Trees journal 2016 volume 73

International Tree Foundation

Journal Autumn 2016 VOLUME 73

Saving Kafuga Forest

20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests Global Trees Campaign Mali’s Trees 4 Livelihoods Fruit-full Communities Protecting Tanzania’s Miombo Woodlands

FARMER MANAGED NATURAL REGENERATION  IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST BARBE

 Introduction

IN THIS ISSUE 3 4 Work on saving Kafuga Foreword

Forest begins

Heading in the right direction?

5 The legacy of a lady, a

friend and a colleague While the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals have generally been welcomed as a step in the right direction we are still waiting for any practical sign that the necessary resources will be provided or actions taken to begin to implement these commitments. In a year where month on month the planet has experienced record temperatures, will these turn out to be just more hot air?

6 Six months and

240,000 seedlings are taking root

9 Global Trees Campaign 11 Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

13 Book: A Group

At International Tree Foundation we have set our own ambitious target for our Centenary Campaign to work with local communities to plant 20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests by 2024. We need to raise £4 million to turn this into reality. Thanks to the generous help of existing and new supporters we have been able to start phase one in Mount Kenya Forest and you can read about what our partner, Mount Kenya Environmental Conservation, has achieved over the first 9 months on page 6.

Photograph

16 Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker 18 Food security in Mali’s dryland villages

20 Young people gain fruit-full skills

22 Quantifying effective fire management in Tanzania

26 Get involved

PATRON His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales FOUNDER Dr Richard St Barbe Baker OBE PRESIDENT Professor Sir Ghillean Prance VICE PRESIDENTS Professor Julian Evans Edward Green MBE Susan Hampshire The Earl of Lindsay William E Matthews OBE

CHAIR Timothy Hornsby VICE CHAIR Professor Roger Leakey TRUSTEES Richard Denyer Michael Hoare Kate Schreckenburg David Gore Maria Grecna Jamie Holloway Mardi McBrien Bland Tomkinson CHIEF EXECUTIVE Andy Egan

International Tree Foundation Mayfield House 256 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7DE Telephone: 01865 318836 Email: info@international treefoundation.org www.international treefoundation.org Registered Charity number 1106269

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EDITOR Naomi Hope and Misty Oosthuizen DESIGN Rather Fine Design PRINT Bucks (TVP) MAILING HOUSE Bucks (TVP)

Like us on Facebook International Tree Foundation Follow us on Twitter @ITF_Worldwide Trees is published by International Tree Foundation (ITF), a registered charity (no. 1106269). The opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect ITF policy and ITF does not hold itself responsible for any of those opinions. Trees is printed on recycled paper.

We also faced an unexpected challenge this year when one of our Ugandan partners, Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda (PROBICOU), told us that they could not continue with the forest restoration project we were funding as there was a threat to cut down the entire forest! Although the delightfully named Kafuga Pocket Forest is small at just 250 hectares, it plays a crucial role for local communities and acts as a buffer for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Following discussions with PROBICOU and other local organisations we agreed to launch a campaign and set up a petition (something we have never done before) to persuade the Minister of Environment in Uganda to protect Kafuga Forest.

We were delighted when Rainforest Rescue also launched a petition which quickly gathered over 160,000 signatures. Most importantly, the forest has been saved for now and, thanks to our crowdfunding campaign, we can continue to support PROBICOU’s efforts to ensure a forest conservation plan is agreed and implemented. They will then be able to continue with the original plan to restore the forest with 30,000 indigenous trees.

PROBICOU’s Director, Robert, writes about saving Kafuga Forest on page 4.

In the UK, we are a partner in a new programme called Fruit-full Communities, working with Learning through Landscapes, YMCA England and The Orchard Project. This is a really important and interesting initiative that widens our education work with young people. You can find out more on page 20.

Andy Egan Chief Executive Officer, International Tree Foundation

Autumn 2016

Foreword The convention in modern agriculture, especially in the industrial countries of the world, is to consider that land should be cleared for farming because trees are not compatible with highly productive food production.

However, convention isn’t always based on fact. The scientific evidence is that trees actually play a critical role in maintaining a naturally functioning onfarm ecosystem, critical for the maintenance of soil fertility and health; important for weed, pest and disease control, and for processes like insect pollination – all of which increase productivity without the need to buy chemical substitutes.

Increased productivity is of course crucial if we are to feed the growing world population. So, the fact we now know that we can do this in ways that are good for the environment is positive news. Better still, is that these new tree crops produce traditionally-important food and medicinal products such as fruits, nuts and leaves, which stimulate local markets and new business which can raise people out of poverty. This is especially important in the tropics and sub-tropics where the vast majority of farmers have to feed and provide all the day-to-day needs of their families with a daily income of about £1. Furthermore, they have to do this on an area of seriously degraded land that is typically less

than 4-5 acres. On top of all this, planting trees is a way to lock-up carbon in the vegetation and its associated healthy soils, so slowing the events leading to climate change.

By supporting these tree-based farming systems in Africa, International Tree Foundation is at the forefront of efforts to create a better, fairer, more productive and sustainable agriculture.

The health of our planet will also benefit if climate change can be slowed or even halted. ITF is also helping to create new and appropriate businesses based on new tree products that most of us have never even heard of. If we can achieve all this, then we will also be helping to reverse deforestation by creating productive wildlife-friendly farm land, and so conserving the small remaining areas of natural forest and woodlands.

ITF’s field programme in Africa is growing – currently we have 19 projects in 9 countries and we have recently launched our Centenary Campaign to plant 20 million trees in the highlands of Kenya by 2024. This issue of trees will give you an insight into the work of ITF and our partners which is based on the philosophy of building from the grassroots and supporting and investing in local communities who are striving to protect and restore the land on which they live.

There is a big challenge to raise awareness and to change the mind-set of many policy and decisionmakers around the world who do not understand the important role of trees in sustaining healthy ecosystems rich in biodiversity.

Please play your part by supporting ITF in all its work.

Professor Roger Leakey Vice Chair, International Tree Foundation

This issue’s contributors JULIAN WANJA

JASPER MAKALA

CAMILLA ALLEN

PIERRE DEMBELE

Julian is Project Manager for Mount Kenya Environment Conservation, our partner for 20 Million Trees in Kenya’s Forests (page 6).

Jasper is CEO of Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative, a successful community-based organisation in Tanzania (page 22)

Camilla is a PHD student at Sheffield University researching the work of Richard St. Barbe Baker (page 16).

Pierre is Executive Director of Sahel Eco, working in the drylands of Mali (page 18).

