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Saving Kafuga Forest

20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests Global Trees Campaign

Mali’s Trees 4 Livelihoods

Fruit-full Communities

Protecting Tanzania’s Miombo Woodlands

JournalAutumn 2016 VOLUME 73

International Tree Foundation

FARMER MANAGED NATURAL REGENERATION IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST BARBE

Introduction

While the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable

Development Goals have generally been welcomed

as a step in the right direction we are still waiting for

any practical sign that the necessary resources will be

provided or actions taken to begin to implement these

commitments. In a year where month on month the

planet has experienced record temperatures, will these

turn out to be just more hot air?

At International Tree Foundation we have set our own

ambitious target for our Centenary Campaign to work

with local communities to plant 20 Million Trees for Kenya’s

Forests by 2024. We need to raise £4 million to turn this

into reality. Thanks to the generous help of existing and

new supporters we have been able to start phase one in

Mount Kenya Forest and you can read about what our

partner, Mount Kenya Environmental Conservation, has

achieved over the first 9 months on page 6.

We also faced an unexpected challenge this year when one of our

Ugandan partners, Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda

(PROBICOU), told us that they could not continue with the forest

restoration project we were funding as there was a threat to cut down

the entire forest! Although the delightfully named Kafuga Pocket Forest is

small at just 250 hectares, it plays a crucial role for local communities and

acts as a buffer for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Following discussions

with PROBICOU and other local organisations we agreed to launch a

campaign and set up a petition (something we have never done before) to

persuade the Minister of Environment in Uganda to protect Kafuga Forest.

We were delighted when Rainforest Rescue also launched a petition which

quickly gathered over 160,000 signatures. Most importantly, the forest has

been saved for now and, thanks to our crowdfunding campaign, we can

continue to support PROBICOU’s efforts to ensure a forest conservation

plan is agreed and implemented. They will then be able to continue

with the original plan to restore the forest with 30,000 indigenous trees.

PROBICOU’s Director, Robert, writes about saving Kafuga Forest on page 4.

In the UK, we are a partner in a new programme called Fruit-full

Communities, working with Learning through Landscapes, YMCA England

and The Orchard Project. This is a really important and interesting initiative

that widens our education work with young people. You can find out

more on page 20.

Andy Egan Chief Executive Officer, International Tree Foundation

Heading in the right direction?

IN THIS ISSUE 3 Foreword

4 Work on saving Kafuga Forest begins

5 The legacy of a lady, a friend and a colleague

6 Six months and 240,000 seedlings are taking root

9 Global Trees Campaign

11 Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

13 Book: A Group Photograph

16 Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker

18 Food security in Mali’s dryland villages

20 Young people gain fruit-full skills

22 Quantifying effective fire management in Tanzania

26 Get involved

PATRONHis Royal Highness the Prince of WalesFOUNDERDr Richard St Barbe Baker OBEPRESIDENT Professor Sir Ghillean Prance VICE PRESIDENTSProfessor Julian EvansEdward Green MBESusan HampshireThe Earl of LindsayWilliam E Matthews OBE

CHAIRTimothy HornsbyVICE CHAIRProfessor Roger LeakeyTRUSTEESRichard DenyerMichael HoareKate SchreckenburgDavid GoreMaria GrecnaJamie HollowayMardi McBrienBland TomkinsonCHIEF EXECUTIVEAndy Egan

EDITORNaomi Hope and Misty OosthuizenDESIGN Rather Fine DesignPRINTBucks (TVP)MAILING HOUSE Bucks (TVP)

International Tree FoundationMayfield House256 Banbury RoadOxford OX2 7DETelephone:01865 318836Email:info@international treefoundation.orgwww.international treefoundation.orgRegistered Charity number 1106269

Like us on FacebookInternational Tree FoundationFollow us on Twitter@ITF_Worldwide

Trees is published by International Tree Foundation (ITF), a registered charity (no. 1106269). The opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect ITF policy and ITF does not hold itself responsible for any of those opinions. Trees is printed on recycled paper.

Autumn 2016

2

The convention in modern

agriculture, especially in the

industrial countries of the world,

is to consider that land should

be cleared for farming because

trees are not compatible with

highly productive food production.

However, convention isn’t always

based on fact. The scientific

evidence is that trees actually

play a critical role in maintaining

a naturally functioning on-

farm ecosystem, critical for the

maintenance of soil fertility and

health; important for weed, pest

and disease control, and for

processes like insect pollination –

all of which increase productivity

without the need to buy chemical substitutes.

Increased productivity is of course crucial if we are to

feed the growing world population. So, the fact we

now know that we can do this in ways that are good

for the environment is positive news. Better still, is that

these new tree crops produce traditionally-important

food and medicinal products such as fruits, nuts and

leaves, which stimulate local markets and new business

which can raise people out of poverty. This is especially

important in the tropics and sub-tropics where the vast

majority of farmers have to feed and provide all the

day-to-day needs of their families with a daily income

of about £1. Furthermore, they have to do this on an

area of seriously degraded land that is typically less

Foreword

This issue’s contributorsJULIAN WANJA

Julian is Project Manager for

Mount Kenya Environment

Conservation, our partner for

20 Million Trees in Kenya’s

Forests (page 6).

JASPER MAKALA

Jasper is CEO of Mpingo

Conservation & Development

Initiative, a successful

community-based organisation

in Tanzania (page 22)

CAMILLA ALLEN

Camilla is a PHD student at

Sheffield University researching

the work of Richard St. Barbe

Baker (page 16).

PIERRE DEMBELE

Pierre is Executive Director

of Sahel Eco, working in the

drylands of Mali (page 18).

than 4-5 acres. On top of all this, planting trees

is a way to lock-up carbon in the vegetation

and its associated healthy soils, so slowing the

events leading to climate change.

By supporting these tree-based farming systems

in Africa, International Tree Foundation is at

the forefront of efforts to create a better, fairer,

more productive and sustainable agriculture.

The health of our planet will also benefit

if climate change can be slowed or even

halted. ITF is also helping to create new and

appropriate businesses based on new tree

products that most of us have never even heard

of. If we can achieve all this, then we will also

be helping to reverse deforestation by creating

productive wildlife-friendly farm land, and so

conserving the small remaining areas of natural

forest and woodlands.

ITF’s field programme in Africa is growing –

currently we have 19 projects in 9 countries

and we have recently launched our Centenary

Campaign to plant 20 million trees in the

highlands of Kenya by 2024. This issue of trees

will give you an insight into the work of ITF

and our partners which is based on the philosophy

of building from the grassroots and supporting and

investing in local communities who are striving to

protect and restore the land on which they live.

There is a big challenge to raise awareness and to

change the mind-set of many policy and decision-

makers around the world who do not understand

the important role of trees in sustaining healthy

ecosystems rich in biodiversity.

Please play your part by supporting ITF in all its work.

Professor Roger Leakey Vice Chair, International Tree Foundation

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

3

Kafuga Forest

Work on saving Kafuga Forest begins

Kafuga Pocket Forest is an area of astounding beauty about 35km from Kisoro town at the Southern point of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in South Western Uganda.

