The main problem to be addressed by the Project is land degradation around natural water reservoirs and wetlands in Kinkangu and Tatala communities. The two communities lie within a four-kilometer stretch along a major annual stream. The nearest (Kinkangu) is approximately five (5) Kilometers from Bunkpurugu, the district capital. Tatala is nine (9) kilometers from Bunkpurugu. The people are predominantly peasant farmers?, dependant on the annual rains for the major crop cultivation activities. During the dry season, members of both communities engage in dry season vegetable production using water from natural water reservoirs. It is the improper ways in which they carry out these activities that now threaten the very source of their livelihood. This degradation has affected the watersheds and the ecologically important wetlands. With the steady deterioration of the watersheds, less water is now available for dry season gardening, which is a very important income generating activity for the people. The people are therefore becoming increasingly poorer as they continue to degrade the remaining fragile eco-systems for their survival.

The objectives of the project is to enhance the quality of life of the people through increased community involvement in watershed management, wetland conservation and restoration of the surrounding lands and vegetation, and to educate communities on sustainable management and use of natural resources. The specific objectives of the Project are as follows:
? To bring about a high level of awareness on the management of watersheds and wetlands in particular and other environmental problems of concern among the target communities
? To provide appropriate training as relates to sustainable natural resource use and management
? To bring about re-vegetation of the targeted degraded areas (watersheds and wetlands) through the enforcement of community rules and regulations that promote natural regeneration
? To bring about a reduction in tree felling for use as fuelwood through promotion of the establishment of woodlots
? To encourage water resource use planning and co-ordination of local activities
? To actually re-vegetate the degraded area (including enrichment planting in the wetlands) through establishment of woodlots (as source of fuelwood) and tree crop plantations
? To increase soil fertility through promotion and adoption of sustainable farming practices like green mulching, cover cropping and agro-forestry which should reduce the amount of land cleared for farming activities and
? Promotion of alternative livelihood activities like eco-tourism, and beekeeping within the target area

The outcome of the project intervention is a rehabilitated land in Kingkangu/Talala with a well functioning wetland which is contributing significantly to food security, environmental restoration and improvement in the quality of life of the people.

The expected outputs to achieve this outcome are:

? 85% of people within the target communities highly sensitized, aware and practising efficient bushfire control and prevention techniques, and various wetland conservation practices

? Local community-level rules and regulations on sustainable natural resource exploitation and use put in place in both target communities

? At least five people from each of the two target communities trained on tree nursery management and as awareness creation and communication co-coordinators.

? One community natural regeneration reserve of varying acreages demarcated and being managed in each community

? Sacred groves under effective collaborative management

? Five acres of woodlots established in each of the two communities

? 50% percent of farmers to be practising mulch and plant without burning (sustainable agriculture)

? Beekeeping associations formed and active in each target community and

? Eco-tourism potential of target communities developed

PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Result 1: 85% of people within the target communities highly sensitized, aware and practicing efficient bushfire control and prevention techniques, as well as wetland conservation
Planned Activities
Sensitizing target communities on the aims and objectives of the GEF assisted Project and carrying out community profile compilation. Under this sub-activity, participatory fora/durbars would be organized in the target communities where Design, Production and Implementation of targeted multi-media awareness creation programmes. Ignorance can be labeled as one of the main causes of the watershed and wetlands degradation problem being experienced within the target communities. In the light of the above, an aggressive participatory awareness creation and education process/programme needs to be developed and implemented to raise the consciousness level of people within the target communities in relation to wetland conservation. The concept of sustainable education, which is to be implemented under this program takes into consideration the ideas and aspirations of the target group. Through active participation in the whole process, members of the group are enabled and empowered to make informed decisions about their relationship with their environment.

The strategy to be implemented involves education of the target communities? on issues of watersheds and wetland conservation. The education, if well carried out will raise their level of awareness on wetland conservation. This awareness will arouse concern regarding importance of wetlands and its conservation. The whole concept of sustainable education is only successful if the relevant and proper channels are identified for the dissemination of the information. Some channels that are to be used for the information dissemination include: Radio, use of audio-visual (TV and Video), posters and Billboards. In all cases, the message to be passed across will dwell so much on watershed management, wetland conservation and environmental management. There will be a heavy reliance on the use of local languages as against English especially for the radio programmes. Special target groups to be considered are as follows:
? the different natural resource users (farmers, fuelwood user/housewives, hunters) in the communities
? the various interest groups like women?s or youth groupings
? educational institutions (school environmental clubs formation)
? religious groups (Christian /Islamic /traditional) and
? the general communities

Result 2: Local community-level rules and regulations on sustainable natural resource exploitation and management developed and documented