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

3

 Kafuga

Forest

Work on saving Kafuga Forest begins Kafuga Pocket Forest is an area of astounding beauty about 35km from Kisoro town at the Southern point of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in South Western Uganda.

Kafuga Pocket Forest lies in one of the country’s most densely populated rural areas. Almost all households use firewood as a source of energy and use the forest for products such as stakes, poles, beehives, ropes and pasture for cattle. Kafuga Forest acts as a catchment for streams and rivers that serve the local community.

Kafuga Forest was never included in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park when this was established, and has long suffered from over-exploitation and lack of management.

Restoring Kafuga Forest PROBICOU is working with local farming communities, agencies and government to agree on what is best for the forest and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

Before restoration work can begin, PROBICOU is mobilising the community – more than 600 of whom have petitioned the local government, claiming their right to public ownership of Kafuga Forest. They’ll need to get the support of the local council (who own the forest) and state agencies like the Ugandan Wildlife Authority and the Ugandan Forest Authority.

The work doesn’t stop there, PROBICOU will need to lobby the central government for support, develop a community forest management plan and ensure it is approved by local authorities – because without their approval, nothing will move forwards.

Earlier this year, we became aware of a plan to cut the entire forest down and turn it into a tea plantation.

This would have a devastating knock-on effect for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to an incredible biodiversity, including many rare birds and near-extinct mammals. Bwindi is notably home to 400 of the 880 remaining mountain gorillas in the wild. Local people are dependent on the forest, and would have no choice but to start using the Bwindi Impenetrable forest for their day-to-day needs.

Thanks to generous donations and to the efforts of local community members to halt forest clearance, PROBICOU (Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda) can now begin the slow process of helping the community to protect, manage and eventually restore Kafuga.

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Following this, the forest boundaries need to be mapped out in detail (with help from Rainforest Rescue). Then there’s the matter of a training plan to ensure the community’s engagement, responsibility and accountability. Meanwhile PROBICOU is also helping local farmers improve their livelihoods through activities such as passion fruit farming and beekeeping.

Robert Tumwesigye, PROBICOU project manager in Uganda tells us “when the forest is finally restored, the communities will benefit from environmentally friendly activities like fruit growing, bee-keeeping and eco-tourism and their income will be improved.”

It’s an ambitious plan, but a very worthy challenge.

Autumn 2016

 In

memory of Dorothy Freeland

The legacy of a lady, a friend and a colleague In June this year, ITF received a generous gift from a lady called Miss Dorothy Freeland, who had left us this money as part of her estate. Dorothy was a member of the International Tree Foundation branch in Northern Ireland. Her dear friend, Mrs Willa Robinson sent us a beautiful eulogy which was read at Dorothy’s funeral. Extracts of which we’d like to share with you.

Dorothy decided to return to Ireland and took up a post at the Queen’s University as Ashby Librarian, and later transferred to Omagh College. She enjoyed working as a librarian and studied for the Diploma in Information and Library Science at Queen’s University. Dorothy remained at Omagh College until she retired in 1992.

Have you thought about leaving a legacy?

Turn to page 26 to find out how you can leave a legacy for generations to come.

Dorothy was born in Belfast on 8 January 1933 and later moved to Dublin where she attended Wesley College, Dublin University.

She obtained an Honours Degree in History and Political Science, furthering her studies at Trinity College, Dublin, before starting a career as a teacher.

She began teaching in 1956 in Armagh and was later appointed Head of History in Enniskillen in 1960. In 1966, she accepted several short-term contracts and left for St Hilda’s in Jamaica, where during school holidays she would visit other islands in the Caribbean like St Kitts, Barbados and Trinidad.

Have you seen our new website?

It’s tablet and mobile friendly! If you spot something wrong let us know and we’ll send you an ITF pen with our thanks! www.internationaltreefoundation.org

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

5

 20 Xyxy Million yxy yyxy Treesyyxy for Kenya’s yxyxy

Forests

Six months and

240,000 seedlings

are taking root Aiming to plant 20 Million Trees by 2024, the project will conserve Kenya’s highland forests, which are known as ‘Water Towers’ for the vital role they play in conserving the country’s rivers, lakes and drinking water. The initiative will also help combat climate change and protect forest habitats for rare birds and mammals – while improving food security for some of Africa’s most vulnerable people.

The Mount Kenya Forest Landscape Restoration Project is the first phase in the campaign, aiming to restore the forested upper slopes of Embu County, to the South-East of the Mount Kenya National Park. Communities living in the area whose main agricultural crops include tea and coffee, are keen to restore damaged parts of the forest and to plant more trees on their own land.

Ms Julian Wanja, Project Manager for Mount Kenya Environmental Conservation (MKEC), who is running the project on the ground, explained their work so far. “We have identified six community groups and trained them in tree nursery establishment, seed collection and gathering wildings – wild seedlings from the forest.”

Tree planting takes place in the rainy seasons in November and April. “So far, over 350 participants from local Self-help Groups and Community Forest Associations are involved in growing seedlings”, says Julian. “We are growing indigenous species which are very important for restoring natural ecosystems and are a link to our cultural heritage”.

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It’s been over six months since the launch of International Tree Foundation’s 20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests Campaign in March this year.

Take a look at this snap shot from the survey  Getting in touch with the community Julian and her team undertook a household survey to better understand the needs of the local community. Based on the results, MKEC can ensure not only that the slopes of Mount Kenya are reforested, but that the families receive trees to plant on their smallholdings, increasing household income and improving soil quality and nutrition.

Name

Age

Household size

Augustine Njiru Njue

50

2

Brigit Ciamati

64

5

Elias Ireri

50

5

Angelica Muthanje

54

9

Consolata Wambui

74

8

Gilbert Gitonga

42

5

Justa Ciamwari

70

11

Lenity Ciambaka

64

6

Lewa Njagi

85

6

M’kenya Murua

78

13

Peter Mugambi Mugo

30

1

What do these trees do? ƄƄ Grevillea = timber, fuelwood, soil improvement, microclimate improvement = better crop yields

ƄƄ Cordia, Vitex, Croton, Markhamia = fine native trees with similar uses to Grevillea

Autumn 2016

My 20 Trees and Me – Growing up Together

Number of cattle

Number of chickens

Size of land farmed (acres)

How many more trees do you plan to plant?

