The aim of the project is to protect the biodiversity of Gumti National Park by collaboration between park authorities and communities. The park is located in the middle belt of the country where rainforest meets savanna. Gashaka is one of the GEF OP6 focal landscapes for Nigeria. The park is savanna in the north while the south is thickly forested with high levels of biodiversity. These forests form a critical watershed for the River Benue which sustains livelihoods of millions of people downstream. The park is located in one of the poorest parts of the country with villages inside it and on its edge, engaged in cattle herding, farming and petty trading. As result of poverty, the park is threatened by illegal cattle grazing, poaching and logging. Park rangers are poorly equipped and unable to counter these threats while community liaison has ceased. This project will help protect the park by incentivizing partnership with communities recognizing that they need to benefit economically from the presence of the park and its forests. The total project budget is $97,124 of which $46,260 is requested from GEF SGP. Counterpart funding is confirmed and will come from Ford Foundation and Azura Power West Africa.
The project will address logging, poaching and illegal cattle grazing in the park by incentivizing communities to work with the rangers to tackle these. Activities will include:
? Baseline survey to identify community needs and women?s groups to sustainably harvest Shea nuts and Dawadawa and to assess the stocking density of these trees in the forests.
? Renovation of a project base/communications equipment for project staff and communities.
? Establishment of joint community/park ranger patrols to prevent, logging, poaching.
Goal: To protect the biodiversity of Gashaka Gumti National Park by incentivizing partnerships with local communities in Taraba and Adamawa States. Activities include Baseline survey in 8 of the communities to identify community needs, women?s groups for sustainable harvesting of shea nuts and dawadawa and to assess stocking density of these in the forests; Baseline survey of the status of biodiversity within the Park and the associated threats to their survival; Renovation of project base/communications equipment for use by project staff and communities; Establishment of joint community/park ranger patrols in areas of mutual interest to prevent logging, poaching and illegal cattle grazing; Develop or improve tourism potentials of the Park; Develop strategy for revenue generation from community harvested shea nuts and dawadawa developed