Satrokala Dry Forest Restoration

Inside the project

Satrokala restores degraded terrestrial dry forest around Ihosy in southern Madagascar, one of the island's most fragile and climate-exposed biomes. It is an afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) project, not a mangrove or coastal project.

The project targets roughly 6,000 hectares, with more than 4,000 hectares and 3.2 million trees already planted using over 40 drought-resistant species, including more than 30 native to Madagascar.

An investigative report has raised questions about the strength of community consent and local participation around the concession. Those concerns are noted here as an open governance and social-safeguards question that field-level evidence would help resolve.

Verra's registry lists the SATROKALA ARR Grouped Project (VCS 5755, proponent JTF Madagascar Sarl) as under validation with the public comment period closed and no credits issued, for 6,312 hectares and an estimated 1.9 million tCO2e over a 40-year crediting period from 2022.

Objectives

• Restore around 6,000 hectares of degraded southern dry forest with drought-resistant and predominantly native species.
• Sequester approximately 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 over a 40 year crediting period.
• Support more than 200 local jobs (about 20% held by women) and deliver benefits to over 1,000 people.
• Establish agroforestry plots and biodiversity corridors that reconnect fragmented dry forest habitat.

Approach

• Plant more than 40 drought-resistant species, over 30 of them native, to rebuild dry forest cover on degraded land.
• Combine reforestation with agroforestry so that restoration supports local livelihoods rather than displacing them.
• Create biodiversity corridors that reconnect fragmented dry forest patches and support endemic species.
• Validate and verify under Verra VCS and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS).