The nation of Madagascar turned 60 on March 29, and to celebrate, the people of the country exemplified unity in acts of environmentally-driven goodness. To honor the biodiversity and nature that is the pulse of the land, the government held a ceremony where people would come to plant trees in an attempt to revive the natural beauty of Madagascar that has been jeopardized by deforestation efforts.  The goal is to plant a million trees for each of the six decades that the country has been established. The product, however, is even more profound than that, for just as the seeds are being spread throughout the land, so are feelings of connectivity as the people join together to do something magical. 

Efforts of replenishing the forest were encouraged by President Andy Rajoelina. “The government has the challenge of making Madagascar a green island again,” Rajoelina said. “I encourage the people to protect the environment and reforest for the benefit of the future generations.” His words were met with enthusiasm by the people of the Ankazobe district, where the launch was taking place. After the speech, crowds of people took to the hills to begin the desired 60-million-tree journey.  Evidently, the fervent and optimistic mood helped spur the people into quick action, as in just a few hours, an estimated one million trees were planted according to the environment ministry. 

Madagascar is both so iconic and important, no more so than in this day and age of impending environmental collapse. For not only is Madagascar the world’s oldest island, but the plants and wildlife that occupy it are some of the most unique and fascinating creatures on earth. In fact, the majority of the species there are endemic, which means they cannot be found in any other country on earth. They are also, unfortunately, some of the most endangered species that you’ll find on this globe. The reason for the decline of many of Madagascar’s native animals can be directly traced to deforestation, something that has been attributed to making the island lose 40% of its forest cover. This is where the birthday celebration comes in and replaces scary percentages with hopeful growth. The environment ministry is optimistic that the ceremony  marked a new chapter in Madagascar’s history. “This time, the action will be continuous, and there will be a follow up,” the country’s environment minister Alexandre Georget said. Georget also outlined the overall objective of the Madagascar government, telling a journalist for Mongabay, “For us, protection of biodiversity, forest and flora and fauna are priorities.” 

Obviously with both the label of the worst country for deforestation and with a desired end-result of 60 million trees, there is still an enormous amount of work to do. Still, the ability to take this ugly situation and turn it around is rendered highly plausible by the willingness of the people. Madagascar is yet another example of how when humans come together in unified purpose, there are no limits to what good can be done.