0

5

1.2

10

Avocadoes

Passion fruits

Grafted mangoes

1

3

2.5

10

Cordia

Croton

Grafted mangoes

1

5

0.5

10

Avocadoes

Passion fruits

Grafted mangoes

1

2

0.5

15

Grevillea

Calliandra

Acrocarpus

1

18

1.5

100

Grevillea

Calliandra

Acrocarpus

1

5

0.5

30

Grevillea

Acrocarpus

Markhamia

2

10

3

100

Grevillea

Vitex

Cordia

2

7

2

20

Grevillea

Avocadoes

Mangoes

1

4

5

100

Grevillea

Tree tomatoes

Acrocarpus

5

40

2

50

Grevillea

Calliandra

Calliandra

2

4

0.4

20

Grevillea

Croton

Cordia

Choice of tree of tree to Choice to plant B plant A

Choice of tree to plant C

Another part of the 20 Million Trees Campaign is My 20 Trees and Me – Growing up Together. This school greening project aims at nurturing Kenya’s tree planting and forest conservation culture, and involving young people over the duration of the 10 year campaign. The children from the first six schools selected are aged 7 or 8 this year. They will each plant 20 trees and take care of them with their class mates until they leave school.

Photographs taken every year will show how the children and their trees are growing up together, and will provide an opportunity for them to tell their stories as their landscape gradually changes.

Achievements so far The team have raised over 240,000 seedlings – both indigenous and agroforestry species. Six schools are participating in the ‘My 20 Trees and Me: Growing up Together’ initiative, and 350 group participants are actively involved in tending for the seedlings in nurseries.

What has been hardest and how did you overcome the challenge? ƄƄ Calliandra = fodder, fuel, nitrogen fixing = soil fertility and better crop yields

ƄƄ Acrocarpus = very fast growing tree for fuelwood, shade, poles and soil improvement

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

ƄƄ Fruit trees for nutritious food and income from fruit sales

Julian says it’s been tricky getting to some of the remote areas due to poor roads, but thanks to some motorbikes – nothing stops them now!

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 Mount

Kenya Environmental Conservation

Why the good work must continue Only 7% of Kenya is covered by trees which equates to 67 trees per person compared to a global average of 420. It’s one of the countries most affected by deforestation in Africa.

Plan for 2017 ƄƄ Enable 1,500 vulnerable households of on average 5 people to plant fruit trees and agroforestry trees to help increase income in Embu County. ƄƄ Support the development of agroforestry, improving farm productivity, nutrition and food security. ƄƄ Improve agriculture practices including kitchen gardening, composting, use of green manure and nitrogen fixing species to reduce reliance on inorganic fertiliser. ƄƄ Support the creation of forest-friendly income generating activities such as beekeeping and fish farming. ƄƄ Train community tree nursery groups to produce high value products such as grafted fruit trees, that will be a source of income and will sustain nursery operations. ƄƄ Work towards long-term impacts of improved water catchments and healthy forest and farm ecosystems.

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MKEC and the local community groups work hand in hand with the Kenya Forest Service and the Community Forest Association.

Without their efforts, Julian says that “most degraded areas within Mount Kenya Forest will not be restored, water volumes in rivers will continue to decline, biodiversity and threatened species will not recover”. Furthermore, she adds “the impact of climate change will continue to affect the region, and communities will continue to invade the forest for timber, firewood and charcoal”.

“At the end of the project we want to see Kenyan forest cover increase to 10%. We want to ensure all degraded areas are restored within the five key ‘Water Towers’ in Kenya, creating a habitat for wild animals and reducing human-wildlife conflicts. With 20 million trees planted across the whole country, 400,000 tons of carbon will be sequestered.”

A bit about Julian Julian loves spending time around children. She enjoys travelling and exploring the world and discovering all the different trees and plants.

Julian longs to see Kenyan wildlife and endangered species return to how they once were. She loves her work and is known for her enthusiasm and perseverance in achieving her goals.

Autumn 2016

 Global

Trees Campaign

Global Trees Campaign

Saving the World’s Threatened Trees Written by Kirsty Shaw: Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Over 9,600 tree species are threatened with extinction.

Of greater concern, over 1,900 trees are critically endangered, and are likely to become extinct unless urgent action is taken to save them.

Despite the huge range of economic, ecological and cultural values that different trees provide, very few conservation programmes deliver targeted conservation action for threatened tree species.

The Global Trees Campaign aims to prevent all tree species extinctions in the wild, ensuring their benefits for people, wildlife and the wider environment.

The Global Trees Campaign (GTC) is a partnership between two international conservation organisations: Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). FFI works with more than 500 partners in 40 countries, including local NGOs and community groups.

The combined and complementary expertise and the sites that GTC partners hold result in a powerful force for tree conservation.

Kirsty is Head of Ecological Restoration and Tree Conservation at BGCI. She has worked on the Global Trees Campaign for four years and is responsible for tree conservation projects in Africa.

The Global Trees Campaign has four objectives:

1.

To identify and prioritise the tree species of greatest conservation concern

3.

To empower partners and practitioners to undertake effective conservation for threatened trees

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

A bit about Kirsty Shaw:

2.

To ensure that the world’s most threatened tree species are protected with populations recovering in the wild through conservation action

4.

To mobilise other groups to act for threatened trees

What is Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)?

BGCI is the world’s largest plant conservation network, comprising more than 500 botanic gardens in 100 countries. BGCI is a partner in ITF’s Centenary Campaign – 20 Million Trees for Kenya’s Forests.

They help Julian and the MKEC team to carry out site assessments, and train them on forest restoration and tree seed collection methods.

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 Global

Trees Campaign

managers to identify and implement conservation to avoid tree species extinctions. We currently have active practical projects with partners in over 20 countries, implementing conservation actions for more than 50 of the world’s most threatened trees. In each project we run trials, new approaches and develop a model that can be replicated by other conservation partners for more threatened trees.

 Magnolia omeiensis, assessed as Critically Endangered in the updated Red List of Magnoliaceae (BGCI, 2016).

Credit: Li Cehong.

Identifying and prioritising the tree species of greatest conservation concern Effective conservation of threatened trees depends on accurate information about their distribution, population size and threats. To date, there is no world list of tree species. GTC is working on a list of all of the world’s tree species that will be complete with countrylevel distributions by the end of 2016.

GTC Specialist Group carries out conservation assessments for tree species which are published on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ (IUCN) Threatened Species Red List. GTC aims to have conservation assessments for all tree species uploaded through the Global Tree Assessment system by 2020. In addition, GTC identifies which threatened trees are represented (or absent) from botanic gardens, arboreta and seed banks - collectively referred to as “ex situ” collections.

By identifying the distribution of tree species, their conservation status both in the wild and in ex situ collections, we identify which trees should be prioritised for conservation action. This work not only underpins the rest of the GTC programme, it also guides the tree conservation work of other conservation organisations around the world.

