Nature Repair Report for November 2025: Introduction
The nature repair report for November 2025 sees us reach an incredible milestone, over 1 million trees, mangroves, and sea kelp planted across our global restoration sites. Every single one represents the collective effort of our community and partners working together to repair the planet.
This month, our spotlight turns to Senegal, where farming families are transforming degraded land into flourishing agroforestry systems that restore ecosystems, improve nutrition, and provide stable incomes. It’s a story of innovation, resilience, and community, all made possible by those who chose to make nature repair part of their business and lives.
The LifeTree System: A Pathway Out of Poverty
In southeastern Senegal, generations of smallholder farmers once relied on peanuts and millet monocropping, a system that degraded soils and left families vulnerable to failed harvests. Today, through our planting partner veritree, they are adopting the LifeTree system, which Lifetree founder John Leary describes as “a pathway out of hunger and extreme poverty.”
It all begins with the living fence, rows of protective trees that form the boundary of each plot. These fences shield crops from grazing livestock, prevent soil compaction, and create microclimates that retain moisture. Inside the fence, families establish diverse “forest gardens” blending nitrogen-fixing trees such as moringa and pigeon pea with fruit trees like mango, cashew, papaya, and citrus.
Vegetables and root crops are grown in permaculture-style beds, delivering both food and fast-growing produce for sale. The result is year-round harvests, reduced hunger, and a steady income that replaces the uncertainty of a single annual payday.
Women’s Cooperatives Driving Change
The heartbeat of Senegal’s agroforestry revolution lies with its women’s cooperatives. In Gadagandiery, a women’s group manages 20,000 seedlings, while in Daketeli, another cooperative of 60 women cares for 30,000. Beyond planting trees, these groups have set up savings clubs, revolving funds that provide access to credit for transport, tools, or connecting water systems.
During the most recent visit, the energy was inspiring. Shaded plots hummed with life, fruit trees towered over vegetables, and goats and cattle grazed safely outside sturdy fences. These forest gardens are cooler, greener, and filled with biodiversity. Farmers proudly share how their land has become self-sustaining, and how women are now leading as business owners and community mentors.
Technology Bringing Transparency
In regions where farms are spread across many small villages, data collection is complex, yet transparency remains vital. That’s where the veritree app plays a crucial role. Local technicians use the app to record each planting session with GPS-tagged photos, walking paths, and timestamps, even when offline.
Every living fence, every fruit tree, and every training session is documented, then verified against survival surveys at one, two, and three years. This ensures that every Play It Green contribution can be traced and validated, providing complete accountability and confidence for our community and partners.
Tracking Biodiversity and Social Impact
Restoring ecosystems means more than just counting trees. Across the farms, bioacoustic sensors and trail cameras monitor wildlife activity, capturing the return of birds and pollinators to areas once barren. The data shows measurable increases in biodiversity and soil health, proving that sustainable farming and nature repair go hand in hand.
Alongside environmental recovery, veritree’s social surveys track how livelihoods evolve over time, measuring produce sales, income growth, and family well-being. Farmers report higher earnings, better housing, and renewed optimism for the future. Crucially, young people are staying in villages to work the land instead of migrating to cities, ensuring this success becomes generational.
A Model for the Future
More than 1,000 families have already embraced the LifeTree system, and the results speak for themselves. By diversifying crops and protecting the soil, farmers are building resilience against climate shocks while improving daily life. With ongoing support, thousands more families can follow, transforming landscapes, communities, and futures across Senegal.
As John Leary says, “This system doesn’t just plant trees; it rebuilds lives.” The work being done here shows what’s possible when community knowledge, technology, and global support come together.
Nature Repair Report for November 2025: Wrap-Up
Crossing the 1 million trees milestone is a testament to the strength of the Play It Green community. From mangroves in Kenya to kelp in Canada and forest gardens in Senegal, every project tells a story of hope, renewal, and shared responsibility.
The work in Senegal captures the essence of what we stand for: combining environmental repair with human progress. Thank you for being part of this mission, together, we’re proving that when people unite to repair nature, the world truly grows greener.
Join the Community Making Change
If you enjoyed our Nature Repair Report for November 2025, why not join the movement that’s repairing nature every day?
For just £5 per employee per month or 50p per plant, your business can make measurable impact while receiving free sustainability education, guidance, and signposting from Play It Green.
Every contribution also regives 10% to a charity of your choice, helping people and the planet at the same time.
Whether you want to embed nature repair into your sales, educate and engage your team, or strengthen your environmental credentials with verified impact, we make it simple, transparent, and cost-effective.
