PROJECT PERFORMANCE REPORT
| Project Name | Supply and Demand: Restoration in Uganda for people and biodiversity |
| Project category | Forest Landscape Restoration(FLR) |
| Status of the project | Reporting Period |
| Complete | July 2018-April 2021 |
| PROJECT DETAILS | |
| Country | Uganda |
| Project areas | Ibanda local forest reserve, Ibanda District-South west rangelands, Kagombe Central forest reserve, Kagadi District -Western mid-altitude landscapes, Lwamunda central forest reserve, Mpigi District-Lake Victoria crescent, Mbale central forest reserve-Mbale District-Afromontane landscapes |
| Lead organization | Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) |
| Partner institutions | Tooro Botanical Gardens(TBG), International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) |
| Project partners | Ministry of Water and Environment(MWE), National Forestry Authority(NFA), Ibanda District Local Government. (IDLG), Local communities. (LC) |
| Donor | UK Department for International Development (DfID) Darwin Initiative |
| Project background | The Uganda Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) Opportunity Assessment, published by the Ugandan government and IUCN in 2016, states that 17% of Uganda’s land is severely degraded, 30% highly degraded and 31% moderately degraded. This has serious implications for Uganda’s long-term development and causes the loss of 4-12% of Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. The average monthly household income in rural Uganda is US$45. There is limited job creation for the poorest households, and employment opportunities for women are particularly restricted. Under the Bonn Challenge, Uganda has pledged to restore 2.5 million ha of land by 2020. The Uganda FLR report aims to plant 200 million trees in priority areas to improve human well-being and ecological productivity. This pledge represents a huge opportunity for delivering species conservation, increasing biodiversity on farms, and delivering genetically and taxonomically diverse ecological restoration that benefits people and wildlife. Uganda has 849 native tree species; 30 are globally threatened. |
| Key drivers of the project | Little understanding of the benefits of delivering genetically biodiverse FLR (and the risks of not doing so). High demand for, and availability of, exotic tree species. Limited availability of native seeds and seedlings due to a lack of knowledge about how to propagate native species among community nurseries, farmers and government No up-to-date forest policy, and hence, no mandate for planting indigenous species. |
| Project summary | There was a risk that exotic species from most nurseries would be planted instead, delivering species-poor FLR that misses biodiversity conservation and employment opportunities for rural people. To overcome this risk, the project Supply and Demand: Restoration in Uganda for People and Biodiversity has set up four nurseries next to areas identified as priorities for forest restoration in the FLR Opportunity Assessment. This project-implemented by Tooro Botanical Gardens – with support from Botanic Gardens Conservation International – BGCI) supported the delivery of biodiversity conservation and created opportunities for livelihood improvement by employing people from rural areas to collect seed and cultivate native seedlings in the four nurseries. Over the timeframe of the project, the nurseries have produced seedlings of over 100 indigenous tree species. Outreach activities have driven the demand for native species. Despite Covid-19 impacts on the nurseries’ ability to sell seedlings in the final year of the project, over 10,000,000 Ugandan Shillings were earned from seedling sales that are being managed in nursery association funds to support the nurseries as they continue operations, providing a buffer as the pandemic continues. Since its inception in 2018, the Project impacted tremendously on people’s lives in target populations and biodiversity conservation. |
| Project outputs | Improved information generated on more than 150 native tree species, including improved information on distribution, wild populations, seed availability and propagation protocols improved/developed. Genetically diverse seedlings of 320,582 of 103 native tree species including 8 that are globally threatened and 12 that are threatened in Uganda available for purchase from the four nurseries established in high priority restoration areas. Increased demand for genetically and species diverse seedlings. By the end of the project, a total of 23,183 seedlings from 67 species were sold and 16,200 seedlings donated to institutions. 18 hectares of forests were planted with indigenous trees and four community plots were planted with 8,276 seedlings. 104 people have increased capacity and improved livelihoods |
| Project outcomes | 119 people have been trained and employed in the four tree nurseries, 51% of them women and this is improving household livelihoods. Four indigenous tree seedling nurseries were established, and these are selling seedlings to farmers and institutions. Information has been collated on seed set and propagation techniques for more than 140 native tree species which is a big contribution to FLR in Uganda. Establishment of seed collection calendars for 101 tree species. Mapping of seed collection zones for the 101 tree species. The project contributed to the publication of ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits. |
| Remarks | Restoration work is ongoing, community members are managing the established native tree nurseries through their associations and Tooro Botanical Gardens and the National Forestry Authority continues to guide and support them to ensure the sustainability of the project. |
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