Special Projects
Butiama Hills, Tanzania
Hillside forest restoration and transitioning villages to agroforestry
Location
Butiama district, Mara, Tanzania
Restoration approaches
Assisted Natural Regeneration; agroforestry
Project partners
GRA, Butiama District Council, Tanzania Forest Services, 5 village councils
Communities
Busegwe, Kigori, Mwikoro, Nyanza and Singu
Livelihoods
Agroforestry, fruit and timber/fuelwood trees, beekeeping
In partnership with GRA and five surrounding communities, we will restore a fully functional ecosystem through the assisted natural regeneration of over 3868 hectares of acacia woodlands.
Individual woodlots and agroforestry systems on 1600 smallholder farming households adjacent to the hills will reduce pressure on the forests and improve livelihoods.
Why and how we're working here
The Butiama hills in Mara, Tanzania have suffered serious deforestation and degradation through illegal and unregulated firewood harvesting, charcoal burning and grazing. This has led to the drying up of water sources, and the communities lack access to affordable and appropriate clean energy sources.
The areas surrounding the hills are an agricultural landscape formed by a mosaic of woodlots and limited tree canopies. Low productivity agriculture and a lack of community ownership of forests also contribute to the degradation of the landscape here.
These drivers of deforestation and forest degradation will be sustainably reversed through increased forest cover, self-sustaining community-based forest management groups, and forest-friendly diversified alternative livelihoods.
The project's impact on
people
