Estelle and I have left Zach on Pemba and have made our way back to Uganda, in order to collaborate with a couple of great NGOs here before returning to Canada. We’re hoping to expand our network in East Africa, and to join our community based resource management efforts with like-minded groups.
Community Forest Management Reporting
Sustainable Livelihoods International (SLINT) is a relatively young organization currently operating in Kiboga District, assisting communities there to combat food insecurity, poverty, and environmental degradation. We were impressed with the thoughtfulness and passion with which Dennis and the rest of the team are carrying out their activities and see a bright future for SLINT. Their website is http://www.slint.org/ if you would like to find out more them and the good work they’re doing in Kiboga.
CIDev Field Office and Local Members
We also met with Judith and Peter of the Centre for Integrated Development (CIDev) and they accompanied us on a tour of a Community Forest Management (CFM) project that they are facilitating in the Mabira Forest Reserve, Mukono District. It was very interesting and inspiring to learn how CIDev helped to develop and implement a formal contract between the local community and the Ugandan National Forest Authority for this progressive type of resource management.
Community Managed Parcel in Mabira Forest Reserve
The Mehta Group had collaborated with the Ugandan government to have a third of this forest cleared for sugar cane growing, but the combined efforts of organizations like CIDev, local community groups, and environmentalists forced the suspension of this plan in 2007.
Site Visit in Mabira
With strong support for Community Forest Management this forest and the many endangered species that reside there can be preserved while providing employment, household resources, and endless ecological services for the surrounding communities. Its the type of progressive conservation that CFI endorses, one that directly involves the biggest stakeholders, and we hope to learn from CIDev how we might reproduce this model on Pemba and at home in Canada.