Kafuga Pocket Forest lies in one of the country’s most

densely populated rural areas. Almost all households

use firewood as a source of energy and use the forest

for products such as stakes, poles, beehives, ropes and

pasture for cattle. Kafuga Forest acts as a catchment

for streams and rivers that serve the local community.

Kafuga Forest was never included in the Bwindi

Impenetrable National Park when this was established,

and has long suffered from over-exploitation and lack

of management.

Earlier this year, we became aware of a plan to cut the

entire forest down and turn it into a tea plantation.

This would have a devastating knock-on effect for the

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to an incredible

biodiversity, including many rare birds and near-extinct

mammals. Bwindi is notably home to 400 of the

880 remaining mountain gorillas in the wild. Local

people are dependent on the forest, and would have

no choice but to start using the Bwindi Impenetrable

forest for their day-to-day needs.

Thanks to generous donations and to the efforts of local

community members to halt forest clearance, PROBICOU

(Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda) can now

begin the slow process of helping the community to

protect, manage and eventually restore Kafuga.

Restoring Kafuga Forest

PROBICOU is working with local farming communities,

agencies and government to agree on what is best for

the forest and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

Before restoration work can begin, PROBICOU is

mobilising the community – more than 600 of whom

have petitioned the local government, claiming their

right to public ownership of Kafuga Forest. They’ll

need to get the support of the local council (who

own the forest) and state agencies like the Ugandan

Wildlife Authority and the Ugandan Forest Authority.

The work doesn’t stop there, PROBICOU will need to

lobby the central government for support, develop a

community forest management plan and ensure it is

approved by local authorities – because without their

approval, nothing will move forwards.

Following this, the forest boundaries need to be

mapped out in detail (with help from Rainforest

Rescue). Then there’s the matter of a training plan to

ensure the community’s engagement, responsibility

and accountability. Meanwhile PROBICOU is also

helping local farmers improve their livelihoods through

activities such as passion fruit farming and beekeeping.

Robert Tumwesigye, PROBICOU project manager in

Uganda tells us “when the forest is finally restored, the

communities will benefit from environmentally friendly

activities like fruit growing, bee-keeeping and

eco-tourism and their income will be improved.”

It’s an ambitious plan, but a very worthy challenge.

Autumn 2016

4

In memory of Dorothy Freeland

The legacy of a lady, a friend and a colleague

Have you seen our new website? It’s tablet and mobile friendly! If you spot something wrong let us know and we’ll send you an ITF pen with our thanks!


In June this year, ITF received

a generous gift from a

lady called Miss Dorothy

Freeland, who had left us

this money as part of her

estate. Dorothy was a

member of the International

Tree Foundation branch in

Northern Ireland. Her dear

friend, Mrs Willa Robinson

sent us a beautiful eulogy

which was read at Dorothy’s

funeral. Extracts of which

we’d like to share with you.

Dorothy was born in Belfast on 8 January 1933 and later moved

to Dublin where she attended Wesley College, Dublin University.

She obtained an Honours Degree in History and Political Science,

furthering her studies at Trinity College, Dublin, before starting a

career as a teacher.

She began teaching in 1956 in Armagh and was later appointed

Head of History in Enniskillen in 1960. In 1966, she accepted

several short-term contracts and left for St Hilda’s in Jamaica,

where during school holidays she would visit other islands in the

Caribbean like St Kitts, Barbados and Trinidad.

Dorothy decided to return to Ireland and took up a post at the

Queen’s University as Ashby Librarian, and later transferred to

Omagh College. She enjoyed working as a librarian and studied

for the Diploma in Information and Library Science at Queen’s

University. Dorothy remained at Omagh College until she retired

in 1992.

Have you thought about leaving a legacy?

Turn to page 26 to find out how you can leave a legacy for generations to come.


5

Xyxy yxy yyxy yyxy yxyxy

Six months and

240,000 seedlings are taking root

20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests

Take a look at this snap shot from the survey

It’s been over six months since the launch of International Tree Foundation’s 20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests Campaign in March this year.

Getting in touch with the community

Julian and her team undertook

a household survey to better

understand the needs of the local

community. Based on the results,

MKEC can ensure not only that

the slopes of Mount Kenya are

reforested, but that the families

receive trees to plant on their

smallholdings, increasing household

income and improving soil quality

and nutrition.

Ƅ Grevillea = timber, fuelwood, soil improvement, micro-climate improvement = better crop yields

Ƅ Cordia, Vitex, Croton, Markhamia = fine native trees with similar uses to Grevillea

What do these trees do?

Name AgeHouse-

hold size

Number of cattle

Number of

chickens

Size of land

farmed (acres)

How many more

trees do you plan to plant?

Choice of tree to plant A

Choice of tree to plant B

Choice of tree to plant C

Augustine Njiru Njue 50 2 0 5 1.2 10 Avocadoes Passion fruits Grafted mangoes

Brigit Ciamati 64 5 1 3 2.5 10 Cordia Croton Grafted mangoes

Elias Ireri 50 5 1 5 0.5 10 Avocadoes Passion fruits Grafted mangoes

Angelica Muthanje 54 9 1 2 0.5 15 Grevillea Calliandra Acrocarpus

Consolata Wambui 74 8 1 18 1.5 100 Grevillea Calliandra Acrocarpus

Gilbert Gitonga 42 5 1 5 0.5 30 Grevillea Acrocarpus Markhamia

Justa Ciamwari 70 11 2 10 3 100 Grevillea Vitex Cordia

Lenity Ciambaka 64 6 2 7 2 20 Grevillea Avocadoes Mangoes

Lewa Njagi 85 6 1 4 5 100 Grevillea Tree tomatoes Acrocarpus

M’kenya Murua 78 13 5 40 2 50 Grevillea Calliandra Calliandra

Peter Mugambi Mugo 30 1 2 4 0.4 20 Grevillea Croton Cordia

Aiming to plant 20 Million Trees by 2024, the project

will conserve Kenya’s highland forests, which are

known as ‘Water Towers’ for the vital role they play

in conserving the country’s rivers, lakes and drinking

water. The initiative will also help combat climate

change and protect forest habitats for rare birds and

mammals – while improving food security for some of

Africa’s most vulnerable people.

The Mount Kenya Forest Landscape Restoration

Project is the first phase in the campaign, aiming to

restore the forested upper slopes of Embu County,

to the South-East of the Mount Kenya National

Park. Communities living in the area whose main

agricultural crops include tea and coffee, are keen to

restore damaged parts of the forest and to plant more

trees on their own land.

Ms Julian Wanja, Project Manager for Mount Kenya

Environmental Conservation (MKEC), who is running

the project on the ground, explained their work so

far. “We have identified six community groups and

trained them in tree nursery establishment, seed

collection and gathering wildings – wild seedlings -

from the forest.”

