US Forest Service Technical Assistance Trip to In support to USAID-Ethiopia of the Pastoral Livelihoods Initiative -II

Invasive Species Management

Mission Dates: February 20 – March 19, 2011

Pastoralist women in Woreda, northern , working to clear Prosopis juliflora. Picture courtesy of Redwan Getachew, Save the Children- UK, RAIN PC Report Submitted June 2011 by: Faith Ryan Rangeland Management Specialist Salmon-Challis National Forest U.S. Forest Service Acknowledgements-

The success of this mission was a direct result of extraordinary support from Save the Children-US and USAID. The following staff of Save the Children-US in Addis Ababa were vital to the mission and deserve special thanks: Biruk Asfaw for his tireless efforts in planning and coordinating; Tsion Hailu and Absera Negussie for assuring everything was organized and all supplies were in hand; Jerry Farrell for providing overall strategic guidance and for his hospitality the first week in the SC-US Addis office; and Abomsa Kebede for openly sharing his practical wisdom which helped orient me to my mission.

Before, during, and after this mission Dubale Admasu‟s (USAID) excellent insight, support, and advice were instrumental to moving forward.

Alawis Ahmed of FARM –Africa in Awash and Mohamed Mohamud of the Afar Regional Government in Semera provided outstanding support at the invasives workshop. In particular Alawis‟ dedication to the pastoralist community and his assistance in translation of the pastoralist leaders‟ contribution to the Awash workshop was invaluable. Additionally Yohannes Assefa of Save the Children – UK, Mandrefo Gltsadik of CARE, Abdirashid Sheikh of Save the Children-US, and Redwan Getachew of Save the Children-UK are appreciated for their presentations which opened excellent learning opportunities for all at the workshop.

The participants in the workshop are recognized for their commitment to improving the lives of the pastoral communities and their eagerness and ability to be top-notch natural resource managers.

Jason Ko, Africa Program Specialist with the US Forest Service International Programs, provided strategic planning, support and valuable advice, from initial set-up through the implementation of the Scope of Work for the United States Forest Service (USFS) assistance to the Pastoralist Livelihood Initiative II. His quick wit, flexibility and communication skills were especially helpful.

My thanks also go to the USFS team when we were travelling and working together. Their teamwork, sense of humor, professionalism and camaraderie contributed to a successful and enjoyable mission. The team provided support which assisted in accomplishing the invasives species management mission. Special thanks for project support are due to Paul Evangelista (Colorado State University, Research Scientist with a keen interest in the biodiversity of East Africa).

The support of my supervisor, Stefani Melvin along with the vision of Frank Guzman, Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor, made my contribution to the mission possible. Thank you both.

Lastly the SC-US drivers, both in Addis Ababa and the field, all deserve my gratitude for going above and beyond expectations, not only getting me where I needed to be, but to provide personal support in logistics, communications and day to day needs. Over the top were the field drivers‟ assistance in procuring a goat and all the fixings for a USFS team welcome barbecue on the patio in Negelle. Above all, their commitment to safety is most appreciated.

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Executive Summary-

The USAID Pastoralist Livelihood Initiative (PLI) is working with targeted pastoralist communities to increase their resiliency in the face of increased droughts and changing land uses, and to assist them in leading sustainable livelihoods. The United States Forest Service (USFS) has been sending technical teams to Ethiopia since 2005 through USAID to assist partners in all facets of the Initiative including invasive species management. The trip reports from these missions are available through the USFS International Programs website (http://www.frameweb.org/CommunityBrowser.aspx ).

The second phase of PLI had three components at the time of this initial mission (Annex 4). USFS technical expertise for the accomplishment of these three components was provided by three prescribed fire specialists (Seth Carbonari, Riva Duncan and Michael Crook) and a landscape planning specialist (Kurt Wiedenmann), along with Faith Ryan (invasive species specialist); who met and worked with PLI partners in Ethiopia in February and March of 2011. The specialists worked and travelled together through much of the trip, assisting each other when possible while focusing on the components of their own particular missions.

The objective for the invasives species management portion of the mission was building the capacity of the PLI II and government partners to minimize the ecological and social economic impacts of invasive species on rangelands, in particular that of Prosopis juliflora. Assignments were to:

work with the landscape management planner to incorporate a strategy on invasive species management into the plan; and consult partners on Prosopis juliflora management and work with the Ethiopian research institute to formulate a training manual for PLI II consortium and government partner which would aid in managing Prosopis in the Afar and Somali Regions.

Results of the mission were to:

facilitate discussion of prescribed fire for management of Acacia drepanolobium in southern Ethiopia at the workshop held in Negelle (February28 –March 4). gather methods and results on invasive species management of several Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Stations and the Oromiya Regional government. create a draft reference guide for the PLI II consortium to promote the effective management and utilization of Prosopis juliflora and the management of Acacia drepanolobium. conduct a training workshop on the content and use of the draft reference guide, as related to Prosopis, for PLI II consortium and government partners in Awash (20 attendees, March 11-12). work with Save the Children US to finalize the reference guide for broader use and distribution by stakeholders.

Background

Prosopis juliflora, a thorny evergreen leguminous tree/shrub, was introduced by development and government agents into Ethiopia and neighboring Horn of Africa countries, by some accounts in the 1970s. The objective was to stabilize bare ground in arid environments. This species has a keen ability to spread from where it was first planted. Since 2008 the invasion is estimated to have grown from 800,000 hectares to one million hectares of land, with the highest infestations in the Afar Region, at 700,000 hectares. Indigenous, long-standing pastoralist communities have, until recently, sustained themselves as well as the soil, water and vegetation resources of the semiarid and arid ecosystems that are the lowlands of Ethiopia. Their traditional livelihood of livestock production is based on a grazing management system

Page 3 of 26 for which the key is mobility. A number of pressures on this management system have been growing over the last three decades with resultant unraveling of the sustainability and food security of pastoralist communities. Increasing cover of invasive shrub species is one of those pressures.

