the project is about forest rehabilitation and conservation of the forests of Gwaunafau and Manaára communities in East Malaita, Malaita Province. The proposed areas for rehabilitation and conservation are under the legitimate control of the two communities through the Customary Land Tenure system which is the most commonly practiced system in Solomon Islands. The communities are the sole custodians and primary owners of these land areas, therefore have the responsibility to ensure that the natural resources within these areas are available for their future generations.

General objectives:

1. To rehabilitate the part of the forest that has been overharvested and conserve the existing forest from indiscriminate harvesting and other threats like logging operations and extensive agricultural activities that will further degrade its biodiversity.

2. To replenish the forest?s biodiversity in terms of the different animals and plants especially hard wood trees that will sustain future generations thereafter.

3. To provide opportunities for the communities to build their capacity in natural resource management and conservation through awareness and training workshops.

Components:

? To clearly demarcate the proposed area for forest rehabilitation and conservation.
? To provide awareness and training workshops for community members on forest rehabilitation and conservation.
? To build a nursery that will be transplanted to the rehabilitation area.
? To replant approximately 10 hectares of land with hard wood trees of different species.
? To set aside approximately 10 hectares of virgin forest for conservation and sustainable management.
Expected outputs:

The proposed project is expected to build the community?s capacity on forest resource management. It will also provide opportunities for ambitious community members especially youths who wish to venture into environment studies at SINU and other training opportunities offered in the country.