Tree planting takes place in the rainy seasons in

November and April. “So far, over 350 participants

from local Self-help Groups and Community Forest

Associations are involved in growing seedlings”, says

Julian. “We are growing indigenous species which are

very important for restoring natural ecosystems and

are a link to our cultural heritage”.

Autumn 2016

6

My 20 Trees and Me – Growing up Together

Another part of the 20 Million

Trees Campaign is My 20

Trees and Me – Growing up

Together. This school greening

project aims at nurturing

Kenya’s tree planting and

forest conservation culture, and

involving young people over

the duration of the 10 year

campaign. The children from

the first six schools selected are

aged 7 or 8 this year. They will

each plant 20 trees and take

care of them with their class

mates until they leave school.

Photographs taken every year

will show how the children

and their trees are growing up

together, and will provide an

opportunity for them to tell

their stories as their landscape

gradually changes.

Achievements so far

The team have raised over

240,000 seedlings – both

indigenous and agroforestry

species. Six schools are

participating in the ‘My 20

Trees and Me: Growing up

Together’ initiative, and 350

group participants are actively

involved in tending for the

seedlings in nurseries.

What has been hardest and how did you overcome the challenge?

Julian says it’s been tricky getting

to some of the remote areas

due to poor roads, but thanks

to some motorbikes – nothing

stops them now!

Ƅ Calliandra = fodder, fuel, nitrogen fixing = soil fertility and better crop yields

Ƅ Acrocarpus = very fast growing tree for fuelwood, shade, poles and soil improvement

Ƅ Fruit trees for nutritious food and income from fruit sales

What do these trees do?

Name AgeHouse-

hold size

Number of cattle

Number of

chickens

Size of land

farmed (acres)

How many more

trees do you plan to plant?

Choice of tree to plant A

Choice of tree to plant B

Choice of tree to plant C

Augustine Njiru Njue 50 2 0 5 1.2 10 Avocadoes Passion fruits Grafted mangoes

Brigit Ciamati 64 5 1 3 2.5 10 Cordia Croton Grafted mangoes

Elias Ireri 50 5 1 5 0.5 10 Avocadoes Passion fruits Grafted mangoes

Angelica Muthanje 54 9 1 2 0.5 15 Grevillea Calliandra Acrocarpus

Consolata Wambui 74 8 1 18 1.5 100 Grevillea Calliandra Acrocarpus

Gilbert Gitonga 42 5 1 5 0.5 30 Grevillea Acrocarpus Markhamia

Justa Ciamwari 70 11 2 10 3 100 Grevillea Vitex Cordia

Lenity Ciambaka 64 6 2 7 2 20 Grevillea Avocadoes Mangoes

Lewa Njagi 85 6 1 4 5 100 Grevillea Tree tomatoes Acrocarpus

M’kenya Murua 78 13 5 40 2 50 Grevillea Calliandra Calliandra

Peter Mugambi Mugo 30 1 2 4 0.4 20 Grevillea Croton Cordia


7

Mount Kenya Environmental Conservation

A bit about Julian

Julian loves spending time around

children. She enjoys travelling and

exploring the world and discovering

all the different trees and plants.

Julian longs to see Kenyan wildlife

and endangered species return to

how they once were. She loves

her work and is known for her

enthusiasm and perseverance in

achieving her goals.

Why the good work must continue

Only 7% of Kenya is covered

by trees which equates to 67

trees per person compared to a

global average of 420. It’s one of

the countries most affected by

deforestation in Africa.

MKEC and the local community

groups work hand in hand with

the Kenya Forest Service and the

Community Forest Association.

Without their efforts, Julian says

that “most degraded areas within

Mount Kenya Forest will not be

restored, water volumes in rivers will continue to

decline, biodiversity and threatened species will not

recover”. Furthermore, she adds “the impact of

climate change will continue to affect the region, and

communities will continue to invade the forest for

timber, firewood and charcoal”.

“At the end of the project we want to see Kenyan

forest cover increase to 10%. We want to ensure all

degraded areas are restored within the five key ‘Water

Towers’ in Kenya, creating a habitat for wild animals

and reducing human-wildlife conflicts. With 20 million

trees planted across the whole country, 400,000 tons

of carbon will be sequestered.”

Plan for 2017

Ƅ Enable 1,500 vulnerable households of on average 5 people to plant fruit trees and agroforestry trees to help increase income in Embu County.

Ƅ Support the development of agroforestry, improving farm productivity, nutrition and food security.

Ƅ Improve agriculture practices including kitchen gardening, composting, use of green manure and nitrogen fixing species to reduce reliance on inorganic fertiliser.

Ƅ Support the creation of forest-friendly income generating activities such as beekeeping and fish farming.

Ƅ Train community tree nursery groups to produce high value products such as grafted fruit trees, that will be a source of income and will sustain nursery operations.

Ƅ Work towards long-term impacts of improved water catchments and healthy forest and farm ecosystems.

Autumn 2016

8

Global Trees Campaign

1.To identify and prioritise the tree species of greatest conservation concern

To empower partners and practitioners to undertake effective conservation for threatened trees

3. 4.To mobilise other groups to act for threatened trees

2.To ensure that the world’s most threatened tree species are protected with populations recovering in the wild through conservation action

A bit about Kirsty Shaw:

Kirsty is Head of Ecological

Restoration and Tree Conservation

at BGCI. She has worked on the

Global Trees Campaign for four

years and is responsible for tree

conservation projects in Africa.


Saving the World’s Threatened TreesWritten by Kirsty Shaw: Botanic Gardens Conservation International

What is Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)?

BGCI is the world’s largest plant

conservation network, comprising

more than 500 botanic gardens in

100 countries. BGCI is a partner

in ITF’s Centenary Campaign – 20

Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests.

They help Julian and the MKEC

team to carry out site assessments,

and train them on forest restoration

and tree seed collection methods.

Over 9,600 tree species are threatened with extinction. Of greater concern, over 1,900 trees are critically endangered, and are likely to become extinct unless urgent action is taken to save them.

Despite the huge range of economic,

ecological and cultural values that different

trees provide, very few conservation

programmes deliver targeted conservation

action for threatened tree species.

The Global Trees Campaign aims to prevent

all tree species extinctions in the wild,

ensuring their benefits for people, wildlife

and the wider environment.

The Global Trees Campaign (GTC) is a

partnership between two international

conservation organisations: Botanic Gardens

Conservation International (BGCI) and Fauna

& Flora International (FFI). FFI works with

more than 500 partners in 40 countries,

including local NGOs and community groups.

The combined and complementary expertise

and the sites that GTC partners hold result in

a powerful force for tree conservation.

The Global Trees Campaign has four objectives:


9


Identifying and prioritising the tree species of greatest conservation concern

Effective conservation of threatened trees depends

on accurate information about their distribution,

population size and threats. To date, there is no world

list of tree species. GTC is working on a list of all of the

world’s tree species that will be complete with country-

level distributions by the end of 2016.

