Problem Statement:

The Nkonya Traditional Area has a unique mountain ecosystem which provides home to most rare and endangered species in the country including keystones species like olive colobus, lowe and spoted nosed monkeys, Africa civet (Civettictis civetta), Odum and Celtis. Unfortunately unsustainable practices such as hunting, bush burning, indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal production and fuel wood, illegal chain saw operations for timber production has rendered the area almost a desert. All the mountain tops have been removed causing serious erosion on the slopes of the mountain. There seems to be no control on the management of the natural resources and it is even feared that many rare species on the mountain top will get extinct before they are even discover in other areas.

Unfortunately, the unregulated exploitation of natural resources to satisfy socio-economic needs has resulted in deforestation, destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity and serious resources depleting in the Nkonya communities and its environs. Over the last two years there has been landslide after heavy rainfall.

A cooperative group was initiated by Support Services Foundation which attracted Chiefs, Opinion Leaders and other people in the Nkonya community to diagnosis the problem and find solutions with the participation of UNDP, GEF/SGP which was successfully done. The Chiefs and people of the area promise their support for the programme. Community-based training plays a crucial role in the movement for social change. It is the primary tools for conscientising the poor towards organizing themselves to take actions necessary for their emancipation and development.

In a society marred by poverty and social injustice, varying development efforts are focused on addressing various issues, with main strategies focusing on conscientisation and organization. Likewise, training and education in these societies come in various forms and are determine by the political, economic, social and cultural conditions of the community.

Given the reality faced in their projects by development organizations with limited funding and resources, development programmes often revolve on specific issues and concerns of a particular community or sector. With this limitation, coupled with the lead agency’s accountability to its donor agency, emphasis is given to the effective implementation of the project, which is equally as important as the project’s intended result.

It is against this background that Support Services Foundation has taken the initiative to mobilize the people to restore and conserve biodiversity in the area.

3.2 MAIN OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the project is to restore forest cover and conserve the biodiversity of the Nkonya Wurupong and Tepo degraded lands for the socio-economic transformation of the people.

3.3 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To promote community-led sustainable land and natural resource management to conserve wildlife, indigenous medicinal plants and increase forest cover in the area 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.

2.4 Project Justification:

The project is in line with GEF’s efforts to conserve biodiversity and protect international water bodies for the socio – economic development of the people. 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 National Tourists Board’s efforts to promote tourism for the development of the people. Besides, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council in collaboration with all districts in the region has launched vigorous campaign against wildfires and all its forms to protect the environment to alleviate the poverty of the people. The Ministry of Lands and Forestry and EPA have encouraged all communities to preserve the environment to increase the fertility and subsequent crop yield for food security. Globally the project will help reduce green house gases generated from the cooking with biomass, which is the main source of wood fuel for majority in the world. As such the project will help minimize climate change.

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

3.0 EXPECTED OUTPUTS:

The intended results of the project are:

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 400 farmers in four communities.
2. Togo Plateau BP63-BP65 Forest Reserve and off reserve restocked.
3. Appropriate farming methods adopted by 200 farmers in the project area.
4. Alternative livelihoods in Bread Making, Batik Tie and Dye, and bee-keeping practiced.

4.0 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 400 farmers in four communities.

4.1.1 Organize community fora for chiefs, queen mothers and other stakeholders.

The project will organize community fora in four communities in the Nkonya traditional area 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 at Nkonya Wurupong.

4.1.2 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 Nkonya for the project management team. The Volta Regional branch of the EPA will provide resource persons for this exercise.


4.1.3 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 management 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 Council, Jasikan District Assembly, and EPA-Volta Region.

4.1.4 Organize film show in ten Nkonya communities on bush fire prevention and its effects on the environment as a means of creating awareness.

4.1.5 Enact Community Rules and Regulations to govern the community forests.

The chiefs 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 Nkonya Reserve. This will be done within the second quarter and resource persons will be drawn from Department of Wildlife.

4.1.6 Enforce regulations on hunting.

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


4.1.7 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.

4.1.8 Form 4 Wildfire Volunteer Squads and train 120 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 Togo Plateau BP63-BP65 Forest Reserve restocked.

4.2.1 Establish Community Nursery.

120,000-seedling capacity community nursery will be established in Nkonya Ahenkro 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.

4.2.2 Restock of degraded areas within the community reserve.

The Nkonya forest reserve would be rehabilitated through enrichment planting with seedlings from the community nursery. An additional 300-hectares reserve will be created and enrichment planting carried out. The Chiefs of the project area will set aside land for the establishment of the 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.

4.2.3 Establish 15ha multi-purpose woodlot.

A multi-purpose plantation for supply of wood fuel 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 trained in appropriate farming methods and alternative livelihoods.

4.3.1 Build the capacity of 400 farmers in soil fertility improvement technologies.

Training will be organized for 400 farmers 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.

4.3.2 Establish agro-forestry in farms of interested farmers.

The project will encourage at least 80 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.

4.4.1 Organize volunteers into groups and organize two day workshop on bee-keeping and micro-credit.
4.4.2 Organize entrepreneur and management skills training in Batik, Tie & Dye and beabs for 40 participants.
4.4.3 Provide micro credit as set-up capital for beneficiaries.