We have a new partner! You can now find our scarves at TananaSilk.com.
We have a new partner! You can now find our scarves at TananaSilk.com.
Borocera silkworms are only found in Madagascar, and their cocoons are used to make this silk. Borocera silkworms a wild species of silkworm, meaning they can only live wild in the forest and cannot be cultivated like traditional Mulberry silk. Madagascar's tapia trees are the habitat and food for the Borocera silkworm. There are tapia forests in different areas of Madagascar, but our silk comes from the Central Highlands.
Being a "wild" species has helped provide a financial incentive for locals to protect tapia forests. If locals can make money off sustainable cocoon harvesting, then they have a financial reason to protect these forests. This real-life incentive for conservation is especially important in Madagascar, as it is home to numerous one-of-a-kind flora and fauna, while at the same time is plagued with human-caused deforestation.
Deforestation, in particular burning the hillsides, continues to be a serious issue for the weavers. Cow farmers burn whole hillsides, killing silkworms and tapia trees, in order to clear the land for growing baby grass for their cows. (Much of the land is owned by the government and no one has clear ownership.) The cows rip up the baby grass by the roots, so there's nothing holding the land in place. Then after the first rain, erosion occurs and the rich top soil washes away. Massive erosion is why Madagascar is called the "bleeding island" (b/c from an aerial view, you can see the red clay leaching into the ocean).
Although the Tapia trees are fairly fire resistant, the fires kill the silkworms as well as some of the trees. We hope to deter hillside fires through these on-going sustainable financial incentives, but more work is needed in this area.