Ensuring that the world’s most threatened tree species are protected with populations recovering in the wild

Empowering partners and practitioners to undertake effective conservation for threatened trees We support our growing network of partners to develop the technical skills and knowledge required to conserve threatened trees. We deliver training programmes to project partners and local communities, and facilitate links between tree conservation experts and the people managing the sites where threatened trees exist. We also make a wide range of resources available to freely download from our website: www.globaltrees.org/resources

Mobilising other groups to act for threatened trees With over 9,600 trees threatened with extinction, there’s a lot of work to do! Though trees offer us medicine, timber, food, and a host of ecological and cultural values, they are often under-valued, even by the conservation sector. Many species are also slowgrowing which means that conservation efforts need time to come into fruition.

GTC works to inspire others to consider threatened trees, targeting conservation institutions that don’t have a specific focus on threatened trees to include them in their projects, reaching out to policy makers and funders, and encouraging everyone to have a wider appreciation of the value of trees for people and the planet, and the need for their conservation.

Keen to find out more about the world’s threatened trees and our work to prevent them going extinct?

Visit our website to find out more! www.globaltrees.org

We carry out direct and practical conservation interventions for identified trees of highest conservation concern. We work in collaboration with botanic gardens, arboreta, conservation NGOs, and protected area

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Autumn 2016

 Farmer

Managed Natural Regeneration

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration – the treasure lies dormant beneath your feet

Written by Tony Rinaudo, Principal Advisor Natural Resources for World Vision

There’s a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Tony Rinaudo, Principal Advisor Natural Resources for World Vision, couldn’t agree more.

An Australian missionary in Niger, with a new way of thinking In the 1980s, Tony Rinaudo left his native Australia to work as a missionary in Niger. Tony discovered what he called an underground forest, a deep root system which allowed shrubs to regrow into trees when pruned properly. Tony persuaded a number of farmers, despite the scepticism of the custom in Niger, to start cultivating the root systems underneath the Sahel’s barren soil, firstly into shrubs which re-sprouted through pruning and then into trees.

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), as the process became known, contradicted the existing techniques of cleaning the land, digging holes and trying to grow trees in the drought-endemic area of the Sahel belt. “Most people thought I was a mad, white farmer” Tony says, when he began his regeneration of old root systems. But as his efforts began to yield trees, news of the success of his techniques began to spread from farm to farm, and trees reforested the area whilst crops grew in their shade. Thirty years later, FMNR has spread to over five million hectares and the changes can be seen from space.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

Reasons for the rapid spread The benefits of FMNR quickly became apparent and farmers themselves became the chief proponents as they talked amongst themselves. FMNR can directly alleviate poverty, rural migration, chronic hunger and even famine in a wide range of rural settings.

Villagers experimented, project staff who lived in the villages were supportive, teaching, encouraging and standing alongside farmers when disputes or theft of trees occurred. This support was crucial, particularly in the early days when there was much opposition to FMNR. As trees began to colonise the land again, excited government forestry agents nominated lead farmers and even project staff for regional and national awards. Often these nominees won prizes, lifting the profile of FMNR. As news began to spread, national and international NGOs, church and mission groups received training and began promoting the method across Niger.

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 Farmer

Managed Natural Regeneration

What is FMNR exactly?

Future challenges

Farmer managed natural regeneration is a cheap and rapid method of re-vegetation, which can be applied over large areas of land and can be adapted to a range of land use systems. It’s simple and can be adapted to each individual farmer’s unique requirements, providing multiple benefits to people, livestock, crops and the environment, including physical, economic and social benefits to humans.

Further investigation is still needed into various technical aspects, such as the most beneficial spacing, species mix, age to harvest, or type of harvesting, for specific purposes. What most entities working in reforestation have failed to recognise is that vast areas of cleared agricultural land in Africa retain an “underground forest” of living stumps and roots.

Consequently, millions of dollars have been spent on unsuccessful tree planting schemes.

Through managing natural regeneration, farmers can control their own resources without depending on externally funded projects or needing to buy expensive inputs (seed, fertilizers, nursery supplies) from suppliers. Its beauty lies in its simplicity and accessibility to even the poorest farmers, and once it has been accepted, it takes on a life of its own, spreading from farmer to farmer, by word of mouth.

By simply changing agricultural practices, this underground forest can re-sprout, at little cost, rapidly and with great beneficial impact. Ironically, the success of FMNR has emboldened some farmers to plant certain valued species of trees which will not appear through regeneration and to take the extra care required to succeed.

To find out more please go to the contact page of the FMNR Hub: http://fmnrhub.com.au/contact-us/

A bit about Tony: Growing up in beautiful North East Victoria, Australia Tony always loved the bush. His extended playground was the rolling tree covered hills, complete with abandoned mining caves just 100m from his front gate.

He fondly recalls visiting a farmer friend of his father one day who was working in his farm shed. As they approached him, Tony was lured by a large pile of books on the floor in the middle of the man’s shed – being a keen reader and already having a love for trees. Tony flipped through a few books and picked up two of interest: I Planted Trees and Sahara Challenge, both by Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker. Borrowing them, he read them cover to cover and was spellbound by the stories. An inner conviction grew in Tony that he and his wife would do something along those lines in Australia.

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Autumn 2016

A

Group Photograph

A Group Photograph - Before, Now & In-Between

Andrew Tatham is author of this marvelous book about the 8th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, with a curious link to ITF… Writer and artist, Andrew has spent the last 21 years researching what really happened to all 46 men pictured above and his findings are recorded in this book through words and photographs. They were also part of a major Art and History exhibition at In Flanders’ Fields Museum in Ypres last year.

The process led him not just to the family trees of the men in the battalion, but also to the Men of Trees and ITF. The roots and branches of the Group Photograph project connected with ITF through a man

called Donald Fenwick Stileman, pictured in the above photograph (number 20).

Tatham tells us how Stileman was wounded at his first action in Loos, only to return to the Battalion in January 1916 to take a bullet in his right arm on the Somme…that left him with what he termed a “dud hand.”

Of all the stories he traced, it was Stileman’s that Tatham found most inspiring. After the war, the veteran switched from studying history to forestry, and subsequently

About Andrew Tatham’s book The Book ‘A Group Photograph - Before, Now & In-Between’ tells the stories of the men in this group photograph - not just their shared history in the First World War but also the bigger picture of their families before the War and through to the present day.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

The book is large-format to do justice to the pictures (and there are over 2000 pictures in the book)

£21.80 BUY THE BOOK www.groupphoto.co.uk

dedicated his life to trees, working for the Indian Forestry Service and then the Forestry Commission in the UK. Tatham was struck by the similarities between Stileman and our founder, Richard St. Barbe Baker who also fought and was wounded in the First World War before establishing Men of the Trees. Tracing our organisation’s own genealogy, Tatham recently sent ITF a generous donation towards the Save Kafuga Forest campaign and has pledged 10% of the money from his book sales in further support.