Planned Activities

To ensure sanity in the sustainable use and management of natural resources within the target communities, local rules and regulations to be administered by the chiefs and their elders must be developed and put in place. This would be achieved through participatory community fora and durbars to be organized where the people will be adequately animated to develop those rules and regulations themselves, with guidance from the project. The rules and regulations to be developed are to regulate indiscriminate bush burning, unsustainable tree harvesting practices, cultivation near water bodies and hunting and harvesting trees in the wetlands. The rules would be simple with clear penalties/fines. At the end of the Project, rules and regulations on various aspects of natural resource use would have been documented as well as being used within the target communities. Communities would be animated enough to enforce the rules and regulations. Penalties/fines imposed and collected would be managed and utilised by the elders in collaboration with the Community Natural Resource Management Committee (CNRMC) to be set up. A seven-member Community Natural Resource Management Committee (CNRMC) would be established and their capacities strengthened in each community to oversee all aspects of the Project management within the target communities. The committee would be the highest body on decision-making in relation to natural resource use and management. The committee would also act as the link between the Project Secretariat (PID) and the target communities.

Result 3: Five people from each of the two target communities trained on tree nursery management and as awareness creation and communication coordinators

Planned Activities

It is important to note that the target communities are going to be encouraged to promote natural regeneration as far as possible. Additionally, some amount of planting (enrichment in the wetlands and woodlot establishment) would have to be undertaken. Planting of tree crops would also be pursued as a direct form of poverty alleviation. In order to ensure regular and timely supply of all kinds of tree seedlings for planting purposes, it is recommended that a nursery be established at Kinkangu to supply seedlings to target communities. The nursery when established would be owned and managed by the community people.

In the light of the above, some selected community people would have to be trained in proper nursery management techniques by staff of the Forestry Services Division (FSD). A detailed course programme for their training would be prepared later.

Result 4 Natural regeneration reserves of varying acreages demarcated and being managed in each community

Planned Activities
As mentioned under Result 3 above, the promotion of natural regeneration is to constitute one of the main activities of the Project under consideration. This stems from the fact that with the kind of annual rainfall that is experienced in most parts of the country, efficient vegetation growth in the form of natural regeneration is capable of restoring/rehabilitating degraded areas only if necessary rules and regulations are in place to check the present unsustainable manner of natural resource use and management. Under this activity, fallow land areas ranging between ten (10) to fifteen (15) acres in each target community would be clearly demarcated and set aside as natural community reserves. It is on these reserved lands that the principles of natural regeneration would be put to use and practised. On these lands, the target communities would be assisted to control indiscriminate tree felling, bushfire and other negative activities/practices.

Result 5 Erosion Control activities

Planned Activities
Gully erosion has been the end result of the damaging manner in which land especially close to the stream banks have been used over the years. This needs to be controlled to save the stream and associated natural reservoirs from siltation and also protect the remaining land (both agricultural and the wetlands) from erosion. In the light of the above, various forms of erosion control measures would be undertaken in the communities. In particular, planting appropriate species and stone bunding would be carried out.

Result 6 Sacred groves under effective collaborative management

Planned Activities
Sacred groves within the various communities are sources of vital medicinal plants for treating all manner of ailments within the communities. However, the groves are under great threat as they are being degraded by bushfire and other unsustainable natural resource exploitation practices. The need to conserve and use resources from the groves efficiently cannot therefore be over-emphasized. A number of activities aimed at restoring the integrity of the groves would be undertaken. Some of these include:

? Enrichment planting within groves with indigenous species
? Buffer/green belt creation with appropriate fast growing exotic species
? Regulating harvesting and collection of resources; leaves, branches and barks of trees) from the groves and
? Effective and efficient bushfire control through the establishment and enforcement of community rules and regulations

Result 7: Five hectares of woodlots established in each of the three communities

Planned Activities

As part of the rehabilitation process, woodlots would be established in all the target communities to serve as source of fuel wood and poles for cooking and shelter/ construction respectively. This is aside of the other environmental benefits that the woodlots would be providing. Communities would also be assisted to nurse/procure and plant grafted improved varieties of mango (especially on farmlands given up for re-vegetation or restoration work) as direct poverty alleviation strategy.

Farmers would be assisted to practice agro-forestry with some leguminous species, which have the added advantage of fixing nitrogen and improving soil fertility aside being harvested as fuelwood on maturity. The rules and regulations to be developed would be applied strictly as far as the management of the woodlots are concerned.


Result 8: Watersheds and wetlands under effective collaborative management as a prerequisite for the development of eco-tourism

Planned Activities
Wetlands constitute an even more important biodiversity source in terms of both plant and animal species. The wetlands together with the dry season gardening activities of the people can make these communities a major destination for eco-tourism. Local rules and regulation would also be enforced here to prevent indiscriminate exploitation of the wetlands after re-vegetation with local and exotic species

Result 9: 50% percent of farmers to be practicing slash and mulch

In active collaboration with the Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), an aggressive farmer educational campaign would be carried out to create awareness among farmers on the positive aspects of the practice of cover cropping and green manuring. Farmers would also be interacted with to understand the negative effects of slash and burn so as to practise slash and mulch rather.