Many conferences have been called and papers written about the spread of Prosopis, its negative impacts on pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods in the Horn of Africa, and the difficulty of its control much less eradication. Major negative effects of Prosopis are loss of forage and indigenous trees with browsing value. This loss is compounded by increased grazing pressure where Prosopis has not yet invaded. A few of the other negative effects of Prosopis proliferation are: blocked access to lands, roads and watering points, mechanical injury to livestock and people, and ponding in the thickets thereby offering more breeding habitat for malaria bearing mosquitoes.

A second major species of concern is a native Acacia (Acacia drepanolobium) which also has a tremendous capacity for increase under certain conditions. The striking negative effect of its increase is decreased forage production and access for livestock grazing. Understanding A. drepanolobium’s ecology is essential so that effective grazing management and control practices are used to sustain the resources upon which pastoralist livelihoods depend.

Two other components of this PLI II mission taking place at the same time provided training on prescribed fire planning, implementation and monitoring (Carbonari, Duncan and Crook); and developing a rangeland management plan (Wiedenmann). Invasive species management was integrated into these two components.

MISSION ACTIVIES

Week One (February 20 – February 26): Addis Ababa and travel to Negelle

The mission began with Faith‟s arrival in Addis Ababa on February 20. Biruk Asfaw had pre-arranged for Faith to meet with Ato Fayyissa Xaafaa of the Oromiya Pastoral Area Commission and Ato Rezene Fesseha of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research during the week in Addis. Jerry Farrell assisted with details of the week – confirming the appointments, introducing Faith to other SC-US staff, getting set up with internet access and other logistics. Doing business across town in Addis Ababa sometimes required a considerable part of the day with the thick of traffic taking time. A scant system of street addresses occasionally added to the challenge. Several days were spent reviewing literature and email contacts for Prosopis information updates with Adrian Cullis (FAO), Fiona Flintan (a consultant specializing in land tenure and natural resource management, and development); seeking the body of knowledge which Janny Poley left behind at the Embassy of the Netherlands; meeting with Solomon Wangari who shared a wealth of first-hand experience with Acacia drepanolobium and of working with pastoralist communities; and gaining insights from the practical wisdom of Abomsa Kebede‟s (SC-US) years of experience working on natural resource management projects in Ethiopian communities.

Faith travelled the day and a half from Addis Ababa with USFS prescribed fire specialists Riva Duncan and Mike Crook; all arriving in Negelle February 26.

Week two (February 27 – March 5): Assisting at the Prescribed Fire Workshop in Negelle

While the fire specialists focused on preparations for the prescribed fire and the workshop on Sunday the 27th Faith worked with Kurt Wiedenmann, the USFS landscape planning lead to get up to speed on Kurt‟s work and to share information sources we‟d found relative to each other‟s assignments.

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The objective of the Prescribed Fire Workshop was to give the participants the skills and knowledge to bring the tool of prescribed fire back to their home units and utilize it in accordance to the range management plans on both a small scale and a larger scale. When the workshop content focused on planning objectives and on fire effects participants were eager to ask questions and share experiences and knowledge about the use of prescribed fire and other management practices to control the expansion of the native shrub Acacia drepanolobium.

The document “Guidelines on the Application of Prescribed Fire in the Borana Rangelands of Ethiopia” (LaMalfa, et al. 2008) was used extensively as a resource and was provided both hardcopy and softcopy to participants. That document and the accompanying monitoring guide proved to be invaluable tools not only for the workshop but to be used in future prescribed fire activities. At the workshop emphasis was placed on the fact that prescribed fire is only one tool and community involvement is critical to the planning of when and why to utilize that tool.

On the second day of burning participants and cadre met early and had favorable burning conditions until about 1230 with a little over half the unit completed. A pastoralist, along with Riva, Michael and Faith were the last personnel to check the fire perimeter before the training cadre left for the day. It was encouraging that there was local commitment to putting out the one spot found at that time outside of the line. Traditional fire practices may not have called for that kind of action.

The third and last day of burning workshop participants met early and proceeded directly to the Oda-Yabi site to finish the burn. Burning conditions were favorable and participants performed well to conclude ignitions by 1030. Faith stayed behind to work on the Management Guide and joined the workshop in the afternoon.

When the participants gathered back in the classroom in the afternoon of the fourth workshop day, as noted in the prescribed fire report (by Carboneri, Duncan and Crook) the discussions were very beneficial with many key issues being addressed. Included in the discussion were the observations of fire intensity and duration in the vicinity of the previously cut Acacia drepanolobium. Post-fire monitoring will be key in verifying overall results. The fire intensity was of fairly short duration and flame lengths in the vicinity of the cut Acacia were typically a half meter, though picture taking tends to show more dramatic flame lengths.

Typical flame lengths in vicinity of cut Acacia drepanolobium on the Odi-Yabi Prescribed Fire

As part of the prescribed fire planning instruction Faith led a discussion on invasive species, identified the variables that contribute to fire effects on invasives, and the use of these variables to manage the species. Questions about monitoring for a decrease in Acacia drepanolobium and increase in valued species were also discussed. Valued shrub species were named and described; several other increaser shrub species with little forage value were also described. Two published papers on these topics for the southern

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Borana are listed in Annex 3 under a separate heading; these were distributed to the prescribed fire workshop participants (see Carbonari, Duncan and Crook mission report).

On the same topic of prescribed fire planning Seth Carbonari and Faith facilitated presentations of Bikila Negasa and Jaldesa Doyo, two participants from the Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Research Center. They gave an overview of results from applicable invasives control and rangeland restoration research in which they are involved.

The planned trip to Dollo was cancelled for logistical reasons so Biruk Asfaw, Dorsey Burger (Peace Corps Volunteer) and Faith travelled on to Yabello after the Negelle workshop on March 5.

Week three (March 6 – March 12): Yabello; PLI consortium and USAID updates with the rest of the USFS team; document and workshop preparation.