GTC Specialist Group carries out conservation

assessments for tree species which are published on

the International Union for Conservation of Nature

and Natural Resources’ (IUCN) Threatened Species

Red List. GTC aims to have conservation assessments

for all tree species uploaded through the Global Tree

Assessment system by 2020. In addition, GTC identifies

which threatened trees are represented (or absent) from

botanic gardens, arboreta and seed banks - collectively

referred to as “ex situ” collections.

By identifying the distribution of tree species, their

conservation status both in the wild and in ex

situ collections, we identify which trees should be

prioritised for conservation action. This work not

only underpins the rest of the GTC programme,

it also guides the tree conservation work of other

conservation organisations around the world.

Ensuring that the world’s most threatened tree species are protected with populations recovering in the wild

We carry out direct and practical conservation

interventions for identified trees of highest conservation

concern. We work in collaboration with botanic gardens,

arboreta, conservation NGOs, and protected area

managers to identify and implement conservation to

avoid tree species extinctions. We currently have active

practical projects with partners in over 20 countries,

implementing conservation actions for more than 50 of

the world’s most threatened trees. In each project we

run trials, new approaches and develop a model that can

be replicated by other conservation partners for more

threatened trees.

Empowering partners and practitioners to undertake effective conservation for threatened trees

We support our growing network of partners to

develop the technical skills and knowledge required

to conserve threatened trees. We deliver training

programmes to project partners and local communities,

and facilitate links between tree conservation experts

and the people managing the sites where threatened

trees exist. We also make a wide range of resources

available to freely download from our website:

www.globaltrees.org/resources

Mobilising other groups to act for threatened trees

With over 9,600 trees threatened with extinction,

there’s a lot of work to do! Though trees offer us

medicine, timber, food, and a host of ecological and

cultural values, they are often under-valued, even by

the conservation sector. Many species are also slow-

growing which means that conservation efforts need

time to come into fruition.

GTC works to inspire others to consider threatened

trees, targeting conservation institutions that don’t

have a specific focus on threatened trees to include

them in their projects, reaching out to policy makers

and funders, and encouraging everyone to have a

wider appreciation of the value of trees for people and

the planet, and the need for their conservation.

Keen to find out more about the world’s threatened trees and our work to prevent them going extinct? Visit our website to find out more!

www.globaltrees.org

Magnolia omeiensis, assessed as Critically Endangered in the updated Red List of Magnoliaceae (BGCI, 2016). Credit: Li Cehong.

Autumn 2016

10

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration – the treasure lies dormant beneath your feet Written by Tony Rinaudo, Principal Advisor

Natural Resources for World Vision

There’s a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Tony Rinaudo, Principal Advisor Natural Resources for World Vision, couldn’t agree more.

An Australian missionary in Niger, with a new way of thinking

In the 1980s, Tony Rinaudo left his native Australia

to work as a missionary in Niger. Tony discovered

what he called an underground forest, a deep root

system which allowed shrubs to regrow into trees

when pruned properly. Tony persuaded a number of

farmers, despite the scepticism of the custom in Niger,

to start cultivating the root systems underneath the

Sahel’s barren soil, firstly into shrubs which re-sprouted

through pruning and then into trees.

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), as

the process became known, contradicted the existing

techniques of cleaning the land, digging holes and

trying to grow trees in the drought-endemic area of the

Sahel belt. “Most people thought I was a mad, white

farmer” Tony says, when he began his regeneration of

old root systems. But as his efforts began to yield trees,

news of the success of his techniques began to spread

from farm to farm, and trees reforested the area whilst

crops grew in their shade. Thirty years later, FMNR has

spread to over five million hectares and the changes

can be seen from space.

Reasons for the rapid spread

The benefits of FMNR quickly became apparent and

farmers themselves became the chief proponents as

they talked amongst themselves. FMNR can directly

alleviate poverty, rural migration, chronic hunger and

even famine in a wide range of rural settings.

Villagers experimented, project staff who lived in the

villages were supportive, teaching, encouraging and

standing alongside farmers when disputes or theft of

trees occurred. This support was crucial, particularly in the

early days when there was much opposition to FMNR.

As trees began to colonise the land again, excited

government forestry agents nominated lead farmers

and even project staff for regional and national

awards. Often these nominees won prizes, lifting the

profile of FMNR. As news began to spread, national

and international NGOs, church and mission groups

received training and began promoting the method

across Niger.


11

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

Future challenges

Further investigation is still needed into various

technical aspects, such as the most beneficial spacing,

species mix, age to harvest, or type of harvesting,

for specific purposes. What most entities working

in reforestation have failed to recognise is that vast

areas of cleared agricultural land in Africa retain an

“underground forest” of living stumps and roots.

Consequently, millions of dollars have been spent on

unsuccessful tree planting schemes.

By simply changing agricultural practices, this

underground forest can re-sprout, at little cost, rapidly

and with great beneficial impact. Ironically, the success

of FMNR has emboldened some farmers to plant

certain valued species of trees which will not appear

through regeneration and to take the extra care

required to succeed.

To find out more please go to the contact page of the

FMNR Hub:

http://fmnrhub.com.au/contact-us/

A bit about Tony:

Growing up in beautiful North East Victoria, Australia Tony always loved

the bush. His extended playground was the rolling tree covered hills,

complete with abandoned mining caves just 100m from his front gate.

He fondly recalls visiting a farmer friend of his father one day who was

working in his farm shed. As they approached him, Tony was lured

by a large pile of books on the floor in the middle of the man’s shed –

being a keen reader and already having a love for trees. Tony flipped

through a few books and picked up two of interest: I Planted Trees and

Sahara Challenge, both by Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker. Borrowing them, he

read them cover to cover and was spellbound by the stories. An inner

conviction grew in Tony that he and his wife would do something along

those lines in Australia.

What is FMNR exactly?

Farmer managed natural regeneration is a cheap and rapid method of re-vegetation, which can be applied over large areas of land and can be adapted to a range of land use systems. It’s simple and can be adapted to each individual farmer’s unique requirements, providing multiple benefits to people, livestock, crops and the environment, including physical, economic and social benefits to humans.

Through managing natural regeneration, farmers can control their own resources without depending on externally funded projects or needing to buy expensive inputs (seed, fertilizers, nursery supplies) from suppliers. Its beauty lies in its simplicity and accessibility to even the poorest farmers, and once it has been accepted, it takes on a life of its own, spreading from farmer to farmer, by word of mouth.

Autumn 2016

12

A Group Photograph

A Group Photograph - Before, Now & In-Between

Andrew Tatham is author of this marvelous book about the 8th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, with a curious link to ITF… Writer and artist, Andrew has spent the

last 21 years researching what really

happened to all 46 men pictured above

and his findings are recorded in this book

through words and photographs. They

were also part of a major Art and History

exhibition at In Flanders’ Fields Museum

in Ypres last year.

The process led him not just to the family

trees of the men in the battalion, but also

to the Men of Trees and ITF. The roots

and branches of the Group Photograph

project connected with ITF through a man

called Donald Fenwick Stileman, pictured

in the above photograph (number 20).

