MAIN OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the project is to restore the degraded forest cover of the Togo Plateau forests whilst conserving and promoting the sustainable use of biodiversity within the production landscape of Nkonya Bumbula for the socio-economic transformation of the local people.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To increase forest cover in the area through forestation and reforestation to serve as a carbon sink.
2. To motivate local communities in the area to participate in forest conservation and carry out environmental enhancement activities with a view to increasing revenue, restoring biodiversity, and increasing vegetative cover.
3. To promote alternative livelihood support and reduce pressure on the forest as a source of livelihood.

Project Justification:
The project is in line with GEF?s SGP OP5 Immediate Objective 1: Improve sustainability of protected areas and indigenous and community conservation areas through community-based actions. Additionally, it is in line with Ministry of Health?s programme to combat challenging and emerging diseases with herbal medicine. Also it falls in line with GEF Focal Area Strategy that seeks to support projects that promote community protected area governance (community-based and collaborative management arrangements) for Protected Areas management, and extend the recognition, strengthening and adoption of Community Protected Areas (CPAs), including Sacred Groves, Community Resource Management Area (CREMA), and Community Dedicated Forests. The project will seek the implementation of the CREMA strategy across the selected geographic area and advocate its formal recognition by the forestry Commission. The programme will also seek to extend the community-based conservation approaches to landscape-level for priority areas around Global Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), World Heritage sites, Biological corridors, hotspots, and important bird areas.

Global Environment Benefits

The proposed project would result in multiple global, national, and local environment benefits, within the context of sustainable development. These benefits would include: (a) conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity of the mountain range ; (b) prevention and/or control of pollution of major river systems from illegal activities and domestic waste; (c) prevention and/or control of degradation of watersheds through unsustainable land use practices; (d) minimization of carbon emission from shifting agriculture and the use of inefficient wood stoves; (e) improvement in carbon sequestration through improvement of vegetation cover; (f) provision of alternative economic livelihoods for communities in the traditional area; (f) rise in community awareness levels in environmental management and conservation

EXPECTED RESULTS:

The intended results of the project are:

1. Environmental awareness level raised and capacity building in wildfire management, enrichment planting, controlled hunting, soil fertility improvement, and agro forestry developed for 3 forest fringe communities.
2. 50 ha of Togo Plateau BP63-BP64 Forest Reserve and 300 ha off reserve restocked with indigenous species.
3. At least 400 local farmers, youth and women trained in agro-forestry and agro-biodiversity farming methods.
4. Alternative livelihoods in apiculture and honey processing enterprise established to increase the income levels of farmers especially women.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES.

Various project activities will be carried out to achieve the project goal and objectives. These are enumerated below:

Output 1
Environmental awareness level raised and capacity building in wildfire management, enrichment planting, controlled hunting, soil fertility improvement, and agro forestry developed for 3 forest fringe communities.

1.1 Organize Community fora for chiefs, queen mothers and other stakeholders.

The project will organize community fora in the three selected communities to create and raise awareness, change attitudes, and behavior of the people to contain wildfires, stop hunting in the project area, and contain other environmental problems. Fora will be organized during the first quarter of the project with resource persons drawn from EPA, MOFA, FSD and GNFS for 10 chiefs, 10 queen mothers and 40 stakeholders.

1.2 Compile community profiles of beneficiary communities and survey and demarcate areas to be replanted.

Profiles of beneficiary communities will be compiled during the first quarter of the project. The profile will provide in-depth baseline socio-economic data on land use options, priority needs, and areas of emphasis and for applied research. It will also serve as a database on the communities for the project management team. EPA- Volta-Region will provide resource persons for this exercise. The areas to be replanted would thus be demarcated and mapped

1.3 Form and Launch a Project Management Committee (PMC).

A project management committee will be formed to organize the communities to carry out work on the project. Members of the Project Committee will be drawn from women groups, farmers, hunters, carvers and weavers, livestock owners, commercial farmers and business people. This is to ensure that the project incorporates the interests and concerns of different groups of people. The PMC will be formally launched in the first quarter of the project and will accomplish its task in collaboration with the Traditional leaders, Assembly members, and Forestry and EPA-Volta Region.
1.4 Organize film show in the 5communities on bush fire prevention and its effects on the environment as a means of creating awareness.

