On Tuesday November 22, 2022, I opened in Ouagadougou a workshop for actors in the restoration of forest landscapes. This will be an opportunity for these representatives to discuss the importance of proper selection of tree species and sources of planting material. The workshop is organized by the National Center for Forest Seeds (CNSF) in partnership with Bioversity International-CIAT.
According to a study conducted by the Ministry in charge of the Environment in 2018, in Burkina Faso, drought and expansion of cultivated areas have caused a significant loss of natural woody vegetation and led to degradation processes affecting about 470,000 hectares annually, or about 19% of the country. According to the FAO, Burkina Faso lost 22% of its forest cover and 18% of its other forested land between 1990 and 2015.
Faced with this situation, the government, local authorities, communities and NGOs have launched various initiatives to restore vegetation with results that do not always meet the expected results.
- Participants will discuss, among other things, the possibility of adopting the D4R tool by actors in the restoration of forest landscapes.
To improve the effectiveness of forest landscape restoration actions, a tool called Diversity for Restoration (D4R) has been developed by Bioversity International and its partners to assist in the appropriate selection of species and seed sources that meet desired restoration goals. D4R also takes into account climate change when selecting the appropriate material and includes information on the spread of hundreds of tree species. “We developed this tool that finalizes the selection of species based on the ecological, economic and social conditions of the intervention sites and pays close attention to the genetic diversity of the species. The source of the seeds is very important, especially in the face of climate change,” said Barbara Vincetti of Bioversity International.
- Edith Dapuy, director general of the National Forest Seed Center, emphasized the importance of using the right species for successful restoration.
As Edith Dapuy, Director General of the National Forest Seed Centre, points out, “Sometimes, we can miss out on a restoration action simply because we haven’t used the right type or seed in the right place. The D4R tool that will be presented will help the actors invited to the workshop choose the best species that will be used in forest landscape restoration actions in Burkina Faso in the context of climate change.”
The workshop, which will open on November 22, 2022 and will take place until November 24, will be the venue for assessing successful experiences and approaches adopted by actors involved in forest landscape restoration in order to identify opportunities. current efforts. Stakeholders will discuss, among others, the prevailing methods used by the actors involved in restoration, share their insights on potential improvements that can be adopted in tree species selection and sources of planting material and discuss the possibility of adopting the D4R tool through catering triggers.
- Barbara Vinceti of Bioversity International
Restoring 5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030
Thirty African countries including Burkina Faso have committed to restoring 100 million hectares of degraded lands by participating in the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFT100). It is a country-led regional effort supported by the African Union that contributes to national restoration goals and sustainable development commitments. Burkina Faso has pledged to restore five million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
- Professor Samuel Barry, Acting Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation, confirmed that his ministry will take into account the results of the workshop.
By using the D4R tool, the country thus hopes to achieve this goal. A cooperation agreement was also signed between the National Forest Seed Center and the International Alliance for Biological Diversity to conduct experiments. It is therefore planned for this workshop to identify volunteers working in forest landscape restoration to test the D4R tool.
- family photo
Acting Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation, Professor Samuel Barry, who presided over the opening of the workshop, confirmed that his ministry will work to ensure the adequacy of the results of the workshop. “I am convinced that the conclusions of this workshop will enable all actors working in the field of restoration to have the relevant tools and approaches in place for better success of landscape restoration actions in our country, particularly in the context of biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change. So I would like to assure you My department will ensure a better appropriation of the relevant conclusions that will emerge from the workshop,” suggested Professor Parry.
Justin Boncongo
Lefaso.net