09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Capacity-building workshop for West Africa on ecosystem restoration to support achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets Accra, Ghana – 5 to 9 October 2015 Community involvement in tropical forest restoration: Ghana as reference country Dr Mark Appiah Principal Research scientist/ Adj. Professor 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Presentation Outline 1. Question is: How do we address Ecosystem degradation? Case studies:  What type of ecosystem is being restored?  Where are the case projects located?  Who are the stakeholders?  What did they do?  What were the outcomes?  What were the enabling conditions for those outcomes?  What were the hindrances?  What is the take away message for building support for ER? 2 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Priority area for ecosystem restoration Secondary forests Primary/ Termed “Successional Forests” Degraded forests regrowth after disturbance Managed forests Has lost structure, function, species composition and/or Its natural structure, functions have not undergone any productivity. changes that exceed the elastic capacity of the A whole range of services are affected ecosystem Degraded primary forests its structure, processes, functions and dynamics are altered such that the capacity of these forests to fully recover from exploitation in the near to medium term has been compromised CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 3 09/10/2015

Where are the Case Projects located in Ghana? Forest District Agro-Ecozone Region Town/Communities 1. Offinso Semi-deciduous Ashanti Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve 2. Dormaa Semi-deciduous Brong Ahafo Asunsu No1, Twumkrom, Abonsrakrom 3. Begoro Semi-deciduous Eastern Besetuom, Ahomasu, Kumfrefre 4. Gwira Banso Wet Evergreen Western Gwira-Banso CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 4 09/10/2015

Offinso Dormaa, Begoro Gwira- Banso CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of 5 UEF/Mark Appiah 09/10/2015 Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

 Who are the stakeholders? Stakeholder group Characteristics Primary stakeholders  Forest Service Division, FC - Right to manage forest reserves  Local communities - Access to land through admitted rights (indigenous and migrants) - Forest are main source of food &income - Engage in unsustainable land uses.  Traditional authorities - Own land on behalf of community - Represent communities in official decision-making processes Secondary stakeholders  Private tree growers - Rights to their own plantations/or concessions. /concession holders Tertiary stakeholders  Scientific community- - No rights to land. (FORIG, UEF, consultants) - Research institute CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 6 09/10/2015

What is the Project Concept Dormaa, Offinso and Begoro Projects  Initiated in 2000 under the theme of ‘rehabilitation of degraded forests with collaboration of local communities’ (PD 30/97 Rev 6 (F)  Problem context : Slash and burn farming. Poor soil fertility, wildfires, land of land and tenure insecurity.  Modified Taungya System (MTS)  Financially supported by ITTO  Total estimated areas under plantation: (at least 240 ha (80 ha / location)  Planting rate; 278 trees per ha  Population involved: at least 100 households CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 7  09/10/2015

What is the Project Concept Gwira-Banso JFM Projects in the Western Region of Ghana covering 600 households  Initiated in 1995 to rehabilitate degraded lands in off-reserve forests & to enhance the livelihoods of forest dependent communities through increased benefits.  Problem context : Slash and burn farming. Poor soil conditions give rise to low crop yields to which farmers respond by clearing more forests to extend farms. Logging uses indiscriminate felling practices.  The two commercial Partners:  Ghana Primewood Limited (GAP), own the timber concession (16000 ha)  Dalhoff, Larsen & Horneman (DLH), Danish timber trading company  Improved agroforestry as restoration tool  Financial support by DANIDA/PSD-Programme of Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs  Total estimated areas under plantation : 416 ha  Planting rate: 20-40 seedling per ha CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 8 09/10/2015

What did they do? CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 9 09/10/2015

Consultation and stakeholder engagement CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 10 09/10/2015

Consultation and stakeholder engagement Pre-implementation actions  Initial stakeholder analysis: • Who are the players, • Their needs and priority • Their potential  Project concept and implementation plan  What are the stakeholders responsibilities and benefit?  How the project could be managed, monitored and evaluated  What happens beyond the duration of the project 11 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

 Collection of background data on communities and resources

Education campaign on risks of degradation CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of 13 09/10/2015 Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Built capacity in nursery and field silvicultural techniques  Seed collection and nursing  Field preparation and planting  Tending and protection from fire  Monitoring and evaluation CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of 14 09/10/2015 Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Supported communities to plant trees (woodlot ) Teak Plantation Cassia siamea plantation About 1200 seedlings and more per ha 15 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Communities practiced Agroforestry under MTS and other models • Tree species planted together with crops at initial stages of plantation development • tree planting in mixed stand at a rate of 20-40 trees (seedlings)per ha CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah 09/10/2015

Communities involve in assisted regeneration Note: In some cases, degraded forest land may still be capable of supporting natural regeneration Community Woodland Reserves before the Project 2 Years after Reservation 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

What trees they used and why ? Tree species Characteristics/Value  Cedrela odorata , Timber , fuel wood, shade, fence/windbreak, carbon (exotic) stock  Ceiba pentandra Timber , medicne, fodder, seed oil, organic matter, nitrogen fixing erosion control, carbon stock  Alstonia boonei Timber , medicine, carbon stocks  Terminalia ivorensis Timber , medicine, shade, nitrogen fixing/soil health, carbon tocks  Khaya ivorensis, Timber , medicine, nitrogen fixing, carbon stocks  Terminalia superb, Timber , medicine, fuel wood, shade, carbon stocks  Pericopsis elata Timber , carbon tocks  Heritiera utilis ,  Tieghemella heckellii ,  Entandrophragma angolense ,  Nauclea diderrichii , Entandrophragma utile ,  09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

What were the outcomes? 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

What were the outcomes? Increase awareness of degradation and biodiversity issues . 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

What were the outcomes?  Communities produce their own seedlings @capacity of about 60,000 to 100,000 seedlings per year . 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

What were the outcomes?  Local people trained in low impact logging  Community development fund initiated for community development  Shade tolerant cropping systems  (black pepper ( piper nigrum ) and cola ( cola nitida ) Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually The Kola nut is a caffeine-containing dried and used as a spice and seasoning. When nut of evergreen trees of the genus dried, the fruit is known as a peppercorn Cola 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

 About 666 ha forest cover recovered in total  Biodiversity enhanced  Timber and NTFP  Soil fertility improved

Forest cover and carbon stocks increase CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of 09/10/2015 Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah

Local trees growing almost at the rate of Exotic ones tree planting in mixed stand at a rate of 20-40 trees (seedlings) per ha

4-year old Terminalia superba VITRI

 Local enterprise diversified Bush meat (grasscutter)

Snail farming Apiculture Snails kept in small enclosures (paddocks) under trees Apiculture is seen as the integration of honey production with tree production. Alternative livelihood programs

What were the enabling conditions? 09/10/2015 CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana / Dr Mark Appiah