An Overview Of Our Solution
The Weto Landscape, a world classified bio-diversity hotspot has been realized to be losing its natural resources as a result of unsustainable use, hence the need for activities towards resilience. Forests have disappeared; animal species are becoming scarce, land degraded and virtually no concerted resource management action as well as lack of authoritative action concerning resource use. Activities are to mobilize people active involvement to change the current practice of unsustainable resource utilization, measures to tackle biodiversity loss, promotion of livelihoods, climate change mitigation and prevention of land degradation. There is the need for intervention to halt the fast degrading biodiversity, owing to the need for economic activities to satisfy basic needs, yet there has not been much improvement in poverty reduction
- Population Impacted: 2,000
- Continent: Africa
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Context Analysis
The Weto socio-ecological production landscape is part of the Togo-Atakora Mountains measuring about 14,863.02 ha spanning over eleven traditional and three political administrative areas in Volta Region of Ghana. The area is a dynamic mountainous mosaic landscape with diverse habitats and land uses including cities, towns, villages and farmlands, natural forests, grasslands, wetlands, and water bodies. The area has about 126 settlements. This has been occupied for several centuries and has been shaped over the years by human and nature interactions in ways that has maintained biodiversity and provided humans with goods and services needed for their wellbeing. The landscape has been identified by IUCN as a biodiversity hot-spot of global significance, and has probably the biggest potential for eco-cultural, mountain ecosystem, aquaculture, climate resilience farming systems and tourism in Ghana. The main environmental challenges confronting the landscape are: Increasing habitat
Describe the technical solution you wanted the target audience to adopt
The vision for the programme is “A thriving socio-ecological production landscape where the local communities are actively involved in the sustainable management and utilization of the natural resources for increased production, the restoration of biodiversity, wealth creation and continuous flow of ecosystem services: The Programme implementation strategy produced four main outcomes and indicators as follows. Natural and semi-natural habitats and ecosystem services within the WETO landscape (watershed, sacred groves, wildlife habitats, agro-biodiversity areas, etc.) was conserved. Sustainable agricultural practices implemented across the landscape to enhance and revive traditional conservation and production practices and adoption of new technologies. Livelihood and wellbeing of target social groups in the landscape sustained and enhanced through the development of livelihood enterprises in line with the local tradition and culture
Type of intervention
Describe your behavioral intervention
We rely on different types of biological resources for our daily lives, from milk, crops, fisheries produce, timber, to cotton and palm oil. Biological resources provide us with food, clothing, housing, medicines, and spiritual nourishment. They are also elements fundamental to the ecosystem. Yet, many of the biological resources that we come across on a daily basis are now under the risk of depletion and exhaustion. According to an estimate from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, over 70% of the world’s fish species are either fully exploited or depleted. Demand for timber and other wood products has led to the loss of huge areas of forests every minute. Recognising the urgent need to promote sustainable consumption of biological resources, and believes that only with concerted efforts from all sectors of society can we make a fundamental change, Greenglobe Ghana an environmental organization in its project activity, has conducted landscape-wide public engagement to arouse public awareness, stimulate public discussion, and explore ways and means to encourage behavioral changes that are conducive to a more sustainable pattern. During the process, obstacles for sustainable consumption by different stakeholders, including local authorities, farmers, suppliers, the trade industry, duty bearers as well as the consumers were identified and discussed for change.
As needed, please explain the type of intervention in more detail
Component activities seek to develop institutional capacities at district and community level to sustainably conserve natural and semi-natural resources for wealth creation, and livelihood improvements. Our project supports the activities of District Environmental Management Committee (DEMC) to enact byelaws to support the sustainable management of natural and semi-natural habitats within the range. The project supported Forestry Dept. Agriculture, environmental and rural fire service dept. to develop a memorandum of understanding for assisting local communities to plan, coordinate and execute community-based land management and natural resource management programmes emphasizing on the role indigenous knowledge play in sustainable land use and conservation of natural resources
Describe your implementation
OUTPUT 1: 200 people trained to invest in sustainable land management as well as 5 institution received capacity building to participate in natural resources management.
To achieve this outcome, landowners were involved actively in discussion on identification of valuable natural and semi- natural resources on their land and what to do to conserve them. The capacity of the landowners and farmers numbering 100 were built to invest in sustainable resource management.
Activities
1 .Establish tree nurseries - Close to700, 000 seedlings of timber, woodlot and fruit trees including Ofram, Mahogany, Orange, Cocoa was established in the project areas.
2 .The seedlings was used to establish agro forestry farms and boundary planting, to benefit over 100 farmers, schools and landowners, in all about 200 ha was covered.
3. Bush fire management -20 persons per community were trained as Fire Volunteer Squads to assist. Community labour was used to construct fire belt in specific biodiversity areas and community boundaries, as well as create green belts to prevent spread of fires
OUTCOME 2: Sustainable agricultural practices implemented in project communities to enhance and revive traditional conservation and production practices and adoption of new technologies.
Activities
To achieve this outcome, practical demonstration activities was carried out in the project communities by agriculture extension officers on rice, cocoa and ginger demonstration farms established by the project. Twenty (20) persons per community were trained in special workshops to assist in technology dissemination in the communities and extension education programmes on soil, water, animal, and crops production.
OUTCOME 3: Strengthened institutional capacity at the landscape level to realize the goal of integrating conservation and production in the management of Weto Landscape.
