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Adapting to a Changing Environment

Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project

Port of Spain, Trinidad y Tobago

An Overview Of Our Solution

Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosistema
Forests
Forests
Freshwater
Freshwater
Tipo de comunidad
Rural
Rural
Additional Information
  • Population Impacted:
  • Continent: South America
General Info

Dirección

Fondes Amandes Hills
Port of Spain
Trinidad y Tobago

Correo electrónico

facrp2@gmail.com
Problem

Población impactada

300

Size

187 acres

Ocupaciones principales

Watershed Managers, Eco-tour Guides, Natural Jewelry Entrepreneurs

Recursos locales de los que depende la comunidad y con qué propósito

Fondes Amandes Watershed for creating Sustainable Livelihoods

Amenazas locales a los recursos

Forest Fires

Riesgos climáticos

Climate change, long and harsh dry

Nivel de sensibilidad

High level of sensitivity as the annual fires were a direct threat to the watershed, water quality, water volume, homes, family gardens, wild life, soil conditions and directly impacting on the lives of community dwellers.

Nivel de capacidad adaptativa

Adaptive capacity, is steady and consistent although poorly funded, the interest and volunteer commitment of members and employees, small grants and funding made the NGO a successful model. We now have the personnel to continue to share this model at a greater scale in T&T and next the affected areas in the Carribbean with similar threats.
Solution

Results from this Model for Community Members; Skilled community personnel in environmental managing, disaster mitigation and rehabilitation Trained community eco-tour guides Increased employment in the community (40 persons, 60% female 40% male of which 50% is a youth population) Expert community forest and bush fire fighters Trained members in animal husbandry and wild life conservation Greater Community Pride and love for the Environment Greener and healthier forest Change in farming practices from unsustainable crops to long term agricultural practices as well as the use of rain water harvesting mechanisms

Results

Costos ecológicos

Cleaning by burning now mean these persons have to now carry their rubbish to community bins Persons have to spend more time volunteering during the dry season to protect the hilsides during the dry season from fires most times getting their families invo

Beneficio ecológico

Increased forest cover, increased water tributaries in the river, increased number of thriving pioneered tree species and increased wildlife

Indicadores económicos utilizados para medir el beneficio

Sighting of wildlife, sighting of increase water tributaries along the main Fondes Amandes River, greened and cooler environment, forest canopy where there was once burnt out grass lands and the non existence of fires since 1997.

Costo comunitario/social

Volunteering is quite burdensome especially when its poor, low income communities volunteer as well as low income graduates who has great things to offer the NGO but cant stay due to drain on limited financial resources and insufficient funds to pay them a stipend to stay on board.

Beneficio comunitario/social

Skilled community personnel in environmental managing, disaster mitigation and rehabilitation Trained community eco-tour guides Increased employment in the community Expert community forest and bush fire fighters Trained members in animal husbandry and wild life conservation

Indicadores comunitarios/sociales utilizados para medir el beneficio

Greater Community Pride and love for the Environment, community members are also now confident and well equipped to pass on this knowledge to other communities at risk.

Costo económico

Huge cost, as a large percentage of our grant funding goes into training and capacity building, training new members in various aspects of watershed management.

Beneficio económico

Additional income as more persons are now employed Members work in the community so no transport or expensive clothing expenditure is forgone by employees Eco-tours, both educational and leisure is another way of generating income for members of the community using the green and attractive environment as a source of green business

Indicadores ecológicos utilizados para medir el beneficio

During the period 2008 to 2010 there was a huge increase in purchases of house hold items, we are aware of this not trough surveys but due to the request of job letters to companies which is required to purchase items on 'hire purchase'. However the past few years due to funding challenges employes are now subjected to many cutbacks.

What were/are the challenges your community faced in implementing this solution?

Funding to retain staff as well as to hire permanent management staff. Currently there is a heavy burden placed on the Jaramogi family members which are the founding members and offspring to conduct the activities on a voluntary to ensure the work of the NGO does not go in vain regardless of the funding challenges. Although this is a drastic sacrifice any family and community can make for the preservation of the watershed in mitigating disasters and the impact of climate change the positive results are overwhelming which keeps us all motivated.