While enjoying Sunday off Biruk and Faith contacted Dima Desso of the Did Tuyura Boran Breed Cattle Centre and observations of vigorous sprouting on cut A. drepanolobium. These observations indicated that cutting in December and January could be ready for a good kill of the target species by burning before a few months later (still before the rainy season). The key to a successful burn would be to rest from grazing before cutting the target species. This would assure the fine fuels are present to carry fire through the young sprouts. Kill on the target species with this approach should be explored.

On Monday March 7 Biruk and Faith visited with Gurmessa Terfa of the Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agriculture Research Center (acting for Samuel Tuffa, Director) regarding leadership of the Invasives Technical Working Group. This needs followup.

Also visiting Yabello were Dr. Abule Ebru of Adami Tulu Research Center and Dr. Anna Treydte of the University of Hohenheim (Denmark). With them were Hasan Yusuf (Dr. Anna‟s PhD scholar of vegetation cover in the Borana Zone) and Nick Mitchell of Biota-Africa Project (studying land cover change). Dr. Ebru is willing to share a wealth of information on native Acacia in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa, as well as on restoration of arid rangelands. Time passed far too quickly but Biruk and Faith felt fortunate for the opportunity to meet with the four visitors under a tree for lunch on Monday.

We awoke to the welcome smell of rain (albeit a light one) the morning we left Yabello and arrived in Addis at noon on Tuesday March 8, meeting up with Seth and Kurt to develop a summary for the close out with USAID and PLI-II consortium members. Biruk Asfaw, Seth Carbonari, Faith Ryan, Kurt Wiedenmann and Jason Ko participated in a close out presentation with the PLI partners and other interested parties on March 10 and also a close out with USAID on March 11. March. The last two days of this week were a break for Faith in Addis with intermittent writing on the Management Reference Guide and preparation for the Invasive Workshop and the Management Reference Guide.

Week four (March 13 - 19): Travel to Awash, set-up and workshop, return to Addis and to the United States.

Abersera Neguessie, Biruk Asfaw and Faith left for Awash mid-day on Monday March 13 after gathering up final items needed for the workshop from the SC-US office in Addis. Tuesday was spent setting up the workshop in Awash, including skillful negotiations regarding the workshop location and meals for participants.

There were 20 participants at the workshop, most were natural resource managers from NGOs and local governments. Also represented was the Afar Regional Government, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research and Gewane Agricultural Technical and Vocational College. Participants put their expectations into writing. Common and unusual topics were:

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preventing Prosopis from moving into clean areas best methods of eradication ways forward which complement current efforts by different stakeholders tools for inventory of invasive species the positive uses of Prosopis working together in an integrated manner to strengthen our efforts, understanding the importance of indigenous and scientific knowledge identifying the research gaps.

The agenda was ambitious considering the discussions that engaged everyone. Adjustments to the agenda were made mid-day the first day and again at the end of Wednesday when Abesera, Biruk and Faith evaluated the day. In retrospect the workshop could easily have been originally scheduled for two full days instead of closing out at noon on the second day. The major topic skipped due to time was uses of Prosopis outside of charcoal, which was well covered. Feedback on the workshop was very positive. A CD with reference material was given to each participant; its contents are listed in Annex 3. Participants at Invasives Workshop in Awash. After a personally prepared traditional meal Thursday evening in Awash we returned to Addis Friday noon and Faith departed for the United States Friday evening.

FINDINGS and RECOMMENDATIONS

Knowledge Development and Information Sharing

Natural resource managers and extension agents in local governments, along with Regional and Federal Government agencies face communication access challenges. Few of those working in the field have both postal service and internet access. Mobile phone service and internet access are improving but not within reach of all. Distances are great and travel can be slow – some participants at both workshops travelled a day and a half each way, to attend. Evidence briefly given at the workshops of other invasive species and distantly scattered new locations of Prosopis; these situations would clearly benefit from prompt and wide-spread awareness and communication. At the invasive species workshop it became apparent that while many practitioners working on similar challenges do possess common knowledge. And by sharing updates, nuances, and completely new ideas there can be a synergy which moves us forward in tackling persistent issues. Some of the difficulties in communication access will remain; what we can do is adapt our organizations, methods and formats to support information sharing. There was widespread interest in reviving the Technical Working Group as described in the Working Guide.

Recommendations, in addition to those in the Working Guide -

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USAID supports FARM-Africa‟s sharing of lessons learned in the Afar region. Target audiences are Regional and local governments, natural resource managers, and others as indicated by FARM-Africa and PLI II partners. Various potential distribution methods include but are not limited to hard and soft copy distribution of their forthcoming publication (contact Alawis Ahmed, FARM-Africa, Awash). Use an Invasives Technical Working Group to support the systematic sharing of results of applied research and other invasive species management efforts. Invasives Technical Working Group steering committee meets bi-annually or annually with leadership of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research together with Regional Government agents responsible for agriculture: to identify formal research needs on the topic of invasive species management. Work to set up a national platform of organizations working on pastoral land and resource issues for exchange of information, collaboration and advocacy. Universities and NGOs provide leadership, in full collaboration with Oromiya Pastoral Area Commission and community pastoralist leaders, to advance knowledge through both formal and applied research of the relationship between livestock grazing and Acacia drepanolobium.

Policy, Invasive Species and Traditional Institutions

Food insecurity is acute and recurring among pastoralist communities in Ethiopia. Cover of invasive shrubs and fragmentation / loss of grazing land across the lowlands of Ethiopia, is increasing. This puts pressure on the remaining lands with the result being overall degradation of the resources upon which the pastoralist depends. Some pastoralists have chosen, and others have been forced to change their livelihood from a mobile system of livestock grazing to diversify the sources of income for household economy. Though for some, a more sedenatarised living has its advantages (such as being able to access services) for others it means increased poverty and food insecurity.

Recommendations -

NGOs‟ should continue or expand work in tandem with the local governments to build their natural resource management capabilities. In particular, socially inclusive community input, natural resource management expertise, and strong cooperation should be promoted as part of developing each Woreda Environmental Management Plan.