“ So interesting, your ‘Group Photograph’.

So well researched & produced” - Michael Morpurgo

“ The book really is a glorious achievement and completely fascinating” - Gyles Brandreth

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What’s so important

trees?

30.8% of the earth’s

surface is forests1, which is an average of 6,200 m2 per capita2

about

p of

ov er

tr u ty a nd maln

What is Agroforestry?

Agroforestry is a farming method combining trees with crops. This often improves soil fertility as the trees provide nitrogen releasing nutrients that the crops need to grow. It’s a win/win!

Trees help mitigate human impact on climate change Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have caused an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that has caused the Earth’s temperature to rise.

c

ti on

Tr

sh

break th p l e e

le yc

ee

Can you imagine what the world would look like without trees? We wouldn’t have to because we simply wouldn’t be around to see it.

Here’s a simple infographic to remind us why trees are critical to sustaining life on earth.

i

Scientists believe that this has led to more extreme and damaging weather as well as the melting of polar ice caps at a greater rate than ever recorded before.

But we can do something to slow this down! Plant trees! Because trees absorb and store CO2 from the atmosphere, the more trees we plant, and the more we slow down and reverse deforestation, the greater the Earth’s ability to lock carbon out of the atmosphere and slow global warming.

l

Did you know?

Forests contribute to the lives of 1.6 billion people

(1 in 6 people)1

l

l

1,300,000 square km of forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2015 globally1 1/2 of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years due to the transition from natural vegetation to agriculture6 1.2 billion people rely on agroforestry farming systems that help to sustain agricultural productivity and generate income1

Forests across our planet are estimated to filter high quality water for

Did you know?

Deforestation accounts for almost 20% of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions

50% of the population (3.5 billion people)9

l

Estimates indicate that converting forests to agricultural land can cause a 40% reduction in soil carbon levels3

l

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On a global scale, vegetation and soils are estimated to trap 2.6 gigatonnes of carbon annually8 Forests are the 2nd largest stores of carbon after oceans7

Trees provide essential habitats for diverse wildlife Forests and trees provide vital habitats for the majority of the world’s plant and animal species. The density of biodiversity in forests acts as a gene reservoir, and as logging and agriculture divides large areas of forest into small sections, members of the same species become isolated. ITF plants, promotes and protects trees and forests in order to prevent the extinction of species and promote biodiversity.

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Forests contain more than 80% of the world’s terrestrial species but the survival of many of them is threatened8 It is estimated that deforestation over the last century has led to a 30% reduction in the number of forest species8

Forests are a largely untapped medical resource Much of today’s medicine contains extracts from forest plants, some of which could be irretrievably lost through deforestation.

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There are almost 40,000 animal species in the world’s forests8 Rainforests – just one type of forest – cover less than 2% of the Earth’s total surface area and yet are home to 50% of the Earth’s plants and animals5

Did you know?

1 in 4

ingredients in our medicine come from rainforest plants3

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Aspirin was originally derived from a compound found in the willow tree Less than 1% of all plant species have been screened by chemists to see what bioactive compounds they may contain6 Some parts of the world could lose over 4000 plant species by 2050 as a result of climate change8.

Sources Key: 1 World Bank

2 FAO

3 www.rainforestconservation.org

4 www.tropicalforestnetwork.com/biodiversity-02.html

5 nature.org

6 WWF

7 UN (world forest day)

8 Vital forest graphics: http://www.unep.org/vitalforest

9 conservation.org

 Our

History

Richard ‘St Barbe’ ITF’s visionary and pioneering The life and work of Richard St. Barbe Baker, founder of the Men of the Trees (now International Tree Foundation in the UK), one of the world’s greatest foresters, environmentalists and conservationists, spans most of the twentieth century.

He was a prodigious and innovative writer and broadcaster, bringing his message about the importance of trees in creating and regulating the world’s atmosphere to audiences around the world.

So wide-ranging were his achievements, taking in such a breadth of countries, cultures and figures, that to address all their aspects could be daunting. But Camilla Allen from the University of Sheffield is looking to bring Baker’s achievements to new audiences by focussing her PhD research on his most visionary proposal: the Great Green Wall.

The Great Green Wall Unrealised in his lifetime, The Great Green Wall is gaining momentum in Africa today as political will gathers behind this ambitious landscape project with international backing from bodies including the European Union and World Bank.

 St Barbe Meeting the Morans from the Dance of the Trees held in 1922  Sahara Challenge map

The Great Green Wall aims to protect communities in the Sahel from a growing humanitarian crisis, one that Baker warned against long before others in the international community had recognised it: the complex issue of desertification.

Camilla’s research will also examine the organisations and individuals who took up the cause and continued the projects he conceptualised as the Green Front and the Sahara Reclamation Programme, as well as later interpretations of the Great Green Wall by figures like Burkino Faso’s Socialist President Thomas Sankara in the 1980s.

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Autumn 2016

Baker: founder  Baker’s children’s book Kamiti

Not a fantasy, but a tangible reality Richard St. Barbe Baker’s conception of the Great Green Wall was a band of trees planted from the east to the west coast of Africa, thirty miles deep and able to hold back the Sahara – a prevalent belief at the time - but it is unlikely to be realised as such. Instead, the Great Green Wall is more likely to embrace new approaches to agriculture and other activities that include agro-forestry, social-forestry and agronomy.

Baker’s view of the Great Green Wall is emblematic of his grassroots approach. As the project stands today however, it could be interpreted by some as a lofty, top-down environmental planning or greenwashing project masking land grabbing and the unsustainable intensification of agriculture in what is a very fragile and changeable environment.

Key to Camilla’s thesis will be the examination of previously unstudied documents and artefacts that relate to Baker and the Men of the Trees which she got to view at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Through close study of this material, Baker’s unique method of developing ways of distilling and disseminating concepts regarding the role of trees in all aspects of life will be explored and can be linked to the creation of the Great Green Wall.

A deep connection

A bit about Camilla

Previously working in childrens’ books publishing, Camilla’s interest in Baker’s vision for the Great Green Wall was first sparked when she discovered his children’s book Kamiti. The story is so rich in optimism and vision that even in its idealistic form she felt there were lessons to draw out; ways in which people could be reinvigorated with the passion that Baker instilled around the world to plant and protect trees.

