Reforestation and Improved Forest Management in Uganda Beyond Carbon, Uganda 2014 Project summary This community led initiative promotes sustainable management of forestry resources encouraging smallscale landholders to reforest and implement community-based forest management plans in a biodiversity hotspot in Western Uganda. This leads to increased biomass and carbon sequestration and reduces emissions from deforestation thereby restoring and conserving biological diversity, while at the same time enhancing social welfare. This project has won the SEED Low Carbon Award 2013 for entrepreneurs in sustainable development! (More information on the award: www.seedinit.org). Project benefits The project leads to carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems and small scale plantations while making a significant contribution to sustainable development in the region: Reduces the demand of non-renewable firewood. This leads to a reduction of CO 2 emissions and protects the local forests. Villagers spend less time with the tiresome task of gathering firewood. Thanks to the Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), the smallholders increase their incomes. Motivates participants to switch to sustainable land-use practices. Carbon benefit feeds a community development fund improving the quality of life of the villagers. Participants gain access markets for timber, pole and fuel wood, fruit and fodder. Local entrepreneurship is being stimulated. Access to carbon finance enabling farmers to diversify their income streams. 1
Facts and figures about the carbon offset project Project location Project standard Uganda, Masindi District, Alimugonza & Ongo Forest Plan Vivo Project type Reforestation & Integrated Forest Management Emission reductions Situation without the project 568,119 t CO 2 e (over 20 25 years depending on type of mixed native woodlots as of December 2013) Degradation and deforestation, less CO 2 storage Project start 2004 The project country and region Uganda is an inland state in Eastern Africa which is characterized by its lakes, virgin forests and savannah embedded in a tropical climate. The project is located in the Albertine Rift, an area stretching from the Virungas on the border between Uganda and Rwanda up to the northern tip of Lake Albert. It is a biodiversity hotspot, endemic bird area and a priority eco-region. This is the reason why this region has several protected areas. The inhabitants of the region are mainly subsistence small-scale farmers who use the forests to satisfy their livelihood needs of water, building material and fuel wood. Communities involved in this project are neighboring with protected areas. Uganda has lost over 40% of its forest cover in the past 20 years. There are various drivers, among them the expansion of small-scale subsistence agriculture and large-scale commercial agriculture including the tobacco industry. Indicator Uganda Switzerland Total area (in km 2 ) 241,038 41,285 Population (2013) 34,758,809 7,996,026 GDP in USD per capita (2012) $ 547 $ 79,052 Share of population living below the national poverty line 24.5 % (2009) 7.9 (2010) CO 2 emissions per capita (of nationally consumed products, 2010) 0.18 t 14.6 t Human Development Index 0.446 0.903 Table 1 Facts & Figures: Uganda vs. Switzerland. (Source: fairunterwegs.org [2013]; World Development Indicators, web.worldbank.org [2013]; carbonfootprintofnations.com [2013]) Link: www.myclimate.org/klimabildung 2
The carbon offset project is financed through the mechanism of carbon credits and is certified by Plan Vivo. Carbon credits are issued ex ante to allow the farmers to make the investments into reforestation activities, especially buying seedlings. The credits are calculated over a 25 year crediting period. Farmers will receive their payments based upon specific performance indicators spread over the crediting period. An agroforestry system on a smallholder s land which provides the farmer with access to carbon finance, sustainably extracted firewood and timber while providing space to grow other crops. How the project is implemented The project has been developed by the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST), the later taking on the coordination and implementation role. The project has been designed as a cooperative communitybased carbon offset scheme with livelihood components emphasizing sustainable land-use practices. The farmers put a part of their proceeds from carbon finance into a Community Development Fund, which supports initiatives that are for the general community s benefit thus creating a spill over to other community members, too. In 2013, for example, workshops have been financed through the fund for capacity building to establish Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs). Farmers contribute to the capitalization of the SACCOS through buying shares and the carbon payments that are channeled through them. Additionally, the fund also is part of a risk mitigation strategy providing participants with emergency loans so they are not forced to harvest their trees prematurely. The aim of the project is to produce long-term, verifiable voluntary emission reductions (VERs) by combining carbon sequestration with rural livelihood improvements through small-scale farmer led forestry / agroforestry projects. By the end of 2012, 2126 farmers were participating in the project. This results in a total land area of 2,773.2 ha under improved forest management, which equals about 3,884 soccer fields. The project is still growing with new farmers joining yearly, producing new carbon credits. But the project does not only grow in size: it also spills over the experiences from carbon farming to a new project a carbon bank. This facility will use the lessons learned to establish a mechanism through which initiatives like this current project can be supported and replicated. This is an innovation to adapt to declining carbon prices and reduce dependency on external markets. Workshop on Savings and Credit Cooperatives Management for the farmers financed through the Community Development Fund. On top of each ton of CO 2 bought, myclimate puts a mark-up which is invested into the establishment of two Riverine community forests in Alimugonza. The project promotes activities that contribute to reducing the degradation of these community forests Forestry activities The deforestation and degradation over the years in the project area have greatly contributed to a reduction in corridor connectivity of the different forested areas, thereby disconnecting wildlife populations. One of the drivers of deforestation is the use of fuelwood for cooking. Farmers and Ecotrust staff during a planting activity. Without the project, the farm-tree density is very low in order to sustain ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration, water provision, soil fertility. In order to reduce unsustainable fuelwood extraction, tree stocks are increased. Link: www.myclimate.org/klimabildung 3