1.5 Enact Community Rules and Regulations to govern the community forests and environment.

The chiefs, opinion leaders and people of the communities in the project area will enact Rules and Regulations on the environment. Among other things the rules will prohibit poaching and wildfires in the Forest Reserve. This will be done within the second quarter and resource persons will be drawn from forestry Commission, Fire service and NADMO.

1.6 Enforce Regulations on Hunting.

The project management committee will, among other functions enforce hunting regulations. This will be done throughout the project period.

1.7 Form and Register Hunters? Association.

All hunters in the project area will be registered to form a Hunters? Association. The Association will be a target group for education on wildfires, wildlife breeding, endangered wildlife species and hunting laws. The Association will be formed during the second quarter of the project.

1.8 Form 3 Wildfire Volunteer Squads and Train 90 members.

An Anti- wildfire Volunteer Squad will be formed to serve as a watchdog committee and ensure responsible environmental behavior. A training programme will be organized for them in fire fighting and first aid techniques. They will be issued ID cards and given Wallington boots. Resource persons will be drawn from GNFS, EPA and FSD. The squad will be formed and trained during the second quarter and refresher training will be organized annually.

Output. 2 50 ha of Togo Plateau BP63-BP64 Forest Reserve and 300 ha off-reserve restocked with indigenous species.

2.1 Establish Community Nursery.

The community nurseries would be expanded to 150,000-seedling capacity community nursery in Tepo to raise seedlings for replanting in the existing forest reserve and the new one that will be created. This will be carried out during the second quarter and resource persons will be drawn from EPA and FSD.

2.2 Restock the degraded areas within the Community Reserve.

The Mountain forest reserve would be rehabilitated through enrichment planting with seedlings from the community nursery. An additional 300-hectares community reserve adjoining the Reserve will be created and enrichment planting carried out. The Chiefs of the project area have set aside land for the establishment of the community reserve. Survey Department will be contracted to demarcate the reserve within the first quarter of the project.
The Project Management Committee (PMC) and Anti Wildfire Volunteer Squad will protect the reserve from wildfires, encroachers, and poachers. The community reserve will be created during the third quarter of the project.

2.3 Establish 15ha Multi-Purpose Woodlot.

A multi-purpose plantation for supply of woodfuel and timber will be established to reduce pressure on the forests for timber and domestic energy. Fast growing trees will be propagated in the woodlot whilst indigenous tree species will be encouraged on individual farms. Seeds of suitable forage species will provided by the project. The activity will be carried out within the third quarter of the project with resource persons from MOFA, and FSD.
Output. 3 At least 400 local farmers, youth and women trained in agro-forestry and agro-biodiversity farming methods.

3.1 Build the capacity 100 local farmers in soil fertility improvement technologies.

Training will be organized for 100 local farmers, youth and women in the project area to adopt appropriate methods of farming and incorporate soil management into farming. This will maintain soil fertility, increase yield per unit of land and reduce extensive clearings for farm expansion. This will be carried out during the second quarter with resource persons from MOFA.

3.2 Establish Agro forestry in Farms of Interested Farmers.

The project will encourage at least 200 farmers to establish agro forestry to improve soil fertility and reduce pressure on the forest for wood and non-wood products. This will take place during the third quarter with resource persons from MOFA, FSD and EPA

Output. 4 Alternative livelihood activities to support biodiversity conservation promoted.

4.1 Organize volunteers into groups and organize training workshops on bee-keeping and honey production, refining and packaging and micro-enterprise management for 80 participants.
4.2 Organize entrepreneurship and management skills training for 80 participants.
4.3 Organize field visits to best practiced modern bee hive production areas around Nkwanta District.
4.4 Train local artisans in the construction of langstrough bee hives
4.5 Provide micro credit as set-up capital for 80 beneficiaries to set up commercial apiaries for honey production.
4.6 Set up an honey refinery by installing multi purpose honey centrifuge machine that would refine and packaging purchased honey from over 200producers for sale
4.7 Promote market packaged honey by creating a market all over the country through advertising and distribution networks.