Regenerative landscapes
- CPALI
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
This week, CPALI celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity, sharing moments from our first tree planting of 2025.
Video: Matthew Scott
Wild silk forest gardens
On the margins of Madagascar's largest remaining rainforest, a circle of farmers is restoring native trees in local agroforestry systems. Their goal: create living space for rare wild moths whose cocoons yield precious silk. Take a moth's eye view of the landscape as tree planting begins, led by SEPALI Madagascar, together with farmers and artisans in the community of Mahalevona.
Journey with us
"Meet at the nursery": Teams gathered in the early morning light at Mahalevona's farmer-run tree nursery. They collected young talandoha and hintsina seedlings to plant in an agroforestry system tended by Victor, a local elder and farmer leader. His land lies across the river, beyond the rice paddies, and up a mountain slope.
Cross through town: Hand-constructed pots from native bamboo are held by the base to keep compost and roots in place. When planted, the bamboo will shelter developing roots and biodegrade over time in this wet environment.
Follow the leader: A first glimpse of Victor's agroforestry system. Over the years, Victor has planted an estimated 4,000 native host trees for wild silk moths, together with other trees and crops of local value.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI
Artisan helpers: A young mother who is in training with the local artisans cooperative helps make space for a host tree.
Up in the air: A rare moth's eye view of regenerative agroforestry. Along with talandoha and other farmer-planted native trees, crops are grown that offer economic returns and food security. Visible in the image above are clove trees, vanilla, bamboo, and fruiting trees such as lychees, green oranges, and bananas, together with fragments of pasture for grazing zebu cattle. Systems like this provide benefits for both people and nature.
Searching for caterpillars: Members of the local women's artisan cooperative show Mamy Ratsimbazafy, Director of SEPALI Madagascar, and Petra Silton, CPALI Board Chair, the way through a grove of talandoha trees in search of wild silk-producing caterpillars.
Hiding in plain sight: When small, Antherina suraka caterpillars are inconspicuous. In their final stage of growth, they are big and beautiful.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI
Marvelous mutualism: Victor points to an Antherina suraka caterpillar among the leaves of a young talandoha tree that he planted for them. It takes 15 months of growth for a talandoha seedling to be large enough to support 30 larvae.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI
Hiding from predators: On the underside of branches on the same host tree, more Antherina suraka caterpillars are found feeding out of view of predators such as birds and parasites such as wasps. In their fifth instar, these caterpillars are in the final larval stage before they spin silk cocoons and transform into chrysalises.
Silk collection: Rummaging in the leaf litter beneath his talandoha trees, Victor proudly discovers three freshly-spun silk cocoons of Antherina suraka. Inside, caterpillars are preparing to morph into their chrysalis form.
Hidden treasure: More Antherina suraka silk cocoons nestle in the leaf litter beneath a host tree, hidden from view. Their brown silk camouflages with the leaves around them.
Light hands: Back in the village, Victor gently removes each Antherina suraka chrysalis from its silk cocoon. The chrysalises will be kept safe until the time comes for the moths to emerge. When they do, they will mate, lay eggs, and the lifecycle will begin again. The cocoons are sold by the piece to SEPALI Madagascar, CPALI's local partner organization, for textiles.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI
Taking wing A beautiful Antherina suraka silk moth on the day of its emergence.
All that glitters: The lustrous silk of wild Antherina suraka is pressed and sewn by local artisans for sale by the meter, or as a component of other textiles, for Tanana Madagascar. All revenue goes back to Madagascar programs.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI
Regenerative futures: Protected rainforest lies beyond the agroforestry systems of many local communities in northeastern Madagascar. By integrating native host trees into spaces previously cleared for agricultural production, they can become habitable for disappearing insects and other endemic wildlife, while supporting local livelihoods.
This season, collaborating farmers will plant 20,000 trees in agroforestry systems like Victor's. Follow updates on CPALI's 2025 agroforestry initiative, here.
Behind the images
New friends: Dr. Margaret Fuller and Dr. Matthew Scott joined the CPALI and SEPALI Madagascar teams in northeastern Madagascar to document the first tree planting of 2025 and to film the wild silk and raffia textile production process by local artisans.
Local leadership: For nearly two decades, SEPALI Madagascar Director Mamy Ratsimbazafy has demonstrated wild silk rearing technique and trained an estimated 400 farmers like Victor.
Committed partners: CPALI Executive Director Rachel Kramer and CPALI Board Chair Petra Silton connected with local partners in their first field season of 2025.
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