Tatham tells us how Stileman was

wounded at his first action in Loos, only

to return to the Battalion in January

1916 to take a bullet in his right arm on

the Somme…that left him with what he

termed a “dud hand.”

Of all the stories he traced, it was Stileman’s

that Tatham found most inspiring. After the

war, the veteran switched from studying

history to forestry, and subsequently

dedicated his life to trees, working for

the Indian Forestry Service and then the

Forestry Commission in the UK.

Tatham was struck by the similarities

between Stileman and our founder, Richard

St. Barbe Baker who also fought and was

wounded in the First World War before

establishing Men of the Trees. Tracing our

organisation’s own genealogy, Tatham

recently sent ITF a generous donation

towards the Save Kafuga Forest campaign

and has pledged 10% of the money from

his book sales in further support.

About Andrew Tatham’s book

The Book ‘A Group Photograph

- Before, Now & In-Between’

tells the stories of the men in this

group photograph - not just their

shared history in the First World

War but also the bigger picture of

their families before the War and

through to the present day.

The book is large-format to do

justice to the pictures (and

there are over 2000 pictures

in the book)

£21.80 BUY THE BOOK www.groupphoto.co.uk

“ So interesting, your ‘Group Photograph’. So well researched & produced” - Michael Morpurgo

“ The book really is a glorious achievement and completely fascinating” - Gyles Brandreth


13

Much of today’s medicine contains extracts from forest plants, some of which could be irretrievably lost through deforestation.

Forests are a largely untapped medical resource

30.8% of the earth’s surface is forests1, which is an average of 6,200 m2 per capita2

What is Agroforestry?Agroforestry is a farming method combining trees with crops. This often improves soil fertility as the trees provide nitrogen releasing nutrients that the crops need to grow. It’s a win/win!

Sources Key:

1 World Bank 2 FAO 3 www.rainforestconservation.org 4 www.tropicalforestnetwork.com/biodiversity-02.html

5 nature.org 6 WWF 7 UN (world forest day) 8 Vital forest graphics: http://www.unep.org/vitalforest 9 conservation.org

l 1,300,000 square km of forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2015 globally1

l 1/2 of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years due to the transition from natural vegetation to agriculture6

l 1.2 billion people rely on agroforestry farming systems that help to sustain agricultural productivity and generate income1

l On a global scale, vegetation and soils are estimated to trap 2.6 gigatonnes of carbon annually8

l Forests are the 2nd largest stores of carbon after oceans7

l Estimates indicate that converting forests to agricultural land can cause a 40% reduction in soil carbon levels3

Forests and trees provide vital habitats for the majority of the world’s plant and animal species. The density of biodiversity in forests acts as a gene reservoir, and as logging and agriculture divides large areas of forest into small sections, members of the same species become isolated. ITF plants, promotes and protects trees and forests in order to prevent the extinction of species and promote biodiversity.

Did you know?l Forests contain more than 80% of the world’s terrestrial species but the survival of many of them is threatened8

l It is estimated that deforestation over the last century has led to a 30% reduction in the number of forest species8

Trees provide essential habitats for diverse wildlife

l There are almost 40,000 animal species in the world’s forests8

l Rainforests – just one type of forest – cover less than 2% of the Earth’s total surface area and yet are home to 50% of the Earth’s plants and animals5

Deforestation accounts for almost 20% of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions

of poverty and malnutri

tion

Tre

es help break the cycle

Can you imagine what the world would look like without trees? We wouldn’t have to because we

simply wouldn’t be around to see it. Here’s a simple infographic to remind us

why trees are critical to sustaining life on earth.

What’s so important

about ?trees

Did you know?

Trees help mitigate human impact on climate change

Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have caused an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that has caused the Earth’s temperature to rise.

But we can do something to slow this down! Plant trees! Because trees absorb and store CO2 from the atmosphere, the more trees we plant, and the more we slow down and reverse deforestation, the greater the Earth’s ability to lock carbon out of the atmosphere and slow global warming.

Scientists believe that this has led to more extreme and damaging weather as well as the melting of polar ice caps at a greater rate than ever recorded before.

1 in 4 ingredients in our medicine come from rainforest plants3

Did you know?

Did you know?

Forests contribute to the lives of 1.6 billion people

(1 in 6 people)1

l Aspirin was originally derived from a compound found in the willow tree

l Less than 1% of all plant species have been screened by chemists to see what bioactive compounds they may contain6

l Some parts of the world could lose over 4000 plant species by 2050 as a result of climate change8.

Forests across our planet are estimated to

filter high quality water for

50% of the population (3.5 billion people)9

Our History

Sahara Challenge map

St Barbe Meeting the Morans from the Dance of the Trees held in 1922

The life and work of Richard St. Barbe Baker, founder of the Men of the Trees (now International Tree Foundation in the UK), one of the world’s greatest foresters, environmentalists and conservationists, spans most of the twentieth century.

Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker: ITF’s visionary and pioneering founder

He was a prodigious and innovative writer and

broadcaster, bringing his message about the importance

of trees in creating and regulating the world’s atmosphere

to audiences around the world.

So wide-ranging were his achievements, taking in such

a breadth of countries, cultures and figures, that to

address all their aspects could be daunting. But Camilla

Allen from the University of Sheffield is looking to

bring Baker’s achievements to new audiences by

focussing her PhD research on his most visionary

proposal: the Great Green Wall.

The Great Green Wall

Unrealised in his lifetime, The Great Green Wall is gaining

momentum in Africa today as political will gathers behind

this ambitious landscape project with international backing

from bodies including the European Union and World Bank.

The Great Green Wall aims to protect communities in

the Sahel from a growing humanitarian crisis, one

that Baker warned against long before others in the

international community had recognised it: the

complex issue of desertification.

Camilla’s research will also examine the organisations

and individuals who took up the cause and continued

the projects he conceptualised as the Green Front and

the Sahara Reclamation Programme, as well as later

interpretations of the Great Green Wall by figures

like Burkino Faso’s Socialist President Thomas Sankara

in the 1980s.

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16

Baker’s children’s book Kamiti

Not a fantasy, but a tangible reality

Richard St. Barbe Baker’s conception of the Great

Green Wall was a band of trees planted from the east

to the west coast of Africa, thirty miles deep and able

to hold back the Sahara – a prevalent belief at the

time - but it is unlikely to be realised as such. Instead,

the Great Green Wall is more likely to embrace new

approaches to agriculture and other activities that

include agro-forestry, social-forestry and agronomy.

Baker’s view of the Great Green Wall is emblematic of

his grassroots approach. As the project stands today

however, it could be interpreted by some as a lofty,

top-down environmental planning or greenwashing

project masking land grabbing and the unsustainable

intensification of agriculture in what is a very fragile

and changeable environment.

Key to Camilla’s thesis will be the examination of

previously unstudied documents and artefacts that

relate to Baker and the Men of the Trees which she

got to view at the University of Saskatchewan in

Canada. Through close study of this material, Baker’s

unique method of developing ways of distilling and

disseminating concepts regarding the role of trees in all

aspects of life will be explored and can be linked to the

creation of the Great Green Wall.

Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker: ITF’s visionary and pioneering founder

A bit about Camilla

Camilla’s first degree was in illustration and she went on to spend four years working in children’s books publishing before taking the decision to study landscape architecture. She wrote her masters dissertation on Richard St. Barbe Baker and was awarded a scholarship from the University of Sheffield to continue her research. Now in the second year of her PHD, Camilla is looking forward to a busy couple of years researching and writing about this fascinating subject and is very excited about visiting Kenya and Ethiopia to see sites associated with ITF’s beginnings as well as active Great Green Wall sites.

Twitter: @CamillaAllen | www.radicalsylviculture.com

A deep connection

Previously working in childrens’ books publishing,

Camilla’s interest in Baker’s vision for the Great

Green Wall was first sparked when she discovered

his children’s book Kamiti. The story is so rich in

optimism and vision that even in its idealistic form

she felt there were lessons to draw out; ways in

which people could be reinvigorated with the

passion that Baker instilled around the world to

plant and protect trees.

Already a year into her studies, with two years to

go, Camilla is excited to have the opportunity to

Rejuvenate interest in this extraordinary man, and is

looking forward to finding ways to share the story and

message of Richard St. Barbe Baker to a wider public.

Upon completion of her thesis she hopes to continue

her research by writing a biography to coincide

with the Centenary of ITF, as well as working on

landscape design and restoration projects.


17

Trees 4 Livelihoods

Trees for Livelihoods, or T4L for short, is funded by the

Big Lottery Fund and aims to achieve its aims through

improved forest and agricultural land management.

Nearing the end of the project, we caught up with

Pierre Dembele, Executive Director of Sahel Eco, to

find out what difference T4L has made so far.

What were the aims of the project set out in 2013?

T4L was conceived to contribute to strengthening

communities’ means of subsistence. The project aims

to increase food security and reduce poverty, as well as

increasing resilience to long-term climate change and

climate shocks in these dryland areas.

The current food crisis in Mali fundamentally results

from a weakening of household resilience. We set

out to address the underlying causes, such as the use

of unsustainable land management practices and

reduced soil fertility.

What changes have you seen in the past three years?

The project has restored areas of degraded lands;

agricultural production has increased and tree cover is

being restored. Systems have been developed within

communities to mobilise resources and to help each

other. Furthermore, non-timber forest products such as

fruits are being used as a source of income, and capacity

building activities have increased the local communities’

ability to sustainably manage forest resources…

Can you give us some concrete examples of the achievements to date?

Ƅ 1,225 hectares of land have been treated through FMNR. We’ve trained people in techniques such as zai pits, which are dug in degraded land, filled with compost and topsoil, and planted with crops which can be highly productive. Earth bunds (or dykes) and stone lines have been constructed along contour lines so that they catch runoff rain water which will then infiltrate the soil.

Ƅ 143 vulnerable people have been allocated agricultural land including 36 women and 54 internally displaced people.

Ƅ 437 members of 20 women’s groups have increased their incomes through processing and sales of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as henna, desert dates and tamarind.

Ƅ 60% of the members of these groups are able to demonstrate improved management of natural resources.

Food security in Mali’s dryland villages Interview with Pierre Dembele,

Executive Director of Sahel Eco, Mali.

In 2013, International Tree Foundation and Sahel Eco Mali launched a four year project to tackle poverty and food insecurity in 29 villages in the drylands of Mali.

One of the faramers assisted by the T4L project in the village of Takoutala (KONNA Commune) marking out ‘yield quadrats’ (sample plots) in a previously degraded field, restored through a range of techniques promoted by T4L (Zaï pits, addition of compost, FMNR) to assess the impact of these techniques on agricultural yields.

Autumn 2016

18

Ƅ 20 womens’ groups have organised themselves into ‘Saving for Change’ groups, mobilising a total of 3,196,834 Francs CFA (over £4300) in their own savings, and distributing loans of about 1,849,000 FCFA (almost £2500) to group members, enabling them to start economic activities of their own. This is a substantial figure given the local context.

What challenges have you faced during the implementation of this project?

The major challenge that we have encountered has been

the insecurity in the flood plains of the project zone, part

of which lies along the Niger River. Many of the people

move away from the area for 5 to 6 months of the year

either due to transhumant pastoralism (taking their

livestock to distant grazing areas) or rural outmigration.

Another issue has been the pressure from grazing small

livestock, especially goats, on young tree seedlings which

farmers are trying to regenerate. In order to reduce

the grazing pressure, the project is supporting the

communes of Konna and Borondougou to develop and

put into practice a local by-law or ‘convention’ on the

management of trees.

2017 is the final year. What remains to be done?

We plan to continue promoting the sustainable land

use practices I mentioned before in the communes

of Konna and Borondougou. Furthermore, we will

organise two exchange visits to share the experiences

of those who have already used FMNR techniques and

experienced their benefits.

Women have been one of the main target groups

of T4L, and will continue to be in 2017. The first

women’s forest plot will be launched in the village

of Diambacourou, and we plan to establish five

‘conservation gardens’ to conserve plant and tree

species that are becoming scarce.

The women’s income generation groups have been a

great success! We will promote networking to share

best practice. We’ll provide better equipment for

processing NTFPs to support their development and we

are planning a local fair to raise awareness of these

products and to promote their commercialisation.

The communes of Konna and Borondougou are

drawing up local agreements on environmental

management, and we will continue to support them

to finalise and then disseminate these.

And finally, we will be concentrating on

communicating and sharing the project achievements.

We’re planning radio broadcasts and a documentary

film about the project. We’ll also present T4L’s

achievements during the ‘Environmental Fortnight’

organised by the government of Mali.

And what are the plans for project sustainability once T4L comes to a close?

The linchpin for the future sustainability of all the

activities supported by the project are the local

‘Commissions for the Promotion of Trees’, composed

of farmers and representatives of the key stakeholders.

These groups constitute a pool of local resource people

to continue promotion of the new methods with their

peers even after the project ends.

The T4L story is a great example of the power of

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and other

simple techniques to change landscapes and lives

in the Sahel. The women groups working with T4L

take the FMNR story a step further by processing and

marketing fruits and other products from remarkable

dryland tree species to show what an important role

they can play in supporting better livelihoods.

Demonstration of tree management methods in FMNR


19

Fruit-Full Communities

Young people gain

fruit-full skillsWritten by Sue Pitt, Fruit-full Communities Project Officer

The project is run by Learning through Landscapes in

partnership with YMCA, International Tree Foundation

and The Orchard Project.

In practical terms, young people from 50 YMCAs will

design and plant orchards in their neighbourhoods.

As well as engaging with their local community,

participants are already connecting with young people

planting trees in African countries and gaining a

better understanding of the importance of trees for

sustainable futures across the globe.

Fruit-full Communities is just one of 31 projects funded

by the Big Lottery Fund under the umbrella of Our Bright

Future. Run by a consortium of eight organisations, Our

Bright Future is led by The Wildlife Trusts and defines

itself as ‘a forward-thinking social movement that

supports young people to lead progressive change in

their communities and local environment’.

