Hi there,
"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get." As much as I adore the movie Forrest Gump (and chocolate – dark, 80% cacao, before you ask), I sometimes try to prove him wrong. In fact, everyone at MORFO strives to defy Forrest Gump's statement. Our mission, backed by hefty investments in R&D and numerous partnerships, is to create the perfect chocolate box - one without any surprises, but exactly what we need: a native and biodiverse forest.
Please enjoy!
Pascal, Co-founder of MORFO
😋 - Good taste in French Guiana
In February 2022, we started our first project in French Guiana. At that time, 84% of the area was bare soil, and only had 0.3% vegetation coverage. After a year, the vegetation now covers 42% of the entire area, and the bare soil has reduced to 39%. This progress is part of our reforestation efforts in an alluvial gold mine in northwest French Guiana, nestled in the heart of the Amazonian forest.
🥣 - The best ingredients
To make the best chocolate box, we always need a bit of assistance. MORFO has been selected in various prestigious programs in the past few weeks:
Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label: One of the most prestigious recognition for profitable environmental protection, delivered by the Solar Impulse Foundation. This label serves as a credible marker of quality to decision-makers in business and governments.
Google Sustainable Development Program: We’ve been chosen among 15 startups in the world to join Google’s program, granting access to high-level advisors and investors.
I-Lab Award: It’s a financial recognition to bolster our VEGE+ research program for 24 months.
👨🍳 - The recipe for forest succession
To help you understand the value of a technology like MORFO, we have prepared this article for you. In it, you will discover that MORFO does not intervene in all stages of a reforestation project, as it is not necessary. We accelerate natural regeneration in 3 out of 6 stages (3,4 and 5). This approach promotes biodiversity and resilient forest ecosystems, allowing species to naturally establish through forest succession.
Our goal: facilitate and expedite the process of natural regeneration.
Key takeaway: natural regeneration and reforestation can be complementary and not mutually exclusive (to enhance the project's success).
🔎 We also recommend…
Dive deep into the issue of scarcity of seeds that only make it possible to restore about 100,000 ha per year, while the Brazilian government plans to restore 12 million hectares of degraded forest land by 2030. As things stand, it's going to be very difficult. But not impossible! Read the article here. (🇧🇷)
Discover a real time map of how deforestation is evolving on the Brazilian territory by clicking here. (🇧🇷,🇬🇧)
Read on how climate-informed forestry is restoring nature's balance in the Southern Blue Ridge in North Carolina, USA, by clicking here. (🇬🇧)
EIT Climate-KIC has put together a list of interesting events in relation to overall climate & action, entrepreneurship related to climate and investment related to climate & entrepreneurship. Discover the list here. (🇬🇧)
A special thanks to Andrew Thompson for allowing us to feature his Forrest Gump illustration in this newsletter. To explore more of Andrew's work, visit his website: schmandrewart.com
🌍 Thank you for reading this newsletter until the end! If you enjoyed it, please share it with your audience, friends, or colleagues. And don’t forget to follow our social media platforms.
We'll be back again in August!
The MORFO team