Trees for Mozambique: Give Wildlife a Home

Hope Returns to Nhamacoa Forest as Rains Help Thousands of New Trees Grow

After nearly three years of drought, the rains have finally returned to Nhamacoa Forest near Chimoio in Mozambique. The dry landscape has suddenly turned green again, bringing relief to wildlife and giving a huge boost to our forest restoration efforts. Thanks to your support, thousands of young trees are now growing in our nursery and ready to help restore the disappearing Miombo woodland forests of the region.

The heavy rains have brought welcome relief not only for our reforestation work, but also for the birds, monkeys and other wildlife that depend on this forest for survival. Even our dam, which had been dry since 2010, has filled up again and is now overflowing. For the forest and its wildlife, this water is truly life.

The rains have also been a blessing for our tree nursery. In recent years, keeping thousands of young seedlings alive during drought conditions required constant watering and many hours of work. Now nature is doing much of that work for us. The steady rainfall is helping the seedlings grow stronger and healthier as we prepare them for planting in degraded areas around the forest.

At the moment, our nursery is growing a variety of native and valuable tree species. These include mahogany, panga panga, teak, coral trees, kapok, tamarind, and mupumha. These species will help restore the natural diversity of the forest while also providing important habitat for wildlife.

Not all visitors to the nursery are as helpful as the rain, however. A troop of mischievous Vervet monkey recently discovered our planting trays. The curious monkeys quickly dug up and ate all of the chanfuta seeds we had carefully planted. While frustrating for our team, these playful animals are also a reminder of why this work matters—restoring forests means protecting the wildlife that depends on them.

As long as the rains continue, our team will keep planting seedlings in the surrounding fields and degraded areas. Each young tree planted is a small step toward restoring the region’s disappearing forests.

Across Mozambique, large areas of beautiful indigenous woodland are being lost each year. The Miombo woodland ecosystem, which once covered vast areas of southern Africa, is under increasing pressure from logging, charcoal production, and agricultural expansion. These forests are home to a rich variety of wildlife and provide essential resources for local communities.

Projects like the Nhamacoa Forest restoration initiative aim to reverse some of this loss by replanting native trees and protecting remaining forest habitats. With continued support, these efforts will help restore degraded landscapes and create safe habitats for wildlife once again.

We have attached a photo of our current nursery and our dedicated nursery workers who are helping grow the next generation of forest trees. When the rain eases, we will also share photos of the planting sites so our supporters can see the progress being made on the ground.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support this work. Your contributions are helping restore forests, protect wildlife, and bring new life back to the landscapes of Mozambique.

We’re pleased to share that the rainy season has begun with exactly the conditions our young trees need. Early heavy showers followed by softer, intermittent rains have created an ideal environment for growth. The seedlings planted earlier in the season are thriving, showing strong signs of new, healthy development across the restoration area.

In our community nursery, we have successfully sown a diverse selection of native tree species, including chanfuta, panga panga, tamarind, pau ferro, coral tree and kapok. This diversity is an important part of our long-term restoration strategy, helping rebuild a resilient and ecologically rich forest.

Looking ahead, our team is preparing to produce an additional 10,000 seedlings, with a focus on fast-growing and locally important species such as umbaua, panga panga and mupuma. These species play a key role in restoring natural forest structure, stabilising soils, and creating habitat for wildlife.

The season has also brought unusually strong winds. Recently, during one of these storms, we lost one of the great giants of the forest — an enormous and magnificent mahogany tree along the banks of the Nhamacoa River. While its fall is a sad reminder of the vulnerability of old-growth trees, we are ensuring that the timber will be used responsibly and locally, preventing waste and supporting community craftsmanship. Its loss also strengthens our resolve to continue planting and nurturing the next generation of forest giants.

Thanks to your support, the Nhamacoa Forest is becoming healthier, more diverse, and better equipped to withstand changing weather patterns. Every contribution helps us restore this landscape tree by tree, season by season.

Thank you for standing with us and for helping this forest grow back stronger. If you have any questions or would like further updates, we are always happy to share more about the progress you are making possible.