Planting trees, building confidence

This chimes well with the approach that ITF takes in

supporting local community groups to bring about

change that is appropriate to their lives and their local

environment. And yet the desire to allow the young

people themselves to take the lead in shaping the project

is one of the major challenges. Most of the participants

have faced huge difficulties in their own lives and so may

lack confidence in their own abilities and in the belief

that their ideas will be listened to and taken seriously.

It is precisely because of this that the project has the

potential to hugely impact their lives. After one group

was taken on a visit to an existing orchard, their youth

worker commented that she had ‘never seen them more

engaged’ than they were that day.

It is an often observed phenomenon within the Forest

Schools movement that when people are taken out

of their normal context and given the opportunity for

practical, hands-on activity outdoors they can respond

in ways that surprise everybody – not least themselves.

Photo above: Astbury Mere Trust Community Orchard, Angie Turner

The Fruit-full Communities project is an ambitious one! Over three years, 6,000 young adults living at or attending YMCA centres across England will develop the confidence and skills they need to consider work in horticulture, arboriculture or related fields.

Autumn 2016

20

Fruit-full Communities provides an opportunity for

people who may not have found school to be a very

positive experience to learn and develop in ways that

they might never have thought possible.

The facilitators working on the project provide just

enough input to build skills and understanding, but

then stand back and allow people to take their own

ideas forward.

Normally, residents of the YMCA move on within two

years, but many will continue to live locally and so

may continue their involvement with the orchards. The

skills that they will pick up are just a foundation, but

some may go on to take more specialised training if

they find an interest in this field.

Engaging with the wider community

The key to ongoing success will also lie in engaging

local people who have some knowledge of growing

trees and are keen to work with young people in the

local YMCA as volunteers.

Local community support is crucial for the long-

term impact of the Fruit-full Communities project.

It would be relatively easy to design a project that

would result in fifty orchards being planted across the

country. But the trees will continue to bear fruit for

years to come, and who will care for the trees and

eat the fruit once the young people have moved on?

This kind of local community support is not easy to

generate on the scale that is required for this project

without knowing the local community beforehand.

Residents of the YMCA are less likely to have such

connections because it is the breakdown of family and

community ties that often leads to people becoming

homeless in the first place. The project will depend on

the development of community relationships already

established by the YMCA.

Connecting young people across the globe

A key part of ITF’s role within the project is to develop

links between the young people involved in Fruit-full

Communities and those working on other projects that

ITF supports in several African countries. This approach

has the potential to greatly enrich young people’s

experiences, by encouraging them to understand the

connections that they have with one another.

This will involve bringing together people whose lives

are very different in many ways, but who share a

common purpose of working with trees to improve

their lives and their environment. It will be interesting

to see how they cope with the challenges of

communicating across such a cultural divide.

The project has great potential to change the lives of

some young people who have had a tough start in life,

but it will only do so if it speaks to them rather than

about them. Its success will depend upon the extent to

which we place our faith in them – because people can

achieve amazing things when we do.

This unique project is a collaborative partnership

established by outdoor learning and play specialists,

Learning through Landscapes, YMCA, International

Tree Foundation and The Orchard Project.

A bit about Sue Pitt

Sue started out as a doctor, then did a PhD on the history of childbirth before raising her own children. Sue has also worked with a social enterprise developing innovative ways of growing food in the city using agroforestry techniques. That was just for six months, but it set her on the path to where she now is – working with ITF. A keen allotment gardener, Sue says being in the garden gives her the best therapeutic sessions ever!

For more information please visit www.fruitfullcommunities.org

To read more about Our Bright Future please visit www.OurBrightFuture.org.uk


21

REDD+

Reduced Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an international mechanism that was launched in 2007 with the aim of mitigating climate change by creating financial value for carbon stored in forests.

Quantifying effective fire management in TanzaniaWritten by Jasper Makala, CEO Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative

The aim of REDD is to provide a financial incentive

to governments, companies and communities to

maintain rather than reduce forest cover. REDD

has subsequently developed into REDD+, which

goes beyond reducing deforestation and forest

degradation to include promoting conservation and

sustainable management of forests.

Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative

(MCDI) was established in 2004 to support the

development of community forestry in South-

Eastern Tanzania. Specifically, the organisation

helps communities to own, manage and benefit

from their forests, primarily through sustainable

timber production, and raises awareness about

the socio-economic benefits of responsible

forest management. MCDI supported the

first ever commercial timber harvest from a

community-managed natural forest in Tanzania,

and holds the first and still the only Forest

Stewardship Council (FSCTM) certificate for a

natural community forest in Africa. In just 12

years, MCDI has brought 350,000 hectares of

natural forests under the protection of 30 rural

villages, and supported 15 of these villages to

generate more than $349,000 from sustainable

timber sales.

Low African representation in REDD+ despite high natural forest resources

There are approximately 300 forest carbon projects registered worldwide, but the share of global carbon credits generated in Africa remains relatively small despite the continent harbouring an estimated 17.6% (580 million hectares) of remaining natural forest cover globally. Annual net forest loss in Africa is also the second highest in the world. Tanzania has expansive forests, covering around 37.8% of the country’s land mass (34 million hectares). It is

home to Africa’s largest number of mammals, second largest number of plants (10,000 species), third largest number of birds (1,035 species), and fourth largest number of reptiles (245 species) and amphibians (123 species), all harboured by forests.

Autumn 2016

22

Members of Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative Team measure girth of a growing Blackwood Tree

Tanzania’s forests also provide over 92% of the

country’s energy resources, and have significant

potential to mitigate climate change due to the

carbon they store and sequester. Despite this,

Tanzania experienced one of the largest global annual

net losses of forest cover from 2010-2015, primarily

due to forest fires, conversion to agriculture, illegal

logging and charcoal production.

In 2008, Norway and Tanzania signed a Climate

Change Partnership Agreement. The Agreement

focused on supporting REDD+ pilot activities, capacity

building, and national REDD+ strategy development

and implementation. MCDI was one of nine NGOs

in Tanzania chosen to pilot REDD+ projects in the

country from 2009 to 2014.

MCDI developed an innovative new methodology for

quantifying carbon emission reductions from effective

fire management in local Miombo woodlands. By

pioneering its own methodology, MCDI was able

to ensure that the approach is properly aligned to

the context of its project. This is not insignificant, as

several projects have encountered difficulties with top-

down methodologies which turn out to have some

small criterion that proves insurmountable. MCDI’s

method was accepted by the Verified Carbon Standard

in 2015, and can now be used to quantify certified

carbon offsets from improved fire management in East

African Miombo Woodlands. The method could easily

be adapted to suit dryland forests elsewhere.

