Resource potential of non timber forest products in dawro zone, south ethiopia
Alfred.houngnon.ICCB.2015
1. PROPAGATION OF NATIVE TREES BY LOCAL
COMMUNITIES IN THE FORESTS OF KETOU:
HOUNGNON A., REYNAUD C., NUTTMAN C. & BELLEFONTAINE R.
A new challenge for habitat restoration in Benin
ICCB : 27th International Congress for Conservation Biology 4th European Congress for
Conservation Biology
August 2-6 2015, Montpellier - France
2. Presentation outline
• Context and Methods
• The EWE relict forest as a conservation priority concern
Biodiversity and threats
Communities life
• The conservation actions within local communities
Farmer Field School
Sharing of knowledge
• A paradigm shift in endogenous conservation
From the “Top down” to the “Bottom up”
Knowledge production
• Conclusion and future works
3. • Two thirds of the world’s plant species are in
danger of extinction (SCBD, 2009)
• In addition, inadequacy of conservation policies &
more drought has increased the threat of extinction
to many plant species in Africa (IPCC, 2007)
• Despite an increase in conservation efforts, the
state of biodiversity continues to decline because
the pressures continue to increase (CBD, 2010).
4. • Although threats to plants are constantly mentioned
there is a lack of appropriate tools to provide
preventative methods
• Furthermore, action has not been taken on a
sufficient scale to address the pressures in most
places. (SCBD, 2010)
• Moreover, actions to address the underlying drivers
of biodiversity loss, in meaningful ways are often
limited and/or ignored.
5. • However, it is possible to assist indigenous and
local communities to play a significant role in
conserving areas of high biodiversity and cultural
value.
• Ewè's relict forest is voluntarily conserved by
indigenous and local communities through
customary laws.
6. Methodology
• Choice of the forest
• Ethnobotany surveys
• Forest inventory
• Biodiversity assessment
• Community meetings
• Tree species sampling
• Seed collecting
• Vegetative propagation
• Nurseries & planting activities
Farmer
Field
School
Area
investigation
11. Forest area 1987
(green) 571.876 ha
Forest area 2007
(pink) 364.641 ha
Habitat loss:
1987–2007 = 207.248 ha
This corresponds to the
loss of the green coloured
area on this map
On Ewè’s village road.
May 2014
12. INTRODUCTION
Human
Since the Holocene,
(10 000 of years BP)
Climate
Since the Pleistocene
(2.5 million years before
present)
Tropical Rain Forests
Equator
Disturbances &
Footprints
(Willis et al., 2004)
“Hotspot ”
Guineo-Congolean
Regional Endemism
(White, 1983)
Dahomey
Gap
14. How to involve local communities in
conservation and habitat restoration?
Human impacts on landscape is evident
“Understanding how the environment that we
appreciate today came to be … and know
how to manage it” (Clark Erickson).
Participatory Action Research & Citizen Sciences
helps to improve cooperation between scientists
and non-academic stakeholders
(Chevalier et al., 2013; Storup et al., 2013)
15. How to involve local communities in conservation
and Ewè’s forest relic restoration?
Using Farmer Field Schools to :
- raise awareness among local people
- empower people by training and extension
- ensure their engagement for long term recovery
Using native species in forest restoration can
bring benefits to biodiversity & communities.
16. • “School without walls” stimulating local innovation for
sustainable agriculture (FAO, 2005).
• Participatory approach whereby farmers make a
choice in the methods of production
• Field School is based on adult education methods.
What is a Farmer Field School?
17. • Originally FFS deals with Integrated Pest
Management in rice production (India)
• Now it covers various fields of agriculture and
handicrafts
• Adaptation of FFS to the nature conservation
From agriculture to nature conservation
Rice
18. E. oblanceolatum is
restricted to the Ewè
forest relic in Benin
The fruit is an edible
berry with one seed
-Mapping of current populations,
-Seed collection, vegetative propagation, nursery establishment
- Education programmes with 40 local leaders to strengthen
community abilities in natural resources management
Research design
Englerophytum oblanceolatum
(Ewè village)
19. Sharing knowledge with local communities
20% of fruits /tree/day
(GTC, 2013) Root cutting
Air layering
Root sucker
Seeds
20. Sharing knowledge with local communities
What do you see?
1) This is not a parrot… 2) This is not a frog… 3) Connects dots…
21. Paradigm shift to endogenous conservation
Learners
Knowledge Teacher
Teaching
triangle
-Facilitator is native of Ewè
-Key players gain a common
vision
- Participants have relevant
technical tools for task at
hand
22. “Top down” to “Bottom up”
« Bottom-up » approach (F. Field School)
Adaptive
solution
Local capacity
Local knowledge
Indicators base on:
Transfer
Technology
Local resources
Information & skills
Local leader opinions
Equity
« Top-down» systems (agriculture)
Advanced research centres
National agricultural
research systems
Extension
Farmers
Decision makers
&
Predicted model
Robust decision
making locally
&
Adaptative solution
23. Knowledge production is beyond expectation
M. altissima
(Sterculiaceae)
E. oblanceolatum
(Sapotaceae)
T. scleroxylon
(Sterculiaceae)
Aims of the project:
No more than 250 plants to
be used for plant campaign
Contribution of the local community:
-145 plants of M. altissima
-819 plants of T. scleroxylon
24. Conclusion and future work
Reconstitution of Ewè forest
(from Holocene to date)
VS
Storytelling by people
