Local Nonprofit Eden Reforestation Projects Signs Major International Tree-Planting Deal

While Glendora-based Eden Reforestation Projects has been quietly planting millions of trees every month overseas to replenish dangerously deforested areas, its Founder and CEO Stephen Fitch, the Eden staff, and the US Board of Directors have been diligently working behind the scenes to raise additional capital to make more reforestation projects possible. They have now signed a $509,000 annual contract with Ecosia - the German internet search engine organization which stresses providing employment to the poorest of the poor as tree planters. Ecosia will be working with Eden in Madagascar to further replenish disappearing mangrove and dry deciduous ecosystems. Eden will plant 7,600,000 trees on Ecosia’s behalf in 2017.

Eden Reforestation Projects received its 501c3 status in 2005 and has been working tirelessly since that time employing and training local poverty-stricken villagers in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Haiti and Nepal to plant, grow and protect native species trees until the seedlings collectively become mature forests. The organization’s mission has two important components: (1) to alleviate extreme poverty through the dignity of employment (rather than handouts); and (2) to replant indigenous species trees in impoverished nations where radical deforestation is having a devastating impact on villagers and life-sustaining ecosystems for endangered species.

To date, Eden Reforestation Projects has been able to marshal the forces of approximately 100 business and eco partner groups to team up with the restoration work. This level of collaboration allows Eden to increase their plantings to a minimum of 30 million trees in 2017. The goal is achievable as the organization planted more than 27 million trees in 2016, bringing the 12 year total to 141 million. In the process, thousands of villagers are being lifted out of extreme poverty through their employment in seedling nurseries, reforestation sites and reforestation guards. The non-profit also grew 52% financially in 2016 and is already demonstrating amazing momentum in 2017. Eden is now looking to open up Indonesia – exploring both Sulawesi and Sumatra as their next potential sites.

Eden’s unique capacity to employ villagers enables them to restore whole forests for as little as TEN CENTS per tree. When asked how they are able to plant so many trees for so little, Founder and CEO Stephen Fitch said, “Well, that’s what it actually costs with fair-wage employment of impoverished villagers – even with overhead and administration built into the equation.”

That’s an answer that stands in stark contrast to other American companies and organizations around the world that plant trees; some charging their funders as much as $1 to $3 per tree.

Eden Reforestation Projects is unique in the world of reforestation enterprises for other reasons as well.

They understand that global deforestation arises primarily due to extreme poverty. Desperately poor people are driven to cut down their local forests to survive. Hence, Eden offers these same people a way out through the dignity of employment as tree planters.

A significant portion of their employment budget is used for guarding the forest. “In simple terms, we hire villagers not only to plant but also to guard the emerging forest,” Mr. Fitch said. “Across all of our project nations, we have discovered that the villagers fall in love with the benefits of the new forests and feel a sense of ownership over them. No one messes with THEIR forest.”

Ninety percent of the trees Eden plants are native species; they belong in and enhance the environment where they are being grown. “We never plant invasive or destructive non-native tree species,” Mr. Fitch said. “Fruit, fodder, and construction trees to directly benefit the local village populations are all part of Eden’s commitment to a sustainable lifestyle, because a healthy environment provides increased sustainability as indigenous farming and fisheries in these areas improve.

“We also grow our own seedlings in our own nurseries and collect mangrove propagules from healthy remnant forests, rather than buying them,” Mr. Fitch explained. “Eden is not interested in barely making a difference. We take on project sites that require us to think and act big. We plant millions of young trees every month at carefully selected large-scale reforestation sites in order to create a huge positive impact.”

That “huge positive impact” aims at reversing extinction as well. “It is well known that habitat loss is the number one cause of animal and plant species disappearing from the earth,” Mr. Fitch said. “If we can travel to the moon and explore space, we certainly can and must take action to restore and protect the “space” of plants and animals within our reach.”

Taking a holistic approach to its work, Eden has added to its list of accomplishments clean water projects, new schools, assistance with medical needs, and alternative fuel sources to charcoal to provide and teach solutions that meet the basic needs of people living near their project sites.

As luck and hard work would have it, Eden Reforestation Projects’ dreams are becoming a quiet reality, with more big goals ahead. It started small with the help of a few important funders and extensive reliance on its’ CEO/ Founder’s third world knowledge, upbringing, and connections. Now, 12 years later, business, school and various faith-based groups have joined the fundraising cause. Mr. Fitch’s motto behind his successful organization is: “If you share our mission of alleviating extreme poverty through forest restoration, we hope you will join our efforts to restore pristine Eden.”

For more information, visit www.edenprojects.org or phone (626)872-3770.