Work with Regional Governments to develop, identify and share upward:

the specific benefits to the government from diversification of pastoralist household economies derived from rangeland products (FARM –Africa‟s work in the Afar Region is a very workable prototype). success stories focused on the benefit to the nation of improved soil stability and increased rangeland production from pastoralist-led practices that decrease low value woody shrub cover or contain invasive species such as Prosopis. the social and political benefits to the government from encouraging the pastoralist networks and traditional institutional structures that address the broadest aspects of natural resource management.

Sustainable Livelihoods in the Presence of Prosopis Invasion.

Experience of development actors confirms that the success of a new idea is more likely when the community develops the idea and community leaders can see the benefits of new practices. The pros and cons of eradicating compared to utilizing Prosopis juliflora are thoughtfully and passionately held by all

Page 8 of 26 dealing with the problems presented by the species. Where Prosopis is seen as the devil weed and in need of eradication, utilization for feed and food is not in the community view. Hard labor and eternal vigilance and follow-up action are required to contain, reduce, and in key areas, eliminate Prosopis. Where utilization is seen as a possibility there are barriers and issues which natural resource managers are striving to address; some are political and others are related to business development and management.

In the on-going effort to develop cost-effective and ecologically sustainable control of the spread of Prosopis through management, the framework and basis by which FARM-Africa carried out Prosopis management in Gewane and Amibara Woredas can be applied in other communities. Other Prosopis utilization opportunities should also be explored and would fit with contain/control strategies as well as the early phases of an eradication strategy.

Recommendations that begin to implement corollary topics in the Working Guide –

NGOs in cooperation with local and regional governments can:

Short term: Conduct local market research on food-grade flour from Prosopis pods which pastoralist communities can provide. Utilize findings to develop local, direct markets at first. Clarify production process and inputs needed to produce food-grade flour for local consumption. Scope communities to identify one which would be open to creating, using, and storing this product for a pilot project. Develop with that community production methods which minimize pod transport, or standards for pod transport, to address concerns with spread. Over the next one – two years: Collaborate with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research on the next phase of the UN Global Environment Fund to pursue the environmental opportunities to sustainably manage Prosopis, soil stability and pastoral practices (contact Ato Rezene Fesseha, Addis Ababa). Explore direct marketing potential of high quality products such as honey or small woodcrafts. Work with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research for technical experts to assess if Zones 1 and 3 of the Afar Region could support pastoralist-based commercial honey production. Include in this assessment the effects on honeybee populations in the vicinity of agricultural chemical use on the commercial farmland in these Zones. Identify household groups that want to diversify their income improved honey production (e.g. using Kenya top-bar hives, ensuring surface water is collected and stored for hive use, using methods of highest sanitary standard) and provide readily available technical and capital assistance. Demonstrate, in cooperation with the Ethiopian Rural Energy Development and Promotion Centre (contact Ephraim Bekekle, Addis Ababa) the potential benefits of multi-location, small scale generation of electricity where there is community interest. Potential benefits could include portable electricity for drying and milling Prosopis pods, pumping water, evening light during the dry season (to minimize interaction with mosquitoes), and support to quality honey processing. Establish a demo site for Prosopis woodland uses in cooperation with an interested community. Update the status of livestock feed production in the Afar Region (FARM Africa initiated projects) and then hold local workshops where there is a community-identified interest. Workshop topics could include: how to get started in your community and how to address

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weak links. These workshops could be led by a travelling Ethiopian natural resource management expert trainer and facilitator. Enlist in the help of those who are experienced in small business development in pastoralist communities. Some NGOs have specifically identified experts on this topic in their organization (e.g. CARE). Conduct practical research to determine the need for, if any, Prosopis flour amendments so that a great % of the flour mix can be Prosopis. Share finding with local extension agents where Prosopis is present.

Potential USFS Future Missions

A USFS invasives species expert could travel for a short trip to Ethiopia in 2012, following up on specific recommendations from the completed mission including:

Facilitate commitment to leadership of an Invasives Technical Working Group at the Federal and Regional level (three regions at start – Afar; Somali; and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples). Conduct another workshop on invasive species management in other areas of PLI II activities. Assist in the development of an invasive species treatment schedule for the Dida Deehda (Oromiya Region). This would include using GIS inventory and analysis and field visits to set priority treatment areas that provide the greatest gain for available resources. Execute specific invasive management actions and monitoring identified in the pilot rangeland management plan

A longer term invasive species specialist placed in country, for three to six months at a time over the course of two to three years could:

Facilitate broad-scale field development of a GIS framework for an invasive species inventory and data storage that is: accessible to field practitioners at the community level, easily shared with partners, and useful to the pastoralist community. One proposal could be to collaborate with Paul Evangelista and the International Biological Information System (IBIS) website (http://ibis.colostate.edu ). Provide technical assistance in support to Somali Region government in developing appropriate Prosopis control and management policy. Build awareness within Federal and Regional Governments of the benefits of techniques of managing for rangeland soil stability, so that in developing policy the effects on soil stability will be taken into account. Work with a Regional government on one of their priority tasks related to invasive species. This could be an assist to developing an invasive species information centers (hard and soft copy) and distribution system at Federal and Regional levels. Be further involved in Regional and Federal policy development and advocacy. National policy on invasives is needed and reportedly forthcoming (R. Fahessie, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research). Implementation of this policy at the Regional level is one potential rich field of work.

This longer term position would capture the benefit of continuity in relationships and knowledge to better: a) focus on improved links between Federal, Regional and local governments on invasive species issues, opportunities and strategies, and b) to promote governmental recognition of the benefits of adopting such links into government infrastructure.

