Project Title: Restoration of 5 hectares of degraded part of Kagombe Central Forest Reserve
Time frame: 1 year
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Restoration of degraded part of Kagombe central forest reserve, Kagadi district western Uganda
in the mid-western landscapes project is aimed at ecological restoration of the site that will be
planted with a diverse range of native species that will improve biodiversity conservation and
forest connectivity in the region. The site is located at the edge of the Forest Reserve and has
been cleared in the past for agricultural use. Currently, it is an area of shrubs and grasses with
some invasive species. The globally Vulnerable species Prunus africana will be planted. Trees
such as Maesopsis eminii, Cordia africana, Olea welwitschii, Warbugia ugandensis and Phoenix
reclinata will be planted, which are important food sources for wild animal species.
Project Objectives include:
1. To restore the degraded Kagombe Central forest reserve,
2. To restore the ecological functionality of Kagombe central forest reserve
3. To improve the capacity of local communities in forest conservation and restoration and enhance their livelihoods and human well-being.
Current Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) efforts in Uganda are constrained by a limited understanding of the benefits of biodiverse FLR, high demand for exotic species, and limited availability of native seeds/seedlings. There is a very high risk that Ugandan restoration targets will be missed due to the prevalence of exotic species in the government nurseries, delivering species-poor FLR that misses biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and employment opportunities for rural people.
Therefore, the project will source native tree planting seedlings from the Kagadi community native tree nursery that was established by Tooro Botanical Gardens with support from Darwin Initiative 3 years back. The vision of this project is to promote the use of native tree species for ecological restoration, improve biodiversity conservation and provide opportunities for livelihood improvements.
In the short term, the project will have 5 hectares planted with 1,250 seedlings of over 43 species including globally threatened tree species, support local communities to understand how to manage the natural resources that they rely upon more sustainably, improve community livelihoods through seedling sales from the community nursery, employment on restoration planting exercise. And in mid and long term targets the project will have contributed to biodiversity programs in Uganda, balancing species protection and consumption patterns. The project will have achieved this by increasing the knowledge of the importance of the uses of native species for forest restoration and how to plant them and keep them alive in poor and vulnerable communities of Kagadi.