Camilla’s first degree was in illustration and she went on to spend four years working in children’s books publishing before taking the decision to study landscape architecture.

She wrote her masters dissertation on Richard St. Barbe Baker and was awarded a scholarship from the University of Sheffield to continue her research. Now in the second year of her PHD, Camilla is looking forward to a busy couple of years researching and writing about this fascinating subject and is very excited about visiting Kenya and Ethiopia to see sites associated with ITF’s beginnings as well as active Great Green Wall sites.

Already a year into her studies, with two years to go, Camilla is excited to have the opportunity to Rejuvenate interest in this extraordinary man, and is looking forward to finding ways to share the story and message of Richard St. Barbe Baker to a wider public.

Upon completion of her thesis she hopes to continue her research by writing a biography to coincide with the Centenary of ITF, as well as working on landscape design and restoration projects.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

Twitter: @CamillaAllen | www.radicalsylviculture.com

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 Trees

4 Livelihoods

Food security in Mali’s dryland villages Interview with Pierre Dembele, Executive Director of Sahel Eco, Mali.

In 2013, International Tree Foundation and Sahel Eco Mali launched a four year project to tackle poverty and food insecurity in 29 villages in the drylands of Mali.

Trees for Livelihoods, or T4L for short, is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and aims to achieve its aims through improved forest and agricultural land management.

Nearing the end of the project, we caught up with Pierre Dembele, Executive Director of Sahel Eco, to find out what difference T4L has made so far.  One of the faramers assisted by the T4L project in the village of Takoutala (KONNA Commune) marking out ‘yield quadrats’ (sample plots) in a previously degraded field, restored through a range of techniques promoted by T4L (Zaï pits, addition of compost, FMNR) to assess the impact of these techniques on agricultural yields.

What were the aims of the project set out in 2013?

T4L was conceived to contribute to strengthening communities’ means of subsistence. The project aims to increase food security and reduce poverty, as well as increasing resilience to long-term climate change and climate shocks in these dryland areas.

The current food crisis in Mali fundamentally results from a weakening of household resilience. We set out to address the underlying causes, such as the use of unsustainable land management practices and reduced soil fertility.

What changes have you seen in the past three years?

The project has restored areas of degraded lands; agricultural production has increased and tree cover is being restored. Systems have been developed within communities to mobilise resources and to help each other. Furthermore, non-timber forest products such as fruits are being used as a source of income, and capacity building activities have increased the local communities’ ability to sustainably manage forest resources…

Can you give us some concrete examples of the achievements to date? ƄƄ 1,225 hectares of land have been treated through FMNR. We’ve trained people in techniques such as zai pits, which are dug in degraded land, filled with compost and topsoil, and planted with crops which can be highly productive. Earth bunds (or dykes) and stone lines have been constructed along contour lines so that they catch runoff rain water which will then infiltrate the soil. ƄƄ 143 vulnerable people have been allocated agricultural land including 36 women and 54 internally displaced people. ƄƄ 437 members of 20 women’s groups have increased their incomes through processing and sales of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as henna, desert dates and tamarind. ƄƄ 60% of the members of these groups are able to demonstrate improved management of natural resources.

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Autumn 2016

of Konna and Borondougou. Furthermore, we will organise two exchange visits to share the experiences of those who have already used FMNR techniques and experienced their benefits.

Women have been one of the main target groups of T4L, and will continue to be in 2017. The first women’s forest plot will be launched in the village of Diambacourou, and we plan to establish five ‘conservation gardens’ to conserve plant and tree species that are becoming scarce.

The women’s income generation groups have been a great success! We will promote networking to share best practice. We’ll provide better equipment for processing NTFPs to support their development and we are planning a local fair to raise awareness of these products and to promote their commercialisation.

 Demonstration of tree management methods in FMNR

ƄƄ 20 womens’ groups have organised themselves into ‘Saving for Change’ groups, mobilising a total of 3,196,834 Francs CFA (over £4300) in their own savings, and distributing loans of about 1,849,000 FCFA (almost £2500) to group members, enabling them to start economic activities of their own. This is a substantial figure given the local context.

What challenges have you faced during the implementation of this project?

The major challenge that we have encountered has been the insecurity in the flood plains of the project zone, part of which lies along the Niger River. Many of the people move away from the area for 5 to 6 months of the year either due to transhumant pastoralism (taking their livestock to distant grazing areas) or rural outmigration.

Another issue has been the pressure from grazing small livestock, especially goats, on young tree seedlings which farmers are trying to regenerate. In order to reduce the grazing pressure, the project is supporting the communes of Konna and Borondougou to develop and put into practice a local by-law or ‘convention’ on the management of trees.

2017 is the final year.

What remains to be done?

The communes of Konna and Borondougou are drawing up local agreements on environmental management, and we will continue to support them to finalise and then disseminate these.

And finally, we will be concentrating on communicating and sharing the project achievements.

We’re planning radio broadcasts and a documentary film about the project. We’ll also present T4L’s achievements during the ‘Environmental Fortnight’ organised by the government of Mali.

And what are the plans for project sustainability once T4L comes to a close?

The linchpin for the future sustainability of all the activities supported by the project are the local ‘Commissions for the Promotion of Trees’, composed of farmers and representatives of the key stakeholders.

These groups constitute a pool of local resource people to continue promotion of the new methods with their peers even after the project ends.

The T4L story is a great example of the power of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and other simple techniques to change landscapes and lives in the Sahel. The women groups working with T4L take the FMNR story a step further by processing and marketing fruits and other products from remarkable dryland tree species to show what an important role they can play in supporting better livelihoods.

We plan to continue promoting the sustainable land use practices I mentioned before in the communes

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

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 Fruit-Full

Communities

Young people gain

fruit-full skills Written by Sue Pitt, Fruit-full Communities Project Officer

The Fruit-full Communities project is an ambitious one! Over three years, 6,000 young adults living at or attending YMCA centres across England will develop the confidence and skills they need to consider work in horticulture, arboriculture or related fields.

The project is run by Learning through Landscapes in partnership with YMCA, International Tree Foundation and The Orchard Project.

In practical terms, young people from 50 YMCAs will design and plant orchards in their neighbourhoods.

As well as engaging with their local community, participants are already connecting with young people planting trees in African countries and gaining a better understanding of the importance of trees for sustainable futures across the globe.

Fruit-full Communities is just one of 31 projects funded by the Big Lottery Fund under the umbrella of Our Bright Future. Run by a consortium of eight organisations, Our Bright Future is led by The Wildlife Trusts and defines itself as ‘a forward-thinking social movement that supports young people to lead progressive change in their communities and local environment’.

