ENVIRONMENT
The environmental footprint of 1 ha of plantation is small, however a system that brings 200 ha of plantation into responsible management every year and eventually 1,800 ha every year begins to have significant impact.
At the plantation level the changes are minimal e.g. not harvesting near rivers or streams, not using weed-killer and planting fruit trees. At the community level it may be organising to prevent encroachment by illegal mining, identifying the important fauna and flora in the area and taking steps to protect it. Cumulatively across a landscape this results in ever expanding corridors of connectivity between habitat refuges.
Goals
The goal is for each community to recognise the importance of the whole landscape and understand how each plantation is part of the wider jigsaw.
The community group as a whole needs to identify the priorities for their own environment. Local concerns will always have greater engagement than global ones and that is where it starts.
Where the community is having a positive impact on carbon sequestration or wildlife conservation or watershed management Nb aims to identify ways they can be rewarded
Assist communities to get the benefits they deserve for being responsible custodians of the environment
Method
On the individual level each plantation has its own simple management plan, it is generic and outlines the do’s and don’ts for the small-holders.
These can be aggregated to see the impact in a District and any wider actions to enhance the environment can be identified.
Nb can provide seed stock for fruit trees as well as commercial timber species.
The Group in each community is supported to identify the priorities they want to address, illegal encroachment, soil erosion, wildlife conservation. They can develop their own action plan and Nb will assist in identifying means to finance the programme.
Verification
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is core to the business plan – notwithstanding the associated external independent monitoring it provides to increase market value; it also provides an important management planning structure .
If carbon sequestration becomes a priority there are initiatives such as Plan Vivo that might prove appropriate.
