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Projects List
Uganda: Nile Basin Reforestation
(BioCarbon Fund)
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Potential plantation areas within Rwoho (Photo: National Forestry Authority, Uganda) |
The proposed tree planting project will serve to meet the objective of expansion of the wood resources of Uganda. This expansion is crucial for the country to meet the growing national demand of wood resources and to reduce the pressure on the remaining natural forests in the region. Currently only a few thousand hectares of timber plantations remain in Uganda. The project will establish a plantation of pine and mixed native species in grassland areas within Rwoho Central Forest Reserve. The project area of around 2,137 ha will be covered with 75% Pinus caribaea, which has been already introduced and tested in the area. In addition 20% Maesopsis eminii and 5% Prunus africana will be planted. From the latter species the bark and the timber will be used. Pine and Maesopsis will be managed on a 20 year rotation cycle or until the target diameter, 45 cm, is reached. Prunus will be managed for bark production in a 22 year rotation period. The plantation will be established in 64 blocks of 25 ha each, grouped in 5 small-scale CDM projects. Around each block a fire line will be maintained. This cluster design allows for potential involvement of private and community based investors, since the project area can be split into a portfolio of small-scale projects or different investor shares. The Rwoho Environmental Conservation and Protection Association (RECPA) will manage 17% of the project area within the framework of a collaborative forest management agreement. The agreements will be signed with the National Forest Authority (NFA). The NFA implementing the project will provide seedlings and technical advice to RECPA, which will in return be in charge of protecting the plantations from fire and the remaining patches of natural forest. RECPA will also link the project with communities in the area. The NFA will be managing the plantation according to international standards.
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Potential plantation areas within Rwoho (Photo: National Forestry Authority, Uganda) |
The project is expected to sequester around 0.11 Mt CO2e by 2012 and around 0.29 Mt CO2e by 2017. This sequestration represents a critically important additional source of income for the project implementation. The share of native species used in the project is low as experiences on forest plantations based on native tree species are very limited in East Africa and further increasing the proportion of native tree species would increase the project risk. Apart from Maesopsis and Prunus no other native species with a commercial value proved to be successful under the prevailing site conditions in Rwoho. The learning experiences from planting native tree species will decrease this technological barrier in future projects. The reforestation will nevertheless provide suitable habitat for biodiversity. The reserve is an upper watershed of Lake Victoria with several small rivers. The permanent land-use will then provide several environmental benefits, including the reduction of the erosion induced discharge, the increase of dry season flows, and the mitigation of the ongoing land degradation. In addition to the forest management agreements, the project will bring other social benefits, and in particular direct employment; up to 500 people would be hired during the establishment phase. Afterwards, around 200 people will be needed for nursery work and weeding, fire protection, thinning and pruning. Communities will also benefit from the production of wood fuel. The project will monitor any potential leakage stemming from the reforestation of the area. The status of reserve of the project area and the income provided by the plantation will reduce the risk of non-permanence of the credits generated by the project.
The project is being developed by the NFA, the lead forest agency in Uganda. The agency was established in 2003 under the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act and is operating in a business and service-oriented manner. The NFA would offer the respective carbon credits to the BioCarbon Fund within the framework of the Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement.
THEMATIC INFORMATION
For more information on this project's thematic information (i.e., Biodiversity, Other Environmental Benefits and Risks, Socio-economic benefits and risks, Leakage, Risk of Non Permanence, and Additionality), please click here.
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