Our environmental project in Senegal is supporting people to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly livelihoods.
Khady, a palm nut processor who depends on thriving forests to earn a living, is just one of the thousands of people whose livelihoods have been improved as a result of our forest conservation work in Senegal.
Video transcript:
“A long time ago there never used to be any forest fires because our ancestors understood how important forests were. Now it’s our turn, the younger generation, to look after and preserve our forests for future generations.”
“Today, forest management and protection is always the subject of debates by our local authorities and it’s an important topic in our local mayor’s policy. We have strengthened the management and the monitoring of our forests, in particular to protect fruit trees which are so important for the community.”
Our project has enabled communities to fully understand their leading role in protecting forests. It led to the reforestation of 100,000 trees, as well as fewer forest fires and no forest fires in community managed forests. Fruit trees, especially the cashew fruit whose flowers and leaves are collected and eaten by forest animals, are planted in a ring around forests to help prevent the spread of fires. This was only possible because of the commitment of local authorities, like the Mayors of Djinami, Mangagoulack and the President of the Departmental Advisory Board in Bignona.
Context:
The EU funded ‘Gouvernance Environnementale Communautaire’ (or ‘Community-based Environmental Governance’) began in 2018 and has been instrumental in reducing illegal logging and bush fires in the Casamance area of Senegal. With significant impacts on the environment, value chain addition and people’s livelihoods, this project has contributed to the increased commitment of the community to protect their natural resources.