COASTAL SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES PROJECT YEAR ONE IN RESTROPECT SEPTEMBER 2014 Introduction This document is presented by the 3-year USAID funded and US Forest Service managed Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project (CSLP). It highlights key stories from the communities and visits by officials of USAID within the first year of the project. Purpose The aim of this document is to give a snapshot of field activities from March to September 2014. Outline The document is divided into three main sections as noted below: A. Approach to community selection B. Stories from the field C. Visits by dignitaries Legend Top: Community elder of Tumentu weighing options for restoring stream bank. Middle: Farmer (left) showing CSLP staff (right) his site for organic vegetable production Down: Stream water valuable to communities Left: on–farm discussions between the project team, Justice of USAID (in white) and farmers Cover page photos: Top: Degraded wetland in Shama District Down: Visit to farm (Jomoro District) The next page is a fact sheet of Year One activities 1 FACT SHEET From mid-March to September 2014, the project has: Held a successful Regional Stakeholders Meeting in which the Western Regional Authorities expressed their readiness to take an active role in the project implementation. Identified and initiated discussions with strategic state and non-state institutions including the private sector at the National, Regional, District and Community levels Visited and interacted with key stakeholders in 74 communities in the six coastal districts of Ghana’s Western Region Selected 16 communities for the initial phase of intervention from the 74 visited, based on an assessment criteria and held community durbars and focus group discussions in each of the selected communities Brought CREMA Executives together after more than a year of not meeting Trained 89 CREMA Executives from the Ahanta West, Ellembelle and Jomoro Districts on the relationship between the environment, ecosystem services and their livelihoods Enlisted over 300 farmers for agroforestry and livelihood interventions Introduced the Village Savings and Loans concept to 16 communities Signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Forest Services and Wildlife Divisions of Forestry Commission and B-BOVID; process underway with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) for similar partnerships Hosted the Head of USAID/Ghana's Office of Economic Growth, Peter Trenchard Participated and made a presentation at the West African Regional Experts Workshop on Mangroves and Climate Change held in Ghana Took part in the International Watershed Management Course in the Southwestern US Hosted the National Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) working group team for a week long work meeting Hosted USAID/Ghana Environmental Specialist, Justice O. Odoi on two occasions Hosted a team from USAID/Ghana METSS and held discussions on Data Quality Assessment Received and distributed Letters of Introduction from the Western Regional Coordinating Council to all six coastal districts Designed, printed and distributed copies of 1000 tri-fold CSLP brochure 2 SECTION A >>>>>COMMUNITY SELECTION APPROACH This section highlights, in a chronological manner, how communities were selected by the project for follow up activities. •74 communities were selected for initial interactions based on information provided by a local NGO called Hen Mpoano and the Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission (WD/FC). Hen Mpoano provided an initial list of communities that exhibited land area that has been degraded based on 2002 Landsat land cover imagery. WD/FC provided list of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) in the Key six coastal districts •An assessment criteria was developed to facilitate Informant interactions in the communities. The themes included Discussions biological concern, restoration need, existing institutional capacity, potential success and operational feasibility •Discussions were held with key stakeholders in the 74 communities based on the themes noted aboove. Key informants included traditional authorities, Chief farmers, assembly members, CREMA /CBAG Executives, leaders of youth groups and faith based institutions and staff of local NGOs •After the fruitful discussions with key informants, 16 communities (map Selection of shown on next page) were selected to focus attention, resources and communities efforts at least for the first year of interventions. •Community durbars/meetings were organized in the selected communities. •The purpose was to share the project goals and objectives with the community members at large. •On average, 60 people (45% women) participated in each durbar. Community •Participants included divisional chiefs, assembly members, farmers, fishers, teachers, land owners, petty traders and Durbars & artisans Focus •After the durbars, focus group discussions were held with Group elderly men, elderly women and youths. The aim was to get Discussions better understanding of their concerns regarding past climate change projects; know their challenges and lessons in managing natural resources and obtain feedback or suggestions. •Key outcome of the interactions was the enlistment of interested farmers and fisher folks to the project. 3 Community Durbar at Akwidaa, Ahanta West District District Map of selected communities Community Durbar at Adubrim, Ellembelle District 4 SECTION B >>>>>>> STORIES FROM THE FIELD STORY NO. 1 WESTERN REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS READY TO SUPPORT CSLP IMPLEMENTATION Western Regional Authorities have expressed their readiness to take active part in the implementation of the 3-year USAID funded and US Forest Service managed Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project (CSLP) to collectively achieve goals of the project within the stipulated timeframe. This happened at a Regional Stakeholders meeting held on Monday, June 23, 2014, under the auspices of the Western Regional Coordinating Council. As the CSLP team commences activities in the six coastal districts of the Western region, the need was identified to hold such a meeting in order to chart a common understanding of the goals and objectives of the project. The inaugural Regional Stakeholders meeting offered participants the opportunity to discuss critical coastal landscape issues and general conservation efforts in the region, possible areas of synergy, and Quarterly Regional strategies for Stakeholders Meeting working together at initiated by CSLP the district and regional levels. It was attended by representatives of the Regional Coordinating Council, regional The Western Regional managers of the Forest Services and Wildlife Divisions of the Coordinating Council has Forestry Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), promised to officially Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Town and Country introduce CSLP to each of the Planning Department (TCPD), Economic Planning Unit and local coastal districts in Ghana’s non-governmental organizations. Western Region The participants of this initial stakeholders meeting agreed to a quarterly meeting in order to be updated on implemented and planned activities of CSLP, challenges and successes of the project, and as a means of offering advice and guidance, where necessary. The regional stakeholders pledged their support and active participation in the planned activities of CSLP. The Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project is being implemented by the US Forest Service/International Programs. The project targets all six coastal districts of Ghana’s Western Region and aims at strengthening capacity for low emission development through improved coastal forest landscape management. 5 Legend Top: CSLP’s NRM Specialist facilitating a training session Middle: Collapsed Bridge being repaired by Akwidaa residents Down: CSLP’s NRM Specialist showing the project Director how local farmers measure their farm sizes 6 STORY NO. 2 OVER 300 FARMERS REGISTER WITH CSLP ore than 300 farmers in the coastal districts of Ghana’s Western Region have shown interest in the Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project (CSLP). The small-holder farmers, M of which 48% are female, wrote down their names and provided details of their land and farming activities to the CSLP team to demonstrate their eagerness to participate actively in the project. They have expressed appreciation to the American people for the kind gesture of contributing to improve their livelihoods through improved coastal landscapes Community Durbar at Akwidaa in Ahanta West District management. This was a result of a series of community interactions and focus group discussions conducted by the project team. The CSLP team has selected 16 communities from an initial assessment list of 74 and held community meetings/durbars and focus group discussions in the selected villages to discuss the project goals and objectives. Farmers expressing interest to work with CSLP at Farmers identified the Ayawora community meeting need to change their current farming practices to enhance restoration of tree cover and soil fertility. Most male farmers have shown interest to acquire skills and knowledge to produce honey as an additional A key outcome of the interaction was the enlistment livelihood option. of interested persons to the project. Major crops grown by these farmers include cassava, plantain, Farmers are interested in cocoa, oil palm, coconut and vegetables. CSLP hopes on-farm tree planting to work with these newly registered