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The impact of deforestation on climate change, biodiversity, and social welfare is staggering, with significant negative consequences for the environment and the communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods.
To address this critical issue, MORFO was founded in 2019 by Pascal and Hugo, two French entrepreneurs who witnessed the devastating effects of deforestation firsthand while living in French Guiana.
Driven by a sense of urgency and a passion for reforestation, they set out to create a company that could restore tropical and subtropical areas at a rapid pace using technology and research.
Since then, MORFO has become a leading reforestation company, working with a wide range of stakeholders to plant trees, protect ecosystems, and promote sustainable development.
In this interview, MORFO CEO and co-founder Adrien Pagés tells us more about the history and mission of MORFO, the process of selecting and analyzing reforestation areas, the role of technology in their efforts, and their approach to working with local communities.
What inspired MORFO to focus on reforestation as a solution for climate change, biodiversity, and social impact?
First, let’s start with the history of our co-founders, Pascal & Hugo, who lived in French Guiana where they witnessed massive deforestation.
Next, let’s consider the figures and studies.
It is well-known that forests play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide, accounting for about 35% of carbon absorption in the atmosphere, as stated by the IPCC.
However, natural regeneration of deteriorated forests can take 20 to 30 years.
At MORFO, we understand that time is of the essence.
Through the use of efficient technology and research, we are capable of reforesting at a rapid pace, with a single drone capable of planting up to 50 hectares per day, planting 180 seeds per minute.
Our efforts are focused on tropical and subtropical areas, which have a higher capacity for carbon absorption.
MORFO has identified 900 million hectares of land that can be reforested without competing with human activities. Can you explain the process of analyzing and selecting these areas?
MORFO restores areas — concentrated in tropical and subtropical areas such as the Atlantic forest and the Equatorial African forest — that were previously forested and that have been deforested, therefore turning unproductive.
A natural ecosystem implies ecological continuity, which is necessary for forests to be resilient.
When it comes to reforestation in an area that doesn’t yet possess an ecosystem, our goal is to reconstruct existing forests as naturally and closely as possible.
This means that, while we are restoring these ecosystems and planting native species to the environment, we aren’t acting on areas where the existing fauna is already well developed, all thanks to analyses of the land done beforehand.
It is also important that we take into account the present and future human usage of the land when reconstructing the catalog of species to plant.
This can include the gathering of wood and/or others which as medicinal plants, flowers, or fruits.
MORFO uses agritech, artificial intelligence, and drone technologies in its reforestation efforts. How do these technologies help achieve the company’s goals?
The solution of our company MORFO is a reforestation process in several steps.
Agritech, AI and drones are used all trough the process.
First, a data collection via drone and satellite allows to analyze the area to be reforested.
The appropriate species, local or even endemic, are selected from an internal catalog (i.e. studied and tested beforehand in the laboratory).
They are then collected by local communities to best meet the needs of the ecosystem.
Following the analysis and collection phases, our drones disperse the seeds in capsules which contain all the biological and nutritional elements necessary for long-term reforestation.
A single drone can process up to 50 hectares per day, each one being able to plant 180 capsules per minute on steep and difficult to access terrain.
This is 50 times faster than a traditional reforestation solution, and without months of nursery growth.
Finally, the evolution of the plantations is the subject of particular attention thanks to a monitoring of the biomass, biodiversity and carbon stocks, using drone and satellite images.
More about our drones: https://www.morfo.rest/articles/pourquoi-morfo-utilise-des-drones-pour-sa-solution-de-reforestation
More about Agritech: https://www.morfo.rest/articles/morfo-laboratoires-croissance-foret
MORFO’s forestry monitoring dashboard tracks forest cover, biomass growth, biodiversity index, and carbon stocks. Can you discuss how this data is used to measure the success of reforestation projects?
We’ll soon launch our second version of this dashboard.
This dashboard is accessible to any person working on a reforestation project with MORFO (private client, government, NGOs…). It gives an access to:
- Pre-analysis data: soil distribution, erosion, soil analyses, etc.
- Reforestation monitoring: forest cover, biomass growth, biodiversity index, etc.
- Carbon monitoring: carbon stock, carbon credits generated, etc.
All of this data can be shared with the various stakeholders in a reforestation project: institutional partners, corporate team, other service providers, etc.
Thanks to the parameters we track (forest cover, biomass growth, biodiversity index…), our partners can follow the growth of the vegetation. They can (independently or with us) conduct new interventions on site.
Those parameters all help the stakeholders prove the environmental impact of a project, including the carbon capture of the area.
MORFO’s solutions are also applicable to the mining industry, particularly in terms of erosion management and soil restoration. Can you elaborate on how this works and what benefits it brings?