Planting trees, building confidence This chimes well with the approach that ITF takes in supporting local community groups to bring about change that is appropriate to their lives and their local environment. And yet the desire to allow the young people themselves to take the lead in shaping the project is one of the major challenges. Most of the participants

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have faced huge difficulties in their own lives and so may lack confidence in their own abilities and in the belief that their ideas will be listened to and taken seriously.

It is precisely because of this that the project has the potential to hugely impact their lives. After one group was taken on a visit to an existing orchard, their youth worker commented that she had ‘never seen them more engaged’ than they were that day.

 Photo above: Astbury Mere Trust Community Orchard, Angie Turner

It is an often observed phenomenon within the Forest Schools movement that when people are taken out of their normal context and given the opportunity for practical, hands-on activity outdoors they can respond in ways that surprise everybody – not least themselves.

Autumn 2016

Fruit-full Communities provides an opportunity for people who may not have found school to be a very positive experience to learn and develop in ways that they might never have thought possible.

The facilitators working on the project provide just enough input to build skills and understanding, but then stand back and allow people to take their own ideas forward.

Normally, residents of the YMCA move on within two years, but many will continue to live locally and so may continue their involvement with the orchards. The skills that they will pick up are just a foundation, but some may go on to take more specialised training if they find an interest in this field.

Engaging with the wider community The key to ongoing success will also lie in engaging local people who have some knowledge of growing trees and are keen to work with young people in the local YMCA as volunteers.

Local community support is crucial for the longterm impact of the Fruit-full Communities project.

It would be relatively easy to design a project that would result in fifty orchards being planted across the country. But the trees will continue to bear fruit for years to come, and who will care for the trees and eat the fruit once the young people have moved on?

This kind of local community support is not easy to generate on the scale that is required for this project without knowing the local community beforehand.

Residents of the YMCA are less likely to have such connections because it is the breakdown of family and community ties that often leads to people becoming homeless in the first place. The project will depend on the development of community relationships already established by the YMCA.

Connecting young people across the globe A key part of ITF’s role within the project is to develop links between the young people involved in Fruit-full Communities and those working on other projects that ITF supports in several African countries. This approach has the potential to greatly enrich young people’s experiences, by encouraging them to understand the connections that they have with one another.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

This will involve bringing together people whose lives are very different in many ways, but who share a common purpose of working with trees to improve their lives and their environment. It will be interesting to see how they cope with the challenges of communicating across such a cultural divide.

The project has great potential to change the lives of some young people who have had a tough start in life, but it will only do so if it speaks to them rather than about them. Its success will depend upon the extent to which we place our faith in them – because people can achieve amazing things when we do.

This unique project is a collaborative partnership established by outdoor learning and play specialists, Learning through Landscapes, YMCA, International Tree Foundation and The Orchard Project.

A bit about Sue Pitt Sue started out as a doctor, then did a PhD on the history of childbirth before raising her own children.

Sue has also worked with a social enterprise developing innovative ways of growing food in the city using agroforestry techniques. That was just for six months, but it set her on the path to where she now is – working with ITF. A keen allotment gardener, Sue says being in the garden gives her the best therapeutic sessions ever!

For more information please visit www.fruitfullcommunities.org To read more about Our Bright Future please visit www.OurBrightFuture.org.uk

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ď Ž REDD+

Quantifying effective

fire management in Tanzania Written by Jasper Makala, CEO Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative

Reduced Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an international mechanism that was launched in 2007 with the aim of mitigating climate change by creating financial value for carbon stored in forests.

The aim of REDD is to provide a financial incentive to governments, companies and communities to maintain rather than reduce forest cover. REDD has subsequently developed into REDD+, which goes beyond reducing deforestation and forest degradation to include promoting conservation and sustainable management of forests.

Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI) was established in 2004 to support the development of community forestry in SouthEastern Tanzania. Specifically, the organisation helps communities to own, manage and benefit from their forests, primarily through sustainable timber production, and raises awareness about the socio-economic benefits of responsible forest management. MCDI supported the first ever commercial timber harvest from a community-managed natural forest in Tanzania, and holds the first and still the only Forest Stewardship Council (FSCTM) certificate for a natural community forest in Africa. In just 12 years, MCDI has brought 350,000 hectares of natural forests under the protection of 30 rural villages, and supported 15 of these villages to generate more than $349,000 from sustainable timber sales.

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Low African representation in REDD+ despite high natural forest resources

300 forest carbon projects registered worldwide,

There are approximately

but the share of global carbon credits generated in Africa remains relatively small despite the continent harbouring an

estimated 17.6% (580 million hectares) of remaining natural forest cover globally. Annual net forest loss in Africa is also the second highest in the world. Tanzania has expansive forests, covering around 37.8% of the country’s land mass (34 million hectares). It is

home to Africa’s largest number of mammals, second largest number of plants (10,000 species), third largest number of birds (1,035 species), and fourth largest number of reptiles (245 species) and amphibians (123 species), all harboured by forests.

Autumn 2016

Tanzania’s forests also provide over 92% of the country’s energy resources, and have significant potential to mitigate climate change due to the carbon they store and sequester. Despite this, Tanzania experienced one of the largest global annual net losses of forest cover from 2010-2015, primarily due to forest fires, conversion to agriculture, illegal logging and charcoal production.

In 2008, Norway and Tanzania signed a Climate Change Partnership Agreement. The Agreement focused on supporting REDD+ pilot activities, capacity building, and national REDD+ strategy development and implementation. MCDI was one of nine NGOs in Tanzania chosen to pilot REDD+ projects in the country from 2009 to 2014.

MCDI developed an innovative new methodology for quantifying carbon emission reductions from effective fire management in local Miombo woodlands. By pioneering its own methodology, MCDI was able to ensure that the approach is properly aligned to the context of its project. This is not insignificant, as several projects have encountered difficulties with topdown methodologies which turn out to have some small criterion that proves insurmountable. MCDI’s method was accepted by the Verified Carbon Standard in 2015, and can now be used to quantify certified carbon offsets from improved fire management in East African Miombo Woodlands. The method could easily be adapted to suit dryland forests elsewhere.

Developing this method from scratch was a highly technical and demanding undertaking. Despite its many achievements and lessons learned, MCDI was unable to reach its goal of supporting communities to

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

sell carbon offsets before funding for its REDD+ pilot project came to a close. Nonetheless, the organisation is continuing to support community-based and managed early burning as an important activity to tackle deforestation and carbon emissions from uncontrolled forest fires. With a small grant from the Finnish Fund for Local Cooperation, two communities were supported to protect 17,330 hectares of forests from wildfires in 2015. And 3 additional villages decided to reinvest a portion of their timber revenues in early burning efforts of their own accord.

