud-covered peaks teeming with endemic species. Rampant deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, and climate change are rapidly fragmenting these habitats, threatening species such as the Ethiopian Wolf, Taita Thrush, and Taita Apalis—birds found nowhere else on Earth. 7.4% (504 out of 6,789) of the species found in East African forests are endemic—including rare orchids and high-elevation shrubs that are also at risk from degradation and habitat encroachment. The loss of keystone species like these destabilizes fragile ecosystems, disrupts water cycles, increases climate vulnerability, and threatens freshwater access for nearby communities.