Restoring Rwoho: community-led forest and climate action

The initiative was conceived by women members of the forest- dependent community in Rwoho Natural Tropical Forest, in response to the Uganda Government Policy to gazette the forest, that was a lifeline for the community, after the first Sustainable Development Conference in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. The forest had been their source of food, fiber, and fuel-wood. It had provided the community with medicinal herbs, building and fencing poles. The women, whose socially constructed roles dictated that they gather fuel wood and food as well as fetch water for their household needs, were particularly affected as their workload increased. The community is part of the 33% Ugandans that live below the poverty line. They are 100% dependent on fuel-wood for cooking and kerosene for lighting. In a Country where the doctor to patient ratio is 1:20,000 the women employed their indigenous knowledge to administer herbal medicine to the sick in the community. Suddenly, the community was cut-off from their source of sustenance. These women moved to adapt to and mitigate the effects, not only of Climate Change but the deprivation of their source of livelihood as well. They organized themselves into groups, communally constructed fuel saving stoves, and water harvesting tanks and planted trees. The women establish forest-based non-extractive enterprise and are reaching out to schools with sustainable livelihood practices to nurture successive generations that would take good care of the earth.

The initiative has catalyzed positive behavioral changes in the forest dependent community. Whereas before the initiative scientific awareness of Climate Change causes and effects, adaptation and mitigation responses were below 10 percent now it has increased to 70%. The initiative has also imparted improved stove and rainwater harvesting tank construction skills as well solar lighting and phone charging installation and maintenance skills. As such 300 households in the community have willingly adopted use of alternative renewable energy. This makes available solar light to 10,500 school pupils to revise at night. These have had the benefit of saving trees of the natural forest as well as improving performance of the school pupils. It has been captured in the Sub-County reports that the children of the beneficiary households of the initiative perform better in exam and enter high-rated schools. It has improved gender relations between men and women. Some women who acquired skill are gaining an income that contributed to household expenses. Solar light ensure women safety at night and the rain harvesting and improved stoves reduce the workload of women.

The initiative has also afforded the community opportunities to establish networks and be part of the global partnership for development (Millennium Development Goal 8).

By having income generating components such as sustainable beekeeping and honey production, timber production and carbon sequestration, the initiative has also worked towards Poverty Alleviation. From the sales of timber, the community is expected to generate US$ 44,983,850 and from the sales of carbon the community is expected to generate US$ 2,264,400 in one rotation which covers a period of 20 years. When calculated each beneficiary household will raise their income to US$30 per day, way above the poverty line. That is not to mention the income from sales of honey.

Quantifiable Positive changes in lifestyle

·       300 households use fuel saving stoves thus saving fuel wood and trees, and reducing workload of women.

·       Awareness and skills imparted to the 1,800 direct beneficiaries.

·       10,500 school pupils use solar light for lighting instead of hydroelectric power and fuel saving stoves for cooking thus reducing cost of fuel wood and hydroelectricity.

·       Project affords local community opportunities to establish networks and be part of the global partnership for developments (Millennium Development Goal 8).

·       Enhanced income enables community to access goods and services previously out of reach.

Poverty alleviation (cash income from the project)

The project has the impact of raising the income of the target group to US$30 per day, as shown below:

Carbon trade

·       1 rotation = 20 years

·       1 hectare = 500 trees

·       2,137 hectare = 1,068,500 trees absorbing 641,100 tons of CO2

·       1 ton of CO2 = US$ 4

·       641,100 tones = 641,100 x 4 = US$ 2,264,400 per rotation

Timber sales

·       1 tree = 1m3 timber = US$ 42.10

·       1,068,500 trees = 1,068,500 m3 timber = US$ 44.983.850 per rotation

Gender and vulnerable group’s aspects

The project area covering 11square kilometers, like the rest of Uganda and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa is culturally male dominated. Century old traditional practices have left women without education, skills and productive resources such as land. This project ensures that all men, women and people with disabilities have equal access to the benefits of the project. The project is promoting honey production, an income generating activity that is not labour or capital intensive and does not require a lot of land, to cater for women and other vulnerable groups who lack productive resources. It has a component of fuel saving stoves and water preservation which will reduce the workload of women who traditionally have the responsibility of gathering fuel wood and collecting water.

The project has had the effects of contributing to global efforts to reduce Global Warming and mitigate Climate Change by conserving the natural tropical forest of Rwoho, a carbon sink of international significance. This has been done by implementing activities aimed at reducing the human footprint on the forest and maintaining its integrity.  The initiative has planted 2,137 hectares of the Rwoho Natural Forest buffer zone with 1,068,599 trees absorbing 641,100 tons of Carbon per rotation (Twenty Year Period). By promoting household and school use of fuel-efficient stoves, the initiative has reduced consumption of Woody biomass from the average/mean 147 Kg per household per month to 10 Kgs per household per month. This has allowed  the forest to self-regenerate. By entering into a Collaborative Forest Management arrangement with the National Forest Authority, the initiative has reduced the threat from fire on the natural tropical forest of Rwoho from 76% to 5%. As such the forest will continue performing its role as a Carbon Sink and a watershed for River Kagera an important tributary to the River Nile.  The initiative is also promoting use of Solar Energy for lighting. This has reduced the amount of Carbon released in the atmosphere from burning kerosene, a fossil fuel.

