USDA-Forest Service Technical Assistance Trip Republic of Madagascar In Support to USAID Madagascar for Assistance in the Development of a Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant De Lac Antarambiby and Plan d’ Amenagement Du Perimetre De Reboisement De Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa FINAL REPORT Mission Dates: February 16 – February 27, 2004 Report Submitted by: DAVID SALO JEFFREY L. TREJO USDA Forest Service USDA Forest Service Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF Beavrhead-Deerlodge NF Meadowlark Lane P.O. Box 100 Butte, Montana Wise River, Montana (406) 494-0255 (406) 832-3178 [email protected] [email protected] USDA Forest Service Mission in Support to USAID Madagascar to Assist in the Development of the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa TABLE OF CONTENTS SCOPE OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 2 BACKGROUND 2 USAID Request and Objectives of the Technical Assistance Trip 2 1. Mission Objectives 3 2. Mission Activities 4 3. Anticipated Outputs 4 Objectives and Expectations of the Director General for Water and Forests 4 CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF AN INTEGRATED FOREST AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN 5 ISSUES, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5 Introduction 5 Principal Issues: Findings and Recommendations 6 Pine Plantations 1. Demand for Dimension Lumber 7 2. Management of Natural Pine Regeneration 8 3. Forestry / Agriculture land Use Competition 8 4. Loss of Pine Plantations Due to Fire 9 5. Competing Demands for Forest Products in the Pine Plantations 10 6. Opportunities for Utilization of Lumber Manufacturing Waste Products 10 7. Increased Pine Product Opportunities and Native Species Re-Introduction 12 8. Capacity to Monitor and Control Land Management Activities Within and Around the Forest Environment 13 9. Financial Resources Available to Implement the Management Plans 13 10. Roles of the Non Governmental Stakeholders with Respect to Land Management Decisions and Control 14 Hydrologic Resource Assessment 15 1. Water Quality 16 2. Water Quantity 17 3. Financial Development Plan 18 CONCLUSIONS 19 APPENDICES APPENDIX A – REFERENCES AND APPLICABLE RESEARCH 23 APPENDIX B – WATER QUALITY 25 APPENDIX C – WATER QUANTITY 27 APPENDIX D – CONTACTS 28 APPENDIX E – MISSION ITINERARY 29 APPENDIX F – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 31 APPENDIX G – RESUMES OF THE AUTHORS 33 APPENDIX H – LIST OF ACCRONYMS 34 1 USDA Forest Service Mission in Support to USAID Madagascar to Assist in the Development of the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa SCOPE OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE The focus of this technical assistance team will be to provide feedback on the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa. This technical assistance team will provide recommendations specific to issues identified in the plans and identify some additional issues that may be best to include in the final versions of the plans. Recommendations may include specific implementation options as well as areas where additional study may be beneficial. BACKGROUND USAID Request and Objectives of the Technical Assistance Trip The Ecoregional Transition Program (PTE) contributes to the development of a holistic watershed management plan for the Lac Antarambiby watershed. The watershed serves as the municipal water source for the City of Fianarantsoa, as well as the source of water for rural agricultural use above and below the Lac Antarambiby impoundment. The watershed is characterized by introduced pine and eucalyptus forests, utilized for domestic and commercial use. The PTE program and its predecessor project, LDI (Landscape Development Interventions), contributed to the preparation of a Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa. These plans seek to optimize the quantity and quality of water coming from the watershed and enhance the production and recovery of wood products from the pine forests located within the watershed. The PTE is leading a collaborative effort including technical government departments (DIREEF, DIREM and DRDR), communities (ADM), local authorities (OPCI Cohitraina Antarambiby, CUF) and support bodies (APMM, PACT, Intercooperation) and other members of the Watershed Management Committee. A USAID funded mission of two United States Department of Agriculture – Forest Service (USDA-FS) professionals was undertaken from February 16 through February 27, 2004. The mission team consisted of: David Salo – Forest Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and Jeffrey L. Trejo – West Zone Timber Management Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. 2 USDA Forest Service Mission in Support to USAID Madagascar to Assist in the Development of the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa 1. Mission Objectives The PTE Fianarantsoa regional director, (Mark Freudenberger) provided a document outlining desired expectations of items for the technical assistance team to address. This list was provided prior to the team’s arrival in Madagascar. The expectations were as follows: Functions Forest Management Hydrologist Specialist Priority 1 Technical advice on pine Technical advice on how to model regeneration techniques, thinning hydrological regimes of the Lac rates, and other advice on Antarambiby watershed. Discussion management of natural seeding of how to link these models into public policy decision-making. Preparation of terms of reference for future studies by graduate students, consultants, or USFS. Priority 2 Observations and advice on current Determination of role (perhaps thinning experimentation. Terms of through future studies) of pine trees reference and simple techniques for vis à vis water consump- monitoring growth rates on tion/absorption dynamics in the experimental thinning plots. watershed. Discuss with Jeff and technical teams role of pine trees vis à vis competing demands for water. Arrive at methodology for determining optimal density of pine plantations vis à vis competing water demands. Priority 3 Waste product utilization options and Facilitate reflection on how to examples from around the world. balance hydrological needs between I.e.: small factory for particle board; pine plantations, irrigated agriculture, briquette manufacturing; turpentine rural water demands, and urban production... water demands. Discuss positive and negative roles of pine plantations in hydrological situation of the watershed. Priority 4 Performance of simple pine tree Reflections on role of pine growth models and cubiture plantations in regeneration or calculations using recently collected degradation of springs and rivers in density data for different lots. Refer the watershed. Integrate musings to Denise Ingram economic into terms of reference for future valuation models/spreadsheet technical studies if indeed determined necessary. Priority 5 Presentation of examples of other Examples of hydrological studies on pine management issues and pine plantations and research results problems from other developing from other countries. Ie: Australia or countries South Africa. Impact of industrial scale pine plantations on water balances in other developing countries. Priority 6 Suggestions on organization and Suggestions on organization and structure of forest and watershed structure of forest and watershed management plan management plan 3 USDA Forest Service Mission in Support to USAID Madagascar to Assist in the Development of the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa 2. Mission Activities The USAID/Madagascar Mission and PTE (Chemonics International) provided the team with a list of activities deemed useful for the accomplishment of the mission goals. These activities included the following: 1. Meet with representatives of the DGEF, Observatoire National du Secteur Forestier (OSF), and USAID partners in Antananrivo to gain a general understanding of the general situation. This helped to review technical assistance to date and become familiar with the key players. 2. Meet with technical partners and key stakeholders in Fianarantsoa and the Lac Antarambiby watershed project area to gain an understanding of the planning efforts to date. 3. Visit the project site to become familiar with the key environmental and social elements of the project area. 4. Review the draft reports for the Plan d’ Amenagement Simplifie Bassin Verssant de Lac Antarambiby and the Plan d’ Amenagment du Perimetre de Reboisement de Manadaratsy Fianarantsoa. Discuss these plans with the team responsible for the development of the draft reports. 5. Formulate a set of recommendations to be shared with the PTE team and the DGEEF on the content and suggested follow up to the planning efforts. 3. Anticipated Outputs The USAID/Madagascar Mission identified specific outputs they would like the technical assistance team to provide. These outputs included the following: 1. A list of specific recommendations of additional information to include in the formulation of the management plans. 2. A list of specific recommendations to support