External connections
The Community Development and Knowledge Management ( COMDEKS) process in Ghana, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grant Program (SGP) Country Programme in Ghana, in collaboration with Greenglobe Ghana, Development Institute, Weto Platform, the three District Assemblies within the Weto landscape, held a series of community level meetings and a district workshop in April 2012 to introduce the concept of integrated management of socio-ecological production landscapes, and to discuss the COMDEKS implementation strategy. Over 50 stakeholders, including civil society organizations operating in the area, traditional rulers, government service providers, opinion leaders, District Assembly members, religious groups and farmers, attended the workshop, which was funded by the District Assemblies. The participating groups subsequently agreed in 2012 to form a “WETO platform”—a formal affiliation of these groups—to galvanize resources to support the implementation of landscape-level activities. The Weto Range was jointly identified as the target landscape and geographical area for the COMDEKS project by Traditional Authorities in the eleven traditional areas, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating on the Weto Range, local people living on the landscape, and the three District Assemblies. The selection of the Weto landscape was validated with the community leaders, landowners & traditional authorities through a series of meetings spearheaded by the WETO NGO Platform.
Who adopted the desired behaviors and to what degree?
Generally, the project recorded significant improvement in the ecological health of the landscape and the local economy which has been adopted by Saviefe Agorkpo, Saviefe Gbogame, and Saviefe Deme communities for change and improvement for increase in production. Farmers have optimal success in adopting best practices in cocoa production, training approaches and methodology used to build on the traditional knowledge systems that the farmers perceive as useful and easy to adopt.
Community members had been apathetic towards rehabilitating the degraded areas with indigenous timber species due to the unfavorable tree and land tenure system, which did not give them ownership over the restored areas. The COMDEKS program has changed local attitudes on this by utilizing the provisions of the new Timber Plantation Act, which does provide tree-planting incentives. Improving the governance structure of the landscape has promoted community ownership of the project and has encouraged the citizens
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
The project had an impact on natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions on the Weto landscape; Restoring forests and rehabilitating degradland: Communities have established tree nurseries, which have produced and distributed over 700,000 tree seedlings so far, which were in turn used to rehabilitate 200 ha of degraded lands using indigenous species including mahogany, ofram, and cedar. Another 50 ha of partially degraded forest have been placed under natural regeneration with enrichment planting, governed by traditional rules and regulations.
Establishing community protected areas: An estimated 50 ha have been put under strict protection due to their ecological and cultural importance. These include areas critical to local water supplies, caves, fallow lands rich in herbs and other plant species, sacred sites and shrines, and ecologically sensitive areas such as erosion-prone slopes.
What were some of the resulting co-benefits?
“Initially we did not understand, but the COMDEKS strategy and approach has won our hearts. Today the mountain is forested, we farm to get more yield, our youth have been mobilized to invest in bee keeping and the wild animals are coming back, including royal pythons, antelopes, and red hogs.”
By Mr. Jabu, Saviefe Deme Community
The COMDEKS strategy and approach has benefited all community members; Conservation and restoration of ecosystems within the landscape communities through forest restoration, protection of wetlands and watersheds, and installation of soil and water retention structures.
Sustainable production of crops, livestock, fish, forest, and non-timber forest products; diversification of agricultural landscapes and production systems is a co-benefit to community members.
Development of new livelihood enterprises, including new value-added agricultural activities as well as ecotourism and cultural tourism is an economic avenue for the entire district.
Promotion of participatory community-based land use planning, and adoption of action plans to prevent rapid degradation of wildlife and water resources.
Sustainability
The project seeks to enhance the human capacity and sustainable financial capacities of resource groups for self-sustenance and also to conserve biodiversity. The pig production centre is to assist households to increase income earnings to invest in their traditional agriculture in a modernised and scientific way. Building the capacities of livelihood groups is also meant for increased income generation for strong association. Fruits orchard for schools is to help the schools generate income from the sales of these fruits towards the running of schools environmental education programmes. The introduction of village savings and loan scheme to resource groups is to let them know the value of savings.
Return on investment
This project was financed by the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative / Small Grant Programme(COMDEK/SGP) implemented by UNDP/GEF/SGP at the cost of ($25,600.00) with community contribution of ($13,200) Investments in the project as compared with achievements has worth it. Natural habitats and ecosystem services, (watershed, sacred groves, wildlife habitats and agro-biodiversity areas) are covered. Sustainable agricultural practices are implemented to enhance and revive traditional conservation and production practices; Livelihood and wellbeing of target social groups are enhanced through development of livelihood enterprises. Strengthened institutional capacity
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
This project was implemented from 2012 to 2014 and funded by COMDEK/GEF/SGP under SATOYAMA initiative in Saviefe Agorkpo, Saviefe Deme, and Saviefe Gbogame successfully. The same project was replicated in Anfoeta, Kpale Ga, and Kpale Xorse from 2014 to 2016. All these communities are along the Weto mountain range and funded by the COMDKS/SATOYAMA/ GEF initiative. The project initiative has revived lost hectares of cocoa farms in 1983 drought along the Weto landscape,
Sustainable agricultural practices implemented to enhance and revive traditional conservation and production practices; Livelihood and wellbeing of project communities enhanced, To enable us consolidate activities in these area of the range, it has become imperative to continue with the project in Goviefe Todzi, Goviefe Kowu, and Goviefe Agordome, with funds of $25,000 with $15,000 component from the communities and the implementing organization.