Environmental Impacts

The initiative has increased the vegetation cover of the area and also allowed the natural forest to self-regenerate. Despite their importance, according to the National Forest Authority, forests continue to disappear in Uganda at 26%, a rate that is the 7th highest among the 62 countries worldwide that have tropical rainforests. Since 2005 to date, out of the 3.6million hectares of forest land left, the country loses 2.1% every year (i.e. 92,000 hectares). At this rate, there will be no forests left by the year 2052. There were reports that the honey bee population was declining rapidly. The initiative has reversed this by replacing traditional bee hives, which were harvested by burning off the bees with modern bee hives that are harvested by smoking, thus conserving the bees.

The initiative is contributing to conservation of Rwoho forest which plays an important watershed role to rivers Mishumba and Kagera. The Meteorological Department had already reported reduction in the water levels of Rivers Mishumba and Kagera, both important tributaries to River Nile, a water body of international significance. This reduction had already affected the generation of hydro-electricity in Uganda.

Social Inclusion and good governance

The project area is culturally male dominated. Although Uganda has a gender policy in place that spells out equality and equity in relations between genders and requires gender responsive planning for all development projects, women marginalization is still deeply entrenched. Century old traditional practices have left women without education, skills and productive resources such as land. This project has taken this into account and it is employing the principles of affirmative action. All men, women and people with disabilities will have equal access to the benefits of the project. Where a decision has to be made about who does or doesn’t attend a workshop owing to logistical limitations, the marginalized / vulnerable groups will be given priority. The initiative is promoting honey production, an income generating activity that is not labour or capital intensive and does not require a lot of land, to cater for women and other vulnerable groups who lack productive resources. It has a component of fuel saving stoves and water preservation which will reduce the workload of women who traditionally have the responsibility of gathering fuel wood and collecting water.

The women are the owners of the initiative and support it with their subscriptions and membership fees. They democratically elect the Governing Board from the general assembly which is comprised by them on an annual basis at the Annual General Assembly meeting. The General Assembly is the supreme body of the initiative and makes all the decisions by consensus. The initiative is creating awareness and imparting skills to women in fuel-efficient stove construction, rainwater harvesting tanks and solar systems repair. These are marketable skills that women can use to get employment to earn a living.

Scalability

The forest-edge community beneficiaries of this project have the same socioeconomic characteristics of other forest-edge communities in the remaining 720 forests of Uganda’s forest estate. The initiative therefore has had high potential for replication and scaling up and has a great multiplier effect. It promotes good sustainable practices that address the most pressing needs (energy, water and poverty).  As such at national level, the National Forest Authority identified it to partner with it in a Collaborative Forest Management arrangement. At international level the initiative, in-spite of being a grassroots one, has Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and has been participating in the Open Working Groupsconducted by UN in the process of the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Development Agenda. The initiative was democratically elected by the Civil Society Organizations of Africa to represent them as Observer for Africa on the Climate Investment Fund – Forest Investment Program. It was also elected democratically to represent Eastern Africa Civil Society Organizations to represent them on the Civil Society Mechanism Coordinating Committee for engagement with UN FAO’s Committee on Food Security (CSM CC 4 CFS).

Community advocacy for environmental justice and climate change solutions

The initiative is a member of many Local, Regional and International networks working on Climate Change Advocacy and Environment Justice. At Global, Continental and National level the initiative is a member and partner with many networks to advocate with governments and international organizations for the inclusion of women and forest dependent community specific needs, constraints and interests, as well as their ownership rights, to land and forest resources in reforms and political agenda. It was instrumental in the advocacy for a stand-alone goal on Forest in the Sustainable Development Goals. Some of those networks are:

Global Level;

· The Mary Robinson Climate Foundation for Justice.

· United Nations Forest Forum

· United Nations Women’s Major Group

· Global Environment Facility Civil Society Network

· Women Environment Development Network (WEDO)

· Women Environment and Climate Action Network (WECAN)

· Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources (WOCAN)

· Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF)

Africa Continental Level;

· Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA)

· African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests(REFACOF)

· Pan-African CSO-IP-REDD Platform

National Level;

· The Uganda Environment and Natural Resources Civil Society Network, among many others.

· The Uganda Forest Working Group

· Climate Action Network – Uganda (CAN-U)

Innovative partnerships with governments and the private sector

·     Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) with the National Forest Authority (NFA).

The initiative was identified to pilot the Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) arrangement. In the past NFA and the Community worked separately. This method of work bred a lot of conflict as communities were excluded from using the forest. They responded by setting the forest on fire and encroaching on it for agriculture. The NFA in turn would throw the community members in prison. The Collaborative Forest Management is a partnership in which the forest dependent communities take part in the decision making and sharing of benefits of the forest conservation. The community in turn guards the forest and this has reduced the incidences of fire and allowed the forest to self-regenerate. This arrangement has been adopted and applied to management and use of all forests in Uganda because it has proved feasible.

·     Carbon sequestration is another partnership aspect of this project. Up to this time, environment projects have planted trees but have not attempted to quantify the amount of reduction in emissions. Through the National Forest Authority (NFA) the initiative engaged with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility of the World Bank and also the Climate Investment – Forest Investment Program Fund (CIF – FIP) REDD+ as well as the UNREDD. By engaging with these international processes the initiative is involved in discussions influencing formulation of policy at Global Level.

·     Partnership with Global Environment Facility – Small Grants Office (GEF – SGP) Office in Kampala has enabled the initiative to participate in the GEF Constituency Meetings in East Africa as well as in the GEF Council Meeting in Washington DC. The conversations in these meetings have informed Policy Formulation at Global, Regional and National levels.

·     The initiative also participates in the Sector Review conducted by Ministry of Water and Environment of the Republic of Uganda.