Action

Describa el proceso basado en la comunidad utilizado para desarrollar la solución, incluidas las herramientas y los procesos utilizados.

Founded in 1982 by the late Tacuma Jaramogi and Akilah Jaramogi as a response to the annual threat of forest and bush fires. Over a number of years we were able to developed a successful ?Community Forestry? Model. This model took many years to develop, many trials and learning from things that could have gone better, see the following initiatives we too in developing this model which we thing is in critical in developing our "Community Forestry Model". Empowering and building the capacity of community members to manage their natural resources Continued Investment in practical training and personal development programmes Allow members to actively participate in the planning activities Creating Employment Engaging in Community building activities Consistency in work, volunteerism and networking Seeking grants and funding Becoming officially Registered with the�Ministry of Legal Affairs under the Companies Act as a Non Profit Company ? registration number F2353(95)

Peligro climático de preocupación

Wildfires

¿Cómo reduce su solución la exposición y amortigua/protege el ecosistema afectado?

Benefits of Community Forestry for the Environment and T&T; Fire free since in Fondes Amandes 1997 Our team patrols the watershed each year with or without a living wage to fight these fires risking life and limb to ensure all the protected areas remains green and pristine Reduction in flooding since 1994 Created and protecting a healthy eco-system in the hills of St. Ann?s, Port of Spain by planting over 60,000 seedling Educating Schools since 1997 directly impacting over 3,000 students annually Participating in Public Educational Outreach, reaching out to over 15,000 persons annually Inspiring other communities in T&T and the region due to the successes of this model Successful Clean Trees Organic Nursery producing an annual stock of over 5000 seedlings of varied tree species which facilitates tree planting activities in the Watershed as well as to sell and generate income

How has your solution increased the capacity of the ecosystem to adapt to potential climate changes?

The Watershed is now transformed from a fire climax zone to a healthy and thriving eco-system. The river is now more full life. Many trees that were planting is now acting as wind breakers on the steep slopes. The hillside run-off is now less and this issue of flooding is non-existent in the community. With more trees and a canopy continuously increasing in hight its more irresistible to wild life.

¿Cómo reduce su solución la exposición y amortigua/protege a las comunidades afectadas?

Great buffer has been created as we no longer fight fires in our communities but we fight these fires in neighboring communities before they can be a threat to our direct environment and by extension the entire St. Ann's Watershed. So much so that during the dry season neighboring communities often call us when they sight a fire for help or NGOs call us for training as well as participate in our forums at out FACRP Resource Centre.

¿Cómo su solución reduce la sensibilidad de las comunidades afectadas?

The Watershed is a very hilly and green one, with communities living on the foot hills and parts of the hills, recurring fires would mean a direct threat to property, life, access to homes, flooding. However since 1994 there has been no drastic floods in the community following the 1993 flood which resulted in the tragic death of 3 community members, loss of lives, homes, businesses, livelihoods, schools were shut down for weeks etc. We at FACRP are proud to develop an initiative which has directly impacted on the positive change within the watershed.

¿Cómo ha aumentado su solución la capacidad de las comunidades locales para adaptarse a posibles cambios climáticos?

Rainwater Harvesting and Forest Fire mitigation practices such as cutting fire traces and an all round fire watch and patrol effort to curb fires quickly through early detection and suppression is as a direct result of the training and capacity building in the community which has enabled them to adapt to the changes in climate especially in the dry season period.

Scale

¿Se puede replicar esta solución en otros lugares?

Yes, in many parts of Trinidad and Tobago that are at risk of the annual fires in the dry season. Funding and community leadership will make it successful. Some communities are currently trying this approach but finding and payment to watershed managers is minute as the work is always under-valued in T&T Our solution is innovate due the high importance we place on community knowledge and our implementation methods of our "sustainable community forestry initiative" See our website:http://facrp1.webs.com/ See our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/facrp

Overview
Solution
Scale
Rare
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