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LIST of ANNEXES

Annex 1- Prosopis Management and Utilization Workshop Agenda

Annex 2- Workshop Participants

Annex 3- Resources distributed and contact information

Annex 4- USFS Technical Assistance Scope of Work to the USAID PLI II Project

Ignition Operations at the Odi-Yabi Prescribed Fire

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Annex 1- Invasives Workshop Agenda

Pastoralist Livelihoods Initiative Phase II

Invasive Species Workshop March 16 – 17, 2011 Awash, Ethiopia

The objectives of the Workshop are to: share updates on work, progress and challenges in managing Prosopis juliflora in Ethiopia, identify tools for integrated management and use of Prosopis, and provide suggestions and produce Draft Invasive Species Working Guide. Wednesday March 16, morning Time Topic Presenter 8:30 am Introductions, PLI II goals, purpose of Biruk and Faith (2:30 ET) workshop Expectations of participant from workshop Biruk The draft Working Guide Faith 9:10 am Inventorying invasive species – tools and status All; introduction by Faith

Prevention practices – tools and status All; introduction by Faith Early Detection / Rapid Response – tools and All; introduction by Faith status 10:00 am Tea and buna break 10:20 am Introduction to presentations Faith and Biruk Clearing Prosopis – what‟s worked, challenges, NGO rep / Cooperative member key ideas (Farm Africa) 20 minutes Clearing Prosopis – what‟s worked, challenges, NGO rep / Cooperative member each with key ideas. From the perspective of cultivation (CARE International) some time to as future land use spare Clearing Prosopis – what‟s worked, challenges, NGO rep / Cooperative member key ideas. From the perspective of the business (Save the Children) practices of a farming cooperative. 11:30am Other perspectives. Wrap-up discussion All 12:00am to Break for Lunch 1:45 pm

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Wednesday March 16, afternoon Time Topic Presenter 1:45 pm Introduction to presentations Faith and Biruk (7:45 ET) Utilizing Prosopis – what‟s worked, challenges, NGO rep / Cooperative member key ideas. From the perspective of charcoal (Farm Africa)

production Utilizing Prosopis – what‟s worked, challenges, NGO rep / Cooperative member key ideas. From the perspective of the business (Farm Africa, CARE, and Save practices of a charcoal production cooperative. the Children)

Utilizing Prosopis - Afar Regional Government Mohamed Mohamud, Afar update on policy Regional Government 3:15pm Policy and your work. Group discussion; facilitated by Faith 10:20 am Sharing information – Afar government All; introduction and update by strategy on prosopis Mohamed Mohamudn and Sadik Mohamed - Afar Regional Government 3:00 pm to Tea and buna break 3:15 News from the field: research results, trends in All your communities, tools needed 5:00pm Finished for the day

Thursday March 17, morning Time Topic Presenter 8:30 am Other potential uses of Prosopis. Managing Group discussion; facilitated by (2:30 ET) Prosopis to meet Ethiopia‟s energy needs. Faith 9:30 am The social side: Connecting people with Group discussion; facilitated by benefits of practices – what works, what are the Biruk challenges The financial side: Connecting people with All; introduction by Faith business opportunities and skills – tools available and needed for the way forward. 10:00 am Tea and buna break “25 min” The future of the Prosopis Technical Working Group discussion; facilitated by Group Faith and Biruk “25 min” Wrap-up discussion on the draft Working All; introduction by Faith Guide – tools and status 10 min Evaluation of the workshop based on Biruk expectation 11:45 am Close-out. What‟s next Biruk

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Annex 2- Workshop Participants

Invasives Management Workshop Awash, March 16 and 17, 2011

List of Participants

Name Position Place of work E-mail Address

Redwan Getachew PC Diredawa [email protected]

Abdihakim Mohomed Senior Livestock Officer Jigjige [email protected] Project Coordinator, FARM-

Alawis Ahmed Africa Afar/Amibera [email protected]

Mandefro Gltsadik Project Manager, CARE Afar/Gewane [email protected]

Mohamed Mohamud Dep. Head Semera

Abdu Gurata Cooperative Afar/Amibera

Zelalem Glyesus M&E Officer, FARM Africa Afar/Amibera [email protected]

Abdikadir Omarisack DA Dollo Bay

Mossa Debay Pastoralist Afar/Amibera Instructor Gewane ATVET

Tegegn Argaw College Afar/Gewane [email protected]

Abdulwali Mohamed N/R Technician Dollo Addo

Adow Gabow M&E Officer SC/US Dollo [email protected]

Abdirashid Sheikh NRMO SC/US SC/US Dollo [email protected]

Yohannes Assefa NRMO SC/UK Afar/pillosphs [email protected]

Sahla Sehim Pastoralist Afar/Amibera

Theodros Jima NRM Officer Negelle [email protected]

Galma Duba NRM Officer (SC F) Arero

Hassen Seide Pastoralist Afar/Amibera

Ali Moya Pastoralist Afar/Amibera

Adnen Abdi NRMO Diredawa/Shinik [email protected] Woldegebriel

Tesfarnariam Woleta EIAR Researcher Afar/Woleta [email protected]

Faith Ryan Rangeland Specialist US Forest Service [email protected] Save the Children

Biruk Asfaw NRM US [email protected] Save the Children

Absera Negussie Project Assistant US [email protected]

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Annex 3- Contacts and Resources Distributed

Contacts (outside of the two workshops)