 Members of Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative Team measure girth of a growing Blackwood Tree

To succeed in selling carbon offsets, MCDI probably needs another 2-3 years of funding to cover a number of key steps, including writing a detailed Business plan, obtaining project validation from the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standard and marketing offsets to customers prepared to pay a premium price for the strong biodiversity and community development benefits associated with the project.

References Romero et al 2013. Economics of forest and forest carbon projects: Translating lessons learned into national REDD+ implementation. Report for United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Riso Centre, UNEP and UN-REDD: Nairobi, Kenya.

FAO 2015. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015.

Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations: Italy, Rome, 2015 MNRT 2010. National Forestry Programme 2001–2010.

Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

UNEP 2002. Integrated Assessment of Trade Liberalization and Trade-related Policies. Country Projects - Round II - Synthesis Report. United Nations Environment Programme: New York and Geneva, United States of America.

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 Nkhata

Bay Natural Way

Community stewardship brings about

food security

The Nkhata Bay Natural Way (NBNW) is a four year programme implemented by Temwa Malawi, Deki Ltd. and International Tree Foundation to embed community stewardship of natural resources in the Nkhata Bay North district - one of the most underprivileged areas of Malawi. More than 60% of the population live below the poverty line and 16% of 15 – 49 year olds are HIV positive.

NBNW works alongside local communities to develop district-wide sustainable natural resource management and resilience, improving food security and livelihoods for the most disadvantaged households in Nkhata Bay. NBNW is working with 3,300 people from 110 villages in the Upland and Lake Shore areas through carefully designed and targeted training, capacity building and financing for integrated conservation, agroforestry and income generation activities.

A year on The NBNW project has been running for a year, and its focus remains clearly about the people it serves; the community – and a vulnerable one at that. Vulnerability in this case refers to large households with eight or more dependents, female headed, orphan hosting or those with a member with HIV/AIDs, and young people aged 1830 years.

Project Outcomes ƄƄ Improving food security and nutrition for disadvantaged households through the adoption of environmentally sustainable farming

ƄƄ Improving community stewardship of forest conservation and management, by promoting tree planting, reforestation and fair and sustainable access to forest resources

ƄƄ Increasing income for disadvantaged households through the establishment of forest-friendly businesses and microenterprises, supported by loans and skills training

ƄƄ Strengthening of relationships with local governance structures with increased ability to advocate for sustainable natural resource management and livelihood choices at a district and national level

In its first year the project has helped the communities set up 18 tree nurseries, plant more than 70,000 trees, establish 25 demonstration vegetable gardens, and form 70 village savings and loans groups.

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Autumn 2016

Tackling Food Poverty In a country where food shortages and malnutrition are at an all-time high, the progress that NBNW is making is very encouraging and has been noticed by the Government of Malawi. “The population is on the rise”, says Emmanuel Banda, Temwa Malawi Programme Manager. “The pressure on the environment to sustain rampant population growth is immense”.

Communities understand the forest is essential for natural water sources, building materials, fuel and forest-friendly income generating activities, for example bee keeping. They are invested and engaged in the reforestation process, but the NBNW team want to reach out to an additional 750 participants.

They plan to establish more demonstration gardens to showcase well-adapted and sustainable methods of farming. This is in a bid to improve food security, improved nutrition and the general resilience of households. There will be an increased emphasis on agroforestry, soil conservation and sustainable farming methods as well as the introduction of environmentally sound income generating activities.

We asked Emmanuel what Nkhata Bay would look like when the project finishes in 2019.

“If the project is successful, the inhabitants of Nkhata Bay will be practicing environmentally friendly agricultural practices”, says Emmanuel. “The community will be vigilant when establishing and managing their natural resources, which in turn will be able to support the livelihoods of their households”.

The Nkhata Bay Natural Way is supported with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and JJ Charitable Trust. Temwa Malawi implements the project together with ITF and Deki Ltd. At national and district levels, the project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Forestry, Department of Fisheries and the District Council.

A bit about Emmanuel When not buried with work, Emmanuel is a poet and a songwriter. He also loves to travel – to see the beautiful nature of Africa.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org

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 How

you can help

Without you, we couldn’t do what we do Here are some easy ways you can help us continue our work across Africa and here in the UK.

Give regularly to support us in the long run Giving little and often is easy and can make a huge difference to our work. £10 a month will allow our African partners to plant 50 trees.

Over a year, that’s 600 trees! You can make a regular direct debit donation on our website, or get in touch with us to find out more.

Volunteer and gain great experience We’re always looking for volunteers to help with communications, marketing and administrative duties.

We don’t expect you to commit forever! A couple of hours a week could improve your CV and contribute to our work. Volunteering is rewarding and we’ll find something to make the best of your skills and help you learn along the way.

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We’re the perfect gift Know someone who has everything?

Offer them ITF membership! Apart from supporting us to plant more trees in the UK and abroad, they’ll also receive a copy of this magazine, our Impact Report, a voice at our AGM and a Welcome Pack with your personal message. Subscriptions start from £15 for concessions and £25 for adults.

Help us raise funds!

Every pound helps… £1 is FOUR trees planted in Africa, so never think any amount is too small.

Perhaps you could get your school involved? Or your local walking group or cricket team? If you’re a runner, join us at a marathon!

Remember us in your will Leaving a legacy to ITF is a gift to future generations. It will help us to support communities to plant trees, secure livelihoods, meet nutritional needs and protect the planet for generations to inherit and enjoy.

Mount Kenya Tree Challenge How many trees can you plant?

We’re challenging you to plant at least 100 trees on the slopes of Mount Kenya next spring! We have two spaces available for a week of challenge and discovery! Get in touch to find out more.

www.internationaltreefoundation.org Email: info@internationaltreefoundation.org Telephone: 01865 318836 International Tree Foundation Mayfield House, 256 Banbury Rd, Oxford OX2 7DE

AS WE’RE NEARING 100 YEARS OLD, IT’S FITTING OUR CENTENARY CAMPAIGN TAKES US BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - KENYA 1922

Forests are vital in conserving Kenya’s rivers, lakes and drinking water. By planting 20 million trees, our community partners will also protect forest habitats for rare birds and mammals and improve food security for some of Africa’s most vulnerable people.

Laveda Nyawira, 8 years old, planting her 20 trees at school.

Can you give £25 today to plant 100 trees?

Your donation will help to reforest Kenya’s highlands and improve thousands of people’s lives.

Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/donate/ today, write to us at International Tree Foundation, Mayfield House, 256 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DE or phone 01865 318836