By Rahama Nasara Yakubu
Tamale, Nov. 09, GNA – About 2.5 million trees, comprising shea and other indigenous species, have been planted under the Ghana Shea Landscape Emissions Reduction Project (GSLERP) to restore degraded landscapes and strengthen climate resilience.
Of the total planted, 54 per cent of the shea trees and 71 per cent of the non-shea trees have survived.
Mr Cornelius Kuukaraa, Component Manager of GSLERP under the Global Shea Alliance, announced this at a Northern Sector Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs) Forum on National Climate Change Initiatives and the status of the GSLERP, held in Tamale.
The forum was organised by KASA Initiative Ghana to provide updates on the implementation of the project and create a platform for dialogue among stakeholders.
It also sought to deepen participants’ understanding of the project and enhance the capacity of CSOs to effectively undertake monitoring and advocacy activities.
Mr Kuukaraa said the project had set a target of transplanting 3.5 million shea trees and 480,000 non-shea trees, adding that the target for non-shea species had already been exceeded.
He indicated that 947,000 trees were planted this year, with more than 50 per cent of the seedlings distributed to the Upper West Region to improve the geographical spread of project interventions.
According to him, the region now has five active nurseries established through collaboration with educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
GSLERP is a seven-year initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing biodiversity, improving livelihoods, particularly for women who depend on shea resources, and strengthening community resilience to climate change.
The project is being implemented across the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West Regions through four key components: Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs), shea parkland restoration, the Modified Taungya System (MTS), and environmental and social safeguards.
Implementing partners include the Forestry Commission, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Shea Alliance and local partners such as Shea Network Ghana.
Mr Emmanuel Baapeng, Project Manager of GSLERP, said the project had established 10 CREMAs in the Savannah, Upper West and North East regions to promote community-based natural resource management and biodiversity conservation along the western wildlife corridor.
He said the shea parkland restoration component, being implemented by the Global Shea Alliance with research support from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), focused on improving shea production through research, nursery establishment and seedling transplantation.
Mr Baapeng said under the MTS, farmers were supported to cultivate food crops while contributing to the restoration of degraded forest reserves.
He explained that farmers retained all proceeds from their food crops, while benefits from harvested trees were shared among stakeholders, with 40 per cent allocated to the Forestry Commission, 40 per cent to farmers, 15 per cent to traditional authorities and five per cent to communities.
Mr Baapeng identified the inability of some farmers to realise immediate benefits from tree planting as a major challenge, explaining that some abandoned restoration sites after harvesting their food crops until the following farming season.
He added that the project also faced challenges related to labour requirements for tree maintenance, fire prevention, and monitoring activities.
Mr Jonathan Gokah, Coordinator of KASA Initiative Ghana, said the forum was intended to equip CSOs with information on project implementation to enable them to effectively monitor progress, raise relevant concerns and identify opportunities to support sustainability efforts.
He said participants had expressed concerns about the use of exotic tree species in some forest restoration initiatives and called for greater emphasis on indigenous species to ensure long-term ecological sustainability.
Mr Gokah also appealed for adequate incentives to encourage more farmers to participate in the MTS, noting that low participation could affect efforts to restore targeted degraded forest reserves.
Hajia Fati Seidu Tambro, Executive Director of Sung Foundation, a women-led organisation, said her organisation was implementing tree-planting activities in five communities and five schools within the Sagnarigu Municipality.
She said the initiative involved the planting of shea, dawadawa and other indigenous tree species but faced challenges, including inadequate water supply due to irregular rainfall patterns.
Hajia Tambro appealed for support to provide water containers to enable schoolchildren to water seedlings during prolonged dry spells.
She also cited the destruction of seedlings and protective fences by roaming livestock as a major challenge affecting community-level tree planting efforts.
Hajia Tambro commended KASA Initiative Ghana for creating opportunities for CSOs to deepen their understanding of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainable environmental management.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Nasara Rahama Yakubu
Email: [email protected]