Burkina Faso Greening the Sahel May 2016

Burkina Faso Greening The Sahel May 2016

©Beeldkas/OZG ©Beeldkas/OZG

A total of 499,500 trees have been financed thanks to the support of Atlas Copco The Project

In the Sahel region of the north-east of Burkina Faso, WeForest continues to collaborate with Entrepreneurs without Frontiers (OZG) to tackle climate change, environmental degradation and poverty, by planting trees. The current project activities are taking place in the Soum, Oudalan Séno provinces of the Sahel region and Bam province north of the plateau Mossi. These areas are part of the Great Green Wall initiative, which is a proposal to combat desertification by planting trees across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Semi-circular (half-moon) embankments are dug into the soil to serve as a reservoir, storing rainfall and organic matter thereby enabling communities to sow seeds in the dry Sahel soils. Here, trees will provide livelihood opportunities for local people, restore local hydrology and biodiversity and bring cloud cover and cooler temperatures to the local area.

Facts & Figures • Location: Soum, Séno, Oudalan and Bam provinces, Sahel region and Plateau Mossi • Restoration approach: Direct sowing • Total project area: 4,959 hectares1 • Total number of trees: 4,959,348 • Species sown: Over 20 species

1Based on tree density estimate of 1000 trees per hectare

Spring is the seed sowing time in Burkina Faso. Since the start of the project, a total of 4,459 hectares (ha) has been restored, and the restoration of an additional 500 ha is underway. The team has continued to prepare further land for sowing, now with the help of three tractors to dig the half-moon embankments into the sun baked Sahel soil. Local communities are already beginning to sow seeds in these new areas, including tree, herbs and grass seeds. The rainy season, which will arrive in the summer months, will enable these ©Beeldkas/OZG newly sowed seeds to germinate and grow.

Planting sites

Across the areas of Soum province, Oudalan province and Bam province, Plateau Mossi, Atlas Copco is helping to restore 340 hectares. Here, work continues to sow the remaining seeds and re-green the Sahel soils. Results show that growth and germination rates vary across all the planting sites in the Sahel, since soil conditions differ widely and rain is often patchy. After one year, the results were as high as 1,178 seedlings germinated per 250 half moons (1 ha). On average, the

germinate rate is 759 seedlings per hectare. Through these activities we are establishing a seed bank in the soil so late germination can often occur upon the arrival of new rains.

Gorom-Gorom, Oudalan province

Dori commune, Séno province

Zimtanga commune, Bam province

Burkina Faso’s political situation

The growing seedlings and blossoming communities at our intervention sites are a welcome respite from the political insecurity that threatens Burkina Faso. Villagers are working hard to grow trees for a brighter future while extreme poverty, terrorist threats and political unrest in the country continue to impact the lives of its people. Because of the extreme risk of travelling to Burkina Faso, the team has been unable to visit the intervention sites recently and field measurements have

been delayed. In areas where people face such extreme challenges, community-based projects that help to empower local communities are so important in improving lives and helping lift people out of poverty. It is for precisely this reason that planting trees in Burkina Faso is so valuable. Not only does planting trees help restore the bare, infertile Sahel soils, but it also means that local communities can build a better future for themselves and their children. Despite these difficulties, the team is planning field visits to collect the necessary data as soon as possible.

Did you know….

…that your help in re-greening the Sahel is having an impact on the local fauna? Your support is helping to provide habitat for spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), common genet (Genetta genetta) and African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica), whose footprints and dwellings have been spotted near to our planting sites. The footprints of the wild cat (below left) and common genet (below right) are shown here.

The value of Jujube for people and planet

Among the growing trees at our intervention sites is the jujube tree (Ziziphus Mauritania) (below). Jujube fruits are tasty and energy rich. The fruit is enjoyed by the area’s local animals, such as birds, native mammals and feral pigs. In fact, they are the main disperser of its seeds and the flowers are pollinated by ants and other insects. Jujube is an important source of food for these animals. Your support therefore does not only cool the earth, but also helps to conserve local biodiversity in the Sahel.