A reforestation effort in Kianjavato Commune in southeast Madagascar is presented that combines native diversity with rapidly
growing introduced and native pioneer trees. This work utilizes a three-tiered corridor design that capitalizes on the region’s
mountainous terrain.The process of seed selection, transplantation, and survival rate of seedlings over a 16 month period is reported.
The uppermost 50% of each mountain is planted with 38 woody species and most closely approximates native forest. This tier was
divided into two categories, pioneer and secondary species. Most of the pioneer species were not native; however, results showed that
four fast-growing, environmentally-tolerant native species could be suitable alternatives: Streblus mauritianus, Syzygium bernieri,
Treculia madagascariensis and Uapaca thouarsii. More than 70,000 seeds of secondary species were extracted from fecal samples
from wild, free-ranging black and white ruffed lemurs; the majority of which germinated significantly better after gut passage. The
most effective pretreatment that enhanced germination was to scarify unwashed seeds. Commercially valuable trees, belonging to
the community members, were grown on the lower half of each mountain. Lastly, the various contributions of the community are
described along with agroforestry development plans designed to reduce pressure on forest resources and generate supplemental
income.