Reforestation is vital for soil restoration and erosion control, particularly in mining areas, for several reasons.
The first one is the soil stabilization.
The roots of trees and other vegetation help to bind the soil and prevent erosion caused by water runoff or wind.
In our projects, when trees are removed due to mining or other activities, the exposed soil becomes vulnerable to erosion, which can result in the loss of topsoil and nutrient-rich organic matter, leading to degraded soil quality and reduced fertility.
Forests ecosystems also play a crucial role in regulating the water cycle.
They absorb and store rainwater, reducing the volume and speed of runoff, which helps to prevent erosion.
Moreover, tree canopies slow down the impact of rainfall, preventing soil compaction and promoting water infiltration into the soil.
This helps to maintain healthy soil structure, reducing the risk of erosion.
The goal, for us, is to be able to assure a complete ecosystem development, before massive rainfalls or floodings.
In mining areas, where soil disturbance and erosion are often exacerbated, reforestation plays a critical role in restoring and protecting soils, mitigating erosion, and promoting sustainable land management practices.
It helps to prevent the long-term negative impacts of mining activities on soil quality, water resources, and biodiversity, while also supporting the livelihoods of local communities and promoting ecological sustainability.
MORFO works with landowners, NGOs, cooperatives, and companies to finance and implement reforestation projects. Can you describe the process of working with these groups and how the benefits are shared?
Local stakeholders are essential to the success of reforestation efforts at MORFO.
We integrate the expectations of local populations into each reforestation project.
Thus, each reforestation project begins with an interrogation phase, submitted in the form of a questionnaire.
The analysis of this questionnaire makes it possible to establish a framework and recommendations specific to the project.
This questionnaire can change many parameters, such as the species planted, the planting method, the planting period, the operational monitoring period, the investment in the operational monitoring of forest growth, etc.
Beyond the analysis phase, submitted to a large audience, an active phase also concerns certain actors more specifically.
On each project, local actors provide valuable assistance in the collection of seeds, preparation of the land, and long-term monitoring of reforestation projects.
We collaborate with local associations surrounding our project who take care of the preparation for us and, depending on the project, take care of part of the plantation in a traditional way.
Thus, more than 300 people in Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, France and French Guiana already work directly or indirectly with MORFO.
Additionally, these communities are a valuable source of knowledge about the characteristics of the land and the native ecosystem.
In exchange for their help, we offer fair economic redistribution and support the local economy.
By restoring their native forests, which many rely on for survival, we aim to create a mutually beneficial relationship with these communities.
These contributions are a form of “citizen science”: communities participate in the construction of our scientific research and the development of knowledge.
By sharing their insights, experiences, and local knowledge, they help to expand our understanding of complex ecological systems and the ways in which they are impacted by human activities.
Can you share a case study of a successful reforestation project that MORFO has implemented, and how it has impacted the local community and ecosystem?
One example of local stakeholders integration is our reforestation effort in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro in partnership with ITPA, a well-established Brazilian organization that has been at the forefront of tree planting for over two decades.
One of the key objectives of this initiative was to help restore the Atlantic Forest, which is one of the most damaged forests in the world.
To date, ITPA has successfully restored over a million hectares of this forest, which is a remarkable achievement.
In this 50-hectare project, 75% of the area is replanted by drones and 25% with the help of local populations who are already working there.
ITPA provides MORFO with knowledge of the Mata Atlantica biome, access to a nursery for manual planting, and local workers to carry out the planting.
By planting seeds and restoring the ecosystem, this project helps regenerate this critical area that supplies 80% of Rio’s water and 30% of its energy through the Guandu basin.
Here is an article: https://www.morfo.rest/articles/morfo-et-itpa-sassocient-pour-reforester-le-biome-mata-atlantica
What are some of the long-term benefits of reforestation, both in terms of environmental impact and social and economic benefits for local communities?
Benefits are numerous.
Let’s focus on the economic impact. Being a cornerstone for MORFO, which praises each one of its actors, we make sure that every step of the supply chain benefits from our forest restoration projects.
MORFO respects not only our clients’ demands but those of the local population.
Specific elements can be taken into account during the customer ordering process.
Stakeholders’ product needs, listed in the project’s specifications, can include demands for sustainably-produced forest products like wood, medicinal plants, fruits, flowers or ecotourism (see Golden Rule n°2).
Thanks to the income generated by MORFO’s projects, we guarantee long-term production and follow-up of the latter. Furthermore, we offer reforestation projects aimed at generating and selling carbon credits.
What future plans does MORFO have in store?
We should have restored more than 1000 hectares by the end of the year.
After Brazil, Gabon and French Guiana, we plan to open 2 new countries: Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Summary
To learn more about MORFO, visit https://morfo.rest/.
