Large-scale restoration of native forest ecosystems
FOREST RESTORATION experts for TROPICAL REGIONS
We don't just plant trees.
We restore forest ecosystems
designed to last for centuries.
4-STEP ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
MORFO offers the technology to accelerate Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and foster the growth of native forests.
Science-BASED
& NATURE-ORIENTED
We assist carbon developers, governments, NGOs, and corporations by offering scientific and operational solutions to restore forests at scale with exceptional quality.
RESTORATION guided by strategic research programs
MORFO is a science-based company developing cutting-edge innovation combining microbiological, agronomic, botanical and forestry knowledge. This R&D is continuously carried out in our different laboratories across Europe and Brazil.
next-generation AI tools to track and monitor forest restoration
AI is essential for tracking forest growth from the first days and throughout their entire lifecycle, even across vast areas. MORFO has developed in-house tools that provide precise and unprecedented transparency in assessing forest restoration.
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BIODIVERSITY-RICH PROJECTS FOR MAXIMUM RESILIENCE AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Single-species reforestation may seem quick and easy, but it has many drawbacks. At MORFO, we plant an average of 20 native species per project to promote ecological balance and long-term success.
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EMPOWERING LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND CREATING SOCIAL BENEFITS
Human intervention is crucial in every project's stage, from terrain analysis and species selection to planting and monitoring. MORFO involves local players in seed collection, soil preparation, and monitoring, fostering ownership and sustainability.
projects
In partnership with the ReflorestaRio program and MORFO, Rio de Janeiro's City Council is restoring hard-to-reach areas such as the Serra de Inhoaíba in Campo Grande. Thanks to our drones and technology, we have begun planting native species, accelerating positive impact on the environment by planting up to 100 times faster than traditional methods.
Hydro is the first bauxite mining company in Brazil to invest in innovation to intensify drone-based environmental rehabilitation in the Brazilian Amazon. The company has employed MORFO for its restoration initiatives. Located in Paragominas, in the Brazilian state of Pará, this 50-hectare project is one of MORFO's pilot large-scale forest restoration projects, involving in-depth diagnosis, planting and monitoring until 2028.
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This experimental revegetation and reforestation project is being carried out in collaboration with the environmental organization Natureza Bela. It aims to restore a Mata Atlântica tropical ocean biome in the municipality of Santa Cruz Cabrália on a 55-hectare old sugar-cane plantation.
BIODIVERSITY CAN'T WAIT
SOCCER FIELDS every MINUTE
Every year, the planet loses 5 million hectares of forest (FAO, The State of the World's Forests).
a climate emergency
According to the UN, 1 billion hectares must be reforested by 2030(Ecosystem reforestation for People, Nature and Climate, 2021). At the current rate, only 5% of this target will be achieved.
billion
people depend on forests for their livelihoods -- including around 70 million indigenous cultures. They are farmers, seed collectors, traders, producers, etc.
in the news
Discover some of our projects directly in the press.
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FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
MORFO has developed a solution for large-scale ecological restoration of forest ecosystems. We restore areas that were previously forested and have been deforested, becoming unproductive. We focus on tropical and subtropical regions such as the Amazon Forest, the Atlantic Forest and the African Equatorial Forest.
MORFO's solution is a multi-stage reforestation process:
1 > Analysis
Firstly, data collected via drones, satellites and on-site analysis are used to diagnose the area to be reforested.
2 > Seed selection and collection
Suitable local or even endemic species are selected from an in-house catalog (i.e. previously studied and tested in the laboratory). They are then collected by local communities to best meet the needs of the ecosystem.
3 > Plantation
Our drones disperse seedpods that contain all the biological and nutritive elements required for long-term reforestation. A single drone can cover up to 50 hectares per day, planting 180 seedpods per minute, on steep, hard-to-reach, or dangerous terrain. This method is up to 100 times faster traditional reforestation solutions, and does not need a plant nursery.
4 > Forestry monitoring
Plantation growth is given special attention through biomass, biodiversity and carbon stock monitoring, using drone and satellite imagery, as well as on-site analysis.
Reforestation is not just about planting individual trees, but about creating complete plant ecosystems. Promoting plant species diversity in our restoration projects is one of MORFO's priorities.
We plant at least 20 local species per project that we select according to project characteristics from a catalog of over 300 species. This maximizes biodiversity and recreates natural ecosystems, also mimicking the stages of forest ecological succession.
Promoting species diversity in our restoration projects is one of our priorities. We carefully select species planted to maximize biodiversity and recreate the native ecosystem, mimicking the stages of forest ecological succession.
Researching and studying plant species requires intensive R&D. We have currently cataloged over 300 tropical and subtropical species, by working with recognized specialist laboratories, to improve forest growth and health.
> Drones are more efficient
They plant up to 100 times faster than humans. A single drone can process a maximum of 50 hectares per day, planting 180 seedpods per minute.
> Drones cut costs
They are up to 5 times cheaper to use, thanks to their speed of planting, and because drone seeding avoids the need for structuring a nursery and maintaining it for several months.
> Drones are safer
They access remote regions and enable planting in areas that might be too dangerous for humans, which is very regularly the case in the reforestation projects we run.
> But our drones don't replace humans
From terrain analysis to species selection, planting and monitoring ecosystem evolution, human intervention remains crucial at every stage. Up to 20% of all our projects are carried out by hand in partnership with local communities and NGOs.
MORFO has offices and laboratories in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Montpellier, France.
We focus our forest ecosystem restoration efforts in tropical and subtropical zones, mainly in South America.