Developing this method from scratch was a highly

technical and demanding undertaking. Despite its

many achievements and lessons learned, MCDI was

unable to reach its goal of supporting communities to

sell carbon offsets before funding for its REDD+ pilot

project came to a close. Nonetheless, the organisation

is continuing to support community-based and

managed early burning as an important activity to

tackle deforestation and carbon emissions from

uncontrolled forest fires. With a small grant from the

Finnish Fund for Local Cooperation, two communities

were supported to protect 17,330 hectares of forests

from wildfires in 2015. And 3 additional villages

decided to reinvest a portion of their timber revenues

in early burning efforts of their own accord.

To succeed in selling carbon offsets, MCDI probably

needs another 2-3 years of funding to cover a number

of key steps, including writing a detailed Business plan,

obtaining project validation from the Verified Carbon

Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity

Alliance Standard and marketing offsets to customers

prepared to pay a premium price for the strong

biodiversity and community development benefits

associated with the project.

References

Romero et al 2013. Economics of forest and forest carbon projects: Translating lessons learned into national REDD+ implementation. Report for United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Riso Centre, UNEP and UN-REDD: Nairobi, Kenya.

FAO 2015. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015. Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations: Italy, Rome, 2015

MNRT 2010. National Forestry Programme 2001–2010. Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

UNEP 2002. Integrated Assessment of Trade Liberalization and Trade-related Policies. Country Projects - Round II - Synthesis Report. United Nations Environment Programme: New York and Geneva, United States of America.


23

Nkhata Bay Natural Way

Community stewardship brings about

food securityThe Nkhata Bay Natural Way (NBNW) is a four year programme implemented by Temwa Malawi, Deki Ltd. and International Tree Foundation to embed community stewardship of natural resources in the Nkhata Bay North district - one of the most underprivileged areas of Malawi. More than 60% of the population live below the poverty line and 16% of 15 – 49 year olds are HIV positive.

Project Outcomes

Ƅ Improving food security and nutrition for disadvantaged households through the adoption of environmentally sustainable farming

Ƅ Improving community stewardship of forest conservation and management, by promoting tree planting, reforestation and fair and sustainable access to forest resources

Ƅ Increasing income for disadvantaged households through the establishment of forest-friendly businesses and micro-enterprises, supported by loans and skills training

Ƅ Strengthening of relationships with local governance structures with increased ability to advocate for sustainable natural resource management and livelihood choices at a district and national level

NBNW works alongside local communities

to develop district-wide sustainable natural

resource management and resilience,

improving food security and livelihoods

for the most disadvantaged households in

Nkhata Bay. NBNW is working with 3,300

people from 110 villages in the Upland and

Lake Shore areas through carefully designed

and targeted training, capacity building

and financing for integrated conservation,

agroforestry and income generation activities.

A year on

The NBNW project has been running for

a year, and its focus remains clearly about

the people it serves; the community – and

a vulnerable one at that. Vulnerability in

this case refers to large households with

eight or more dependents, female headed,

orphan hosting or those with a member

with HIV/AIDs, and young people aged 18-

30 years.

In its first year the project has helped the communities set up 18 tree nurseries, plant more than 70,000 trees, establish 25 demonstration vegetable gardens, and form 70 village savings and loans groups.

Autumn 2016

24

Tackling Food Poverty

In a country where food shortages and

malnutrition are at an all-time high, the

progress that NBNW is making is very

encouraging and has been noticed by the

Government of Malawi. “The population is

on the rise”, says Emmanuel Banda, Temwa

Malawi Programme Manager. “The pressure

on the environment to sustain rampant

population growth is immense”.

Communities understand the forest is essential

for natural water sources, building materials,

fuel and forest-friendly income generating

activities, for example bee keeping. They are

invested and engaged in the reforestation

process, but the NBNW team want to reach

out to an additional 750 participants.

They plan to establish more demonstration

gardens to showcase well-adapted and

sustainable methods of farming. This is in

a bid to improve food security, improved

nutrition and the general resilience of

households. There will be an increased

emphasis on agroforestry, soil conservation

and sustainable farming methods as well as

the introduction of environmentally sound

income generating activities.

We asked Emmanuel what Nkhata Bay would

look like when the project finishes in 2019.

“If the project is successful, the inhabitants of

Nkhata Bay will be practicing environmentally

friendly agricultural practices”, says

Emmanuel. “The community will be vigilant

when establishing and managing their natural

resources, which in turn will be able to

support the livelihoods of their households”.

The Nkhata Bay Natural Way is supported with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and JJ Charitable Trust. Temwa Malawi implements the project together with ITF and Deki Ltd. At national and district levels, the project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Forestry, Department of Fisheries and the District Council.

A bit about Emmanuel

When not buried with work,

Emmanuel is a poet and a song-

writer. He also loves to travel – to

see the beautiful nature of Africa.


25

How you can help

Without you, we couldn’t do what we do

Here are some easy ways you can help us continue our work across Africa and here in the UK.

We’re the perfect gift

Know someone who has everything? Offer them ITF membership! Apart from supporting us to plant more trees in the UK and abroad, they’ll also receive a copy of this magazine, our Impact Report, a voice at our AGM and a Welcome Pack with your personal message. Subscriptions start from £15 for concessions and £25 for adults.

Give regularly to support us in the long run

Giving little and often is easy and can make a huge difference to our work. £10 a month will allow our African partners to plant 50 trees. Over a year, that’s 600 trees! You can make a regular direct debit donation on our website, or get in touch with us to find out more.

Volunteer and gain great experience

We’re always looking for volunteers to help with communications, marketing and administrative duties.

We don’t expect you to commit forever! A couple of hours a week could improve your CV and contribute to our work. Volunteering is rewarding and we’ll find something to make the best of your skills and help you learn along the way.

Remember us in your will

Leaving a legacy to ITF is a gift to future generations. It will help us to support communities to plant trees, secure livelihoods, meet nutritional needs and protect the planet for generations to inherit and enjoy.

Help us raise funds!

Every pound helps… £1 is FOUR trees planted in Africa, so never think any amount is too small.

Perhaps you could get your school involved? Or your local walking group or cricket team? If you’re a runner, join us at a marathon!

Mount Kenya Tree Challenge

How many trees can you plant? We’re challenging you to plant at least 100 trees on the slopes of Mount Kenya next spring! We have two spaces available for a week of challenge and discovery! Get in touch to find out more.

www.internationaltreefoundation.orgEmail: [email protected]: 01865 318836International Tree FoundationMayfield House, 256 Banbury Rd, Oxford OX2 7DE

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AS WE’RE NEARING 100 YEARS OLD, IT’S FITTING OUR CENTENARY CAMPAIGN TAKES US BACK

TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - KENYA 1922

Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/donate/ today, write to us at International Tree Foundation, Mayfi eld House, 256 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DE or phone 01865 318836

Forests are vital in conserving Kenya’s rivers, lakes and drinking water. By planting 20 million trees, our community partners will also protect forest habitats for rare birds and mammals and improve food security for some of Africa’s most vulnerable people.

Can you give £25 today to plant 100 trees? Your donation will help to reforest Kenya’s highlands and improve thousands of people’s lives.

Laveda Nyawira, 8 years old, planting

her 20 trees at school.

journal - international tree...

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