Ask anyone to invest time and money and they will tell you that they need to feel secure that they will see the benefits.
Ama Awin, Siisi village, Ghana
A key theme of our work is securing long-term access to natural resources for people like Ama Awin of Siisi village, Ghana (right).
This means making rules and regulations clear and enforceable to ensure that they have confidence in and can benefit from protecting and enhancing those resources.
Land rights
The situation
In the Sahel there is relatively little pressure upon land, so traditional land rights systems have remained in place.
Often it is the descendants of the person who first cleared the land that inherit the rights.
This means that rights for people new to an area, young people and women are often uncertain.
All this means that planting trees and
caring for trees doesn’t always guarantee a family the benefits that those trees will bring.
What TREE AID does
We support vulnerable groups at village level to be given access to land and permission to plant trees. We act as a go-between for different groups and the village Chief, supporting negotiations for tree crop harvesting agreements.
The benefits
Because villagers have the access to land that they need and the rights to plant, own and use trees and bushes they are more willing to make the commitment needed to plant and care for their trees – their trees become a secure investment for the future.
Access to communal forests
The situation
Central government control over some forests has replaced traditional rights systems with permits, taxes and fines. A lack of confidence in this new system and its enforcement by communities meant that investing in planting trees or encouraging natural regeneration wasn’t very attractive. Protecting the forests hasn’t always been done effectively, so trees have been cut for firewood and the land grazed without any regulation.
What TREE AID does
We work with communities and the local authorities to agree rules on how and when trees can be cut, how to control fires and what taxes should be paid for harvesting.
We encourage the villagers to take responsibility for implementing the agreed rules.
We also work with national governments to get these locally agreed rules recognised in national legislation.
The benefits
Because villagers are confident that they understand the rules, that the rules are being kept and their rights upheld they are able to spend the time caring for their forests, knowing that they have access to a source of possible income and also foods.
The environment is protected, and can begin to regenerate from damage, and community tension is reduced as the forests become a group interest.
Ama Awin
Ama Awin (above) is 49 and lives in Siisi village in northern Ghana with her children.
For Ama “trees are a long term investment, our children will eventually grow up and inherit the trees we are planting now.”
She believes that if people are encouraged to plant and protect their own trees they will be able to meet their needs and will be in a position to conserve the woodlands.
