A year to plant new goals
The last forest restoration newsletter of 2023
Hi there,
As we approach a season of family gatherings, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has partnered and collaborated with us. The ties we've created this year go beyond professional collaboration; they represent a collective commitment to a cause that's bigger than any of us.
Looking forward, we're excited to strengthen these bonds and forge new ones. As the year ends, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who has worked with us and wish you a joyful and peaceful time with your loved ones.
Pascal, Co-founder of MORFO
🎵 What a year!
2023 has been a remarkable year for MORFO and forest restoration. We adopted Spotify's wrap-up format to reflect on some key achievements. Among them, let's highlight that MORFO:
Launched 19 projects, covering 600 hectares (equivalent to 800 soccer fields).
Welcomed over 30 new team members, along with more than 1,000 indirect collaborators in Brazil, including seed collectors, land preparation experts, and scientists.
Made significant technological breakthroughs: introduced the second version of our seedpods, expanded our catalog to include 300 species, increased monitoring capacities tenfold, and tripled planting capacities.
Earned prestigious recognitions, including the Solar Impulse Label, Vivatech's "Best Environment & Climate Innovation," and Google's SFSD award.
Established three new scientific collaborations in France and Brazil.
Welcome 2024!
📖 Restoration Monitoring: the best practices
On December 12th, we concluded our series of six webinars in 2023 with a really insightful session. 600 people participated in our webinar focused on Forest Restoration monitoring, featuring four great speakers:
Fátima Piña-Rodrigues: Professor at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Markus Gastauer: Researcher in the Tecnologia Ambiental do Instituto Tecnológico Vale group
Silvio Brienza Júnior: Researcher at EMBRAPA
Rebecca M. Almeida: Forest Ecosystem Engineer at MORFO
Watch the video or read the sum-up!
🌱 Our catalog is growing…
The end of the year was also an opportunity to establish a new catalog. Wait, what’s a catalog?
In this picture, you can see two of our Forest Engineers, Caroline Nunes Luiz and Christian Rodello, implementing a visual pattern initially defined in our lab. We use this catalog to:
🌱 Identify species at the seedling stage, addressing a significant gap in data and literature in this field.
🌳 Recognize species at their mature stage.
📊 Monitor the growth of various species, especially focusing on the successional group to which each species belongs.
The catalog serves as a CRUCIAL data resource, playing a vital role in many of our tools, from providing taxonomic information for species to supplying data for algorithm training and future remote species identification.
👁️ This month’s seed: GOAT’s eye
This month’s seed is known for its striking and ornamental bicolored look that resemble the eyes of goats, which is why the tree is popularly known as "olho-de-cabra" or goat's eye in Portuguese. These round, flat seeds come from the Ormosia arborea tree found exclusively in Brazil! Beyond their beauty, this tree is crucial for biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Historically cherished by indigenous tribes, these seeds are not just decorative—they hold cultural significance in traditional arts and crafts.
💼 We’re hiring!
We're excited to announce that MORFO is hiring! Multiple posts are available in:
🇧🇷 Brazil: CFO, Senior Sales Executive, Sales Executive for the Mining Industry, Supply Chain Operations Director
🇫🇷 France: Office Manager
Apply now and become our next MORFellow!
🎮 Game
MORFO’s reforestation glossary covers the key concepts, methods, and technologies involved in replenishing our planet's tree cover. Whether you’re a professional, or just curious, learn or rediscover specialized terms and concepts, enabling clear communication, promoting collaboration among stakeholders, and facilitating the sharing of best practices.
🔍 4 resources for you
We end this newsletter with a few articles, reports and papers that we want to share with you:
In the “To Good to Grow podcast”, a look back at the creation of MORFO. 🇫🇷
Our opinion letter published in Le Monde along with 35 other entrepreneurs asking for better integration of Nature-based Solutions at the latest COP28. 🇺🇸🇫🇷
Key challenges and strategies for carbon removal startups. This was the topic of a COP28 event where we participated. Here is the replay. 🇺🇸
A single mushroom improves soil regeneration, biodiversity and carbon sequestration! Learn how.
🌍 Thank you for reading this newsletter until the end! If you enjoyed it, please share it with your audience, friends, or colleagues. To check us out and follow our social media platforms, please click here!
We'll be back again in 2024!
The MORFO team
I am abah Walter otiva from Nigeria,cross river state in obanliku.obudu cattle ranch.i am interested in reforestration because I share boundary with tankamada forest reserve crossing from comeroun stretching to Nigeria in obanliku.i have been involved in tress planting campaign as and individual and work as a volunteer with several tree planting support organisation.thanks