Name Organization or Area of Interest/ Location Contact Information Ato Fayyissa Xaafaa Oromiya Pastoral Area Commission/Addis contact through Nigist Abebayewu @ Ababa 0921400160 Ato Rezene Fesseha Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural [email protected] Research/Addis Ababa Dr. Derese Tolesa Veterinarian, Oromiya Pastoral Area [email protected] Commission /Addis Ababa Solomon Wangari Paul Evangelista Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Colorado [email protected] State University / Fort Collins, CO Abarufa Jatani Save the Children – US, program coordinator [email protected] and strong connection with pastoralist communities / Liben Sub-Office in Negelle Angassa Ayana Professor, Hawassa University/ Hawassa College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, PO Box 1591, Ethiopia Abebe Ababulgu Guji Zone Land and Environment Protection P.O. Box 101 Office/ Negelle Negelle, Ethiopia Hailu Haro Land Use Planner, Guji Zone Land and Same as line above. Environment Protection Office / Negelle Iyya Usman Molu Liben Lark Project [email protected] Bruktawit Abdu Project Lead, Liben Lark Project [email protected] Gurmessa Terfa Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agrigulture [email protected] Research Center (EIAR) / Yabello Dr. Abule Ebro Researcher, Adami Tulu Research Center / [email protected] Zeway Dr. Anna Treydte Professor, University of Hohenheim, [email protected] Instittue of Plant Production and Agroecology/ Denmark Hasan Yusuf Global Food Security PhD scholar, [email protected] University of Hohenheim/ Denmark Nick Mitchell Biota-Africa Project [email protected] Getachew Gebru Director, MARIL [email protected]

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Contents of CD distributed at the end of the Invasives Workshop

Admasu, D. 2008. Invasive Plants and Food Security: the case of Prosopis juliflora in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Prepared for IUCN by D.Admasu of FARM-Africa. http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/invasive_plants_and_food_security___final.pdf

Afar Regional Government Proposed Regulation 22 soft copy and PowerPoint presentation by Mohamed Mohamud.

Choge, SK., NM Pasiecznik, M Harvey, J Wright, SZ Awan and PJC Harris. 2007. Prosopis pods as human food, with special reference to Kenya. Choge, SK and NM Pasiecznik. 2005. The challenges of eradicating Prosopis in Kenya. A Policy Brief. Henry Doubleday Research Foundation funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development. Available at: http://www.researchintouse.com/nrk/RIUinfo/PF/FRP05.htm Flintan, F. and A. Cullis. 2010. Introductory guidelines to participatory rangeland management in pastoral areas. Published by Save the Children, USA, Addis Ababa Ethiopia and FAO. ISBN 978-99944-847-1-3. http://www.elmt-relpa.org/aesito/hoapn?&cms=null&id_cms_doc=58 Scroll to Subject Area of Rangeland Management General Flintan, F. (ed). 2010. Learning by Doing: Working Towards Participatory Rangeland Management (PRM) in Pastoral Areas through ELMT/ ELSE. Draft version. Published by Save the Children, USA, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, CARE, and Veterinaires sans Frontieres, Suisse with partner ELMT/ELSE. In http://www.elmt-relpa.org/aesito/hoapn?&cms=null&id_cms_doc=58 Scroll to Subject Area of Rangeland Management Regional Felker, P. 2002. Ethiopia-National Plan for Prosopis-3 February 2002 FINAL DRAFT. Download at http://sites.google.com/site/petersprosopismesquitesite/documents Document name is same as title; it is at the top of the page. Gebru, G. 2008. Experiences on Prosopis Management - Case of Afar Region. FARM-Africa. http://www.farmafrica.org.uk/resources/FARM%20Africa_Experiences%20on%20Prosopis%20Manage ment%20Afar%20(2008).pdf Pasiecznik, NM. no date. Prosopis juliflora (vilayati babul) in the drylands of India: develop this valuable resource – don‟t eradicate it. A Research Output. Henry Doubleday Research Foundation funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development. Available at: http://www.researchintouse.com/nrk/RIUinfo/PF/FRP05.htm

Perera, ANF. no date. Using invasive Prosopis to improve livelihoods in Sri Lank. A Research Output. Henry Doubleday Research Foundation funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development. Available at: http://www.researchintouse.com/nrk/RIUinfo/PF/FRP05.htm

Steele, P. (ed.); Breithaupt, J. (ed.); Labrada, R. (ed.) 2009. Proceedings Expert Consultation (no.4). „Increased food security - control and management of Prosopis‟. Meeting held Awash, Ethiopia 15-19 October 2007. FAO, ESAF. Rome, Italy. 132 pages. Download (20 MB file) from: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agphome/documents/Biodiversity- pollination/Weeds/Docs/Prosopis.pdf Schwennesen, E. 2007. Resource monitoring protocol [for] permanent baseline transects. Unpublished paper for US Forest Service, International Programs.

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Powerpoint Presentations from the workshop: a) Yohannes Assefa of Save the Children – UK, b) Mandrefo Gltsadik of CARE, c) Abdirashid Sheikh of Save the Children-US, and d) Redwan Getachew of Save the Children-UK

Other literature useful in rangeland management on the Borana – not included in the CD -

Ayana Angassa & Gufu Oba. 2008. Further reference on native Acacia and other important rangeland plants of the Southern Borana: Herder perceptions on impacts of range enclosures, crop farming, fire ban and bush encroachment on the rangelands of Borana, Southern Ethiopia. Hum Ecol (2008) 36:201–215.

Ayana Angassa & Gufu Oba. 2008. Bush encroachment control demonstrations in southern Ethiopia: 1. Woody species survival strategies with implications for herder land management. Blackwell Publishing Limited, Afr. J. Ecol., 47, 63–76.

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Annex 4- USFS Technical Assistance to the USAID PLI II Project

USDA Forest Service

Office of International Programs

Scope of Work

US Forest Service Technical Assistance to the

USAID Pastoral Livelihoods Initiative II Project (PLI II)

Draft One: October 13, 2010

Background:

In response to the increasing food insecurity and population vulnerability that have been witnessed in the pastoralist areas of Ethiopia, USAID/Ethiopia has been implementing an activity entitled the Pastoralist Livelihoods Initiative (PLI). The second phase of the initiative is a four year program (2009-2013) being implemented by Save the Children (SC-US) led consortium (CARE, Mercy Corps, IRC and SC-UK) designed to increase resiliency of targeted pastoralists to shocks and assist them to lead sustainable livelihoods through:

Strengthen early warning systems and providing livelihoods-based responses,

Improved natural resource management: rangeland and water development

Strengthen livestock services: disease control and livestock/products marketing

Strengthen economic opportunities for pastoralists and ex-pastoralists

Support policy initiatives to Protect and strengthen pastoral livelihoods

The US Forest Service (USFS) has expansive expertise in natural resource management with its 35,000 employees and more than 80 million hectares of wilderness (protected areas), forests, and grasslands. USFS International Programs (USFS/IP) is currently active in more than 15 African countries in collaboration with USAID to support activities in protected area management, watershed management, rangeland management, fire management, land use planning, ecotourism development, and transboundary NRM policy harmonization to name a few. USFS has a comparative advantage providing technical assistance from government to government over a long-term period to increase the technical capacity of partners.