Charcoal production for cooking sacrifices forests. Two participating farmers are taking care of the seedlings in a nursery. The participating small-scale farmers choose the landuse system they would like to use in their farms. Currently there are 2 options: Single-species (Maesopsis emini) woodlots or mixed native species woodlots. On top of the income from the sold carbon credits, the trees provide the farmers with products such as timber for construction from sustainable forest management, fuelwood from branches, fruit and fodder. Products can also be sold to local and national markets. As the economic value of the forest increases for the farmers, they are committed to conserve them. The availability of fuel and construction wood from sustainably managed forest plantations on the farmers lands reduces pressure on the surrounding forests. Other sustainability measures that secure the continuation of reforestation and sustainable forest management activities after the crediting period ends, are the establishment of small enterprises based on NTFPs (non traditional forest products) such as bee-keeping. As a pilot, two farmers from each project site have received 10 bee hives each, are trained and receive regular monitoring. These farmers are expected to train fellow farmers in the future. Ecotrust and myclimate staff visiting a participating farmer on his tree plantation. Bee-keeping between the planted trees is an additional income-providing activity within the tree plantations. Farmer Ojitti Binayo: I m a millionaire! At least in Ugandan shillings. Income from the trees allows the farmers to pay the school expenses for their children. Link: www.myclimate.org/klimabildung 4
participating farmer NAME Agamile Lemeke PARTICIPATING SINCE 2009 TREES PLANTED 400 CARBON BENEFIT 226 t CO 2 PLANTED AREA 1 ha THE EARNINGS GO TO School fees for 3 of his children Community participation and capacity building But the activities go beyond mere carbon sequestration: Participation of the community and capacity building of the participating farmers is an integral part of the project. The participating farmers have to be part of an organized group as a prerequisite for being admitted to the project. The farmer communities are engaged through community consultation and participatory meetings in order to insure a bottom up approach of designing and implementing the project. Building capacity of the farmers to manage agroforestry enterprises on their private land is necessary to facilitate a successful and sustainable land management process. Capacity building activities include establishment of nurseries for good quality seedlings, general agroforestry practices, land use planning, group dynamics and more. The training meetings take place usually 1 2 times per year in each community and are participatory and interactive to encourage sharing experiences, challenges and questions among farmers. Farmers exchanging experiences with the project during a community consultative meeting. Monitoring In accordance with the Plan Vivo standard and in order to verify the expected carbon sequestration, the carbon impacts are monitored yearly on the smallholders plots. ECOTRUST project officers are responsible for the monitoring of the biomass growth but monitoring is executed in collaboration with the community group coordinators, project technicians as well as the producers themselves, so that all parties have a clear understanding of the process. The monitoring is then reviewed by the Plan Vivo Foundation. Every 5 years, the monitoring results will be verified by an external auditor such as for instance Rainforest Alliance. Hellen Oleru is a farmer who was selected by the local farmer group as farmer coordinator. She mobilises farmers to participate in trainings, meetings and monitoring and is the main contact to the Ecotrust staff in the Ongo community. Ecotrust field staff and farmers are measuring and recording the tree growth parameters. 5
Benefits more than carbon sequestration Preserving ecosystems Reduced pressure on nearby forests. The sustainably managed woodlots reduce the need to deforest nearby forests for fuel wood. Soil conservation. Trees stabilize soil and thereby prevent erosion. Their litter layer also protects soil and eventually turns into humus, providing fertile soil. Watershed functions are improved as trees regulate the water flows, helping to provide water and reduce droughts and floods. Local capacity building. The program builds local capacity to manage the smallholder properties sustainably, to assist in tree monitoring activities, building nurseries, bee-keeping activities, saving and credit cooperatives, among others. Access to credit. Through the establishment of saving and credit cooperatives, farmers get an easier access to credits. This in turn detains farmers in need of fast cash to harvest trees prematurely. Biodiversity is increased through growing seedlings of various native tree species. Mitigating climate change Preventing CO 2 emissions. The farmers can use the tree branches from their planted woodlots as firewood the main energy source in the region and the trees for construction. This reduces deforestation in nearby forests, where timber is usually exploited in an unsustainable manner. Carbon sequestration. Through the program, 568,119 carbon credits (=tons of CO 2 ) have been issued by November 2013. This equals the amount of carbon that is stored in the trees planted through the project after 25 years. Improving livelihoods Regular payments from carbon farming and (non-) forest products. Carbon farmers gain from the payments through the carbon credits and can invest the money in further improving their land-use management, paying school fees for their children and making other life-improving investments. Additionally, farmers can use the products the forestry systems provide for constructing houses, as fuel wood and as food under the principle of sustainable forest management. Products can also be sold on the local or national market. Between the trees other activities can prosper such as bee-keeping or planting annual crops such as beans and maize. Own supply chain. The establishment of seedling nurseries and production of seedlings either by individual farmers or farmer groups supports the sustainability of the project as farmers are in charge of their own supply chain. Nurseries also provide additional income to the community. Each year, the trees are measured to monitor the fulfillment of carbon sequestration targets. For further information please contact: myclimate The Climate Protection Partnership Sternenstrasse 12 CH-8002 Zurich Switzerland www.myclimate.org info@myclimate.org Tel: +41 (0) 44 500 43 50 Fax: +41 (0) 44 400 43 51 6