From 2005- 2009, USFS/IP was involved with over ten missions supporting the USAID PLI I project in the areas of Rx Fire, Invasive Species Management, and Rangeland Ecology. This Scope of Work (SOW) will describe the planned collaboration of USFS/IP, USAID/Ethiopia, and the SC-US consortium for PLI II in the 2011 Fiscal Year (FY11).

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Technical Assistance Areas:

USFS/IP will support USAID/Ethiopia and SC-US in the implementation of PLI II in the following areas:

Landscape Level Management Planning: The PLI II project is working to improve rangeland and water resources management in Pastoral areas of Ethiopia. Specifically, they have been working to support dialogue between customary institutions, administrative authorities, and communities specifically focusing on the sustainable use of natural resources. As part of the activities in this area, they have supported Community Action Plans (CAPs) that prioritize activities in Kebeles. The Oromiya Zone has recently completed a region wide land use plan using GIS mapping. USFS could work with USAID and PLI II partners to create a landscape management plan in a pilot grazing area that combines several CAPs and links them with the broader administrative and customary institutional plans.

Scaling-up prescribed fire: During PLI II, the consortium plans to follow-up on past prescribed (Rx) fire trainings and scale up future activities expanding to new areas and villages. They would also like to initiate a workable monitoring system within the government research system. The monitoring system would be aimed to develop a quantitative evidence base to analyze impacts of the prescribed fire and associated management activities such as bush thinning, enclosure etc under the communal rangeland management system.

Management of invasive species: Experience from different countries including Ethiopia has shown that eradication of Prosopis by the different methods, especially the mechanical and chemical ones are highly expensive and mostly ineffective. Hence, management strategies were recommended to minimize the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of the invasion and to make use of Prosopis as a valuable resource to support rural livelihoods in the dry lands. USFS could analyze current documentation, work with the Ethiopian Agriculture Research Institute and other partners such as FARM Africa to develop a workable management guideline and strategy for PLI II and government partners, and subsequently build the capacity of government and NGO staff on the implementation.

Payment for environmental services: Within the coming decade opportunities will arise which will enable pastoralists to be paid for environmental services, including the protection of trees and grasslands, as both sequester carbon, protect biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and protect water catchments. USFS will help to build the capacity of local community groups and implementing partners including government staff to explore the potential for a payment for environmental services and support the consortium in establishing a pilot scheme for payment for ecosystem services.

Pastoral watershed management guideline (pastoral landscape planning): Ministry of Agriculture is in the process of developing pastoral areas watershed management guideline and asked USAID technical support. USFS can support the taskforce established by the ministry in developing and piloting the management guideline in selected PLI II target area. PLI consortium has been supporting participatory rangeland mapping and community action planning process lead by the customary institutions which

Page 20 of 26 could be scaled up and strengthened with GIS system to serve as an input for the intended management guideline.

Planned Activities:

Phase 1: These initial activities would take place in January-March 2011.

Landscape Planning – USFS would send out a Planner to work with PLI II partners, customary institution, local government and different stakeholders for 1 month to design a road map and needs assessment to formulate a landscape management plan for a pilot area. The planner will review previous land planning studies conducted by consultants, and community level participatory maps and CAPs to be used as input for the land use plan. This landscape management plan would identify the landscape‟s priority activities, coordinate different Kebele’s CAPs, and link them with larger administrative and customary institutions. The landscape management plan is based on traditional land management could also incorporate an environmental vision for the landscape, mobility, climate and drought modeling information, and Rx Fire strategy. This activity would initially take place in January/February for 3-4 weeks with a 3-4 week follow-on trip in March/April to advance the road map and landscape management plan‟s realization.

Rx Fire – USFS would send out a Fire Team leader to work with the landscape planner for 1 week to advise and identify an Rx fire strategy for the pilot area. This expert would stay in Ethiopia to plan an Rx fire training to follow-up on past trainings in the area to strengthen capacities of communities, NGOs and government partners. The expert would also work with communities, customary institution leader, line department and field research institutes to identify/design/strengthen a system to monitor burn results contributing to better rangeland management. The expert would examine the feasibility of a strategy to potentially expand the PLI II Rx Fire program to other areas (ex: Somali and Afar). The expert would be assisted in the facilitation of the Rx Fire workshop and run pilot site large scale burn by 2 other USFS Fire experts.

Invasive Species – USFS would send out an invasive species expert with experience working with prosopis management. This expert would work with the landscape management planner to incorporate an invasive species management strategy into the plan (Oromiya region). Additionally, the expert would examine existing documentation; consult partners on prosopis management and work with the Ethiopian research institute to formulate a training manual for PLI II consortium and government partners to manage prosopis in the Afar/Somali regions. This training manual could include linkages to the international prosopis market and other harvesting uses in addition to eradication and control.

Phase 2: The costs associated with Phase 1, will necessarily determine the specific scope and scale of Phase 2 activities, however the following illustrative activities were identified as part of the USFS technical assistance to PLI II under the FY 2011 plan

.

Payment for Ecosystem Services – USFS will send a biomass/carbon data collection specialist to work with communities and rural authorities to train them in biomass and soil data collection and analysis, including carbon measurement and sampling techniques. Save the Children US has done preliminary work/research in pilot communities as presented in their Carbon Finance Report of February 2010. The

Page 21 of 26 goal is to build upon these findings and strengthen the capacities of community members, local experts and Ethiopia Environmental protection Authority (EPA) agents. A possible future output is the compared measurements of enclosed and non-enclosed pastoral lands. The specialist would also execute a gap and baseline analysis of the Ethiopian EPA on their capacity to manage a national monitoring system. The specialist should coordinate with the World Vision and FARM-Africa programs, who are working in Carbon Finance in Ethiopia.

Pastoral landscape planning/Pastoral watershed Management guideline) – USFS could use an arid/semi- arid watershed management expert to review the out coming draft of the lowland watershed management guide to ensure wither the guideline is applicable for pastoral context and including international experience into the document. This expert would provide input to USAID/Ethiopia and the PLI II consortium on this guide, as well as advise and support the piloting of this guide within the context of the landscape management plan.

Workshops and Logistics – Through its funding from USAID/Ethiopia, USFS/IP will provide for all costs associated directly with the USFS technical experts (travel, perdiem, lodging, salaries, etc) but it is assumed that the PLI II consortium will support these experts as much as possible in rural logistics and workshop organization.

USFS Experts Qualifications, Level of Effort, and Expected Deliverables:

Landscape Management Planner:

Qualifications –

At least 10 years in land use planning including the design and execution of land management plans

Extensive experience facilitating dialogue between diverse and potentially divergent groups on land use and natural resource conflict issues

Experience as an Inter-Disciplinary (ID) Team Leader preferred

Experience in East Africa and/or other developing country contexts

Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 45 days

January/February

2 days document review and preparation

2 days travel

15-20 days work in-country with PLI II partners

2 days travel

March/April (phase 2)

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2 days travel

15-20 days work in-country with PLI II partners

2 days travel

Future LOE and trips are possible depending on needs and funding

Expected deliverables

Design a road map and needs assessment to formulate a landscape management plan for a pilot area in the Oromiya region at end of first trip

Guidelines and established capacity with PLI II partners on how to best advance the Landscape Management Plan and mentor the trained staff to develop land use management plan for the selected site realization after the second trip

GIS based landscape map for pilot area with important information (Dry season grazing area, wet season grazing area, seasonal mobility, area occupied with invasive species

Rx Fire Team/Program Leader:

Qualifications –

At least 10 years in Fire Management in senior and team leader capacities

Extensive experience in training non technical and technical persons in the primary areas of fire management including fire behavior, fire ecology, fire management plans, fire prevention, fire suppression, community outreach, and prescribed burning.

Experience working with fire management in the pastoral lowlands of Ethiopia highly preferred

Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 30 days

January/February

2 days document review and preparation

2 days travel

5 days working with Landscape Management Planner

3 days workshop planning

7 days monitoring system and Rx fire expansion strategy design

7 days Rx fire workshop preparation and execution,

2 days travel

2 days report writing

Future LOE and trips are possible depending on needs and funding

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Expected deliverables

Work with Landscape Management Planner to incorporate Rx fire strategy for pilot area

Design a road map and strategy for a Rx Fire monitoring system for a pilot area in the Oromiya region

Feasibility report for expanding the PLI II Rx fire program into the Afar and Somali regions.

Workshop on „large scale‟ Rx Fire in Oromiya region to follow up on past workshops and start monitoring system strategy implementation

Mentoring of prescribed fire activity in the pilot area

Rx Fire Trainers (2 persons)

Qualifications –

At least 5 years in Fire Management

Experience in training non technical persons in the primary areas of fire management including fire behavior, fire ecology, fire management plans, fire prevention, fire suppression, community outreach, and prescribed burning.

Experience in Africa and/or other developing country contexts preferred.

Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 15 days

February

2 days document review and preparation

2 days travel

7 days Rx fire workshop preparation and execution

2 days travel

2 days report writing

Expected deliverables

Workshop on „large scale‟ Rx Fire in Oromiya region to follow up on past workshops and start monitoring system strategy implementation

Invasive Species Expert

Qualifications –

At least 10 years in invasive species management including specific and significant experience working with prosopis species management

Experience in Africa and/or other developing country contexts

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Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 20 days

January/February

2 days document review and preparation

2 days travel

3 days working with Landscape Management Planner

7 days designing training manual on prosopis management for PLI II partners

Facilitating training for Experts on prosopis management using the manual for 3 days in AA

2 days travel

2 days report writing

Future LOE and trips are possible depending on needs and funding

Expected deliverables

Work with Landscape Management Planner to incorporate an invasive species strategy for pilot area in the Oromiya region

Design a training manual for prosopis management for PLI II partners

Community Biomass and Soil Collection Specialist/Trainer

Qualifications –

At least 5 years in soil and biomass data collection, forest/carbon inventories, and/or national data monitoring systems

Significant experience working with and training rural communities in developing countries

Experience in Africa preferred

Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 25 days

March/April

2 days document review

2 days travel

7 days work in-country with PLI II partners and EPA to design training curriculum and write EPA monitoring system gaps and needs assessment

10 days practical training in Borena to community leaders and PLI II partners

2 days travel

2 days report writing

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Future LOE and trips are possible depending on needs and funding

Expected deliverables

Design of a training curriculum for communities, NGOs, government and other rural PLI II partners on collection and analysis of soil and biomass data to measure terrestrial carbon

Facilitate practical training at the field level based on the training manual

Production of a gap and baseline analysis of the Ethiopian EPA on their capacity to manage a national C monitoring system

Arid Watershed Expert

Qualifications –

At least 10 years in watershed and/or natural resource management and planning

Specific experience in arid and semi-arid ecosystems

Experience in Africa and/or other developing country contexts preferred

Level of Effort (LOE) – estimated 7 days – The expert will review the draft watershed management guide line to be developed by taskforce established by ministry of Agriculture where USAID and SC-US are members.

February/March

7 days desk work in the U.S.A.

Future LOE and trips are possible depending on needs and funding

Expected deliverables

Review documentation and make comments/recommendations on lowland watershed guide

PLI II partners will pilot pastoral watershed management guideline within landscape management plan pilot area

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