Network of Regional Governments
for Sustainable Development
for Sustainable Development
Wales and Mbale are proud to announce the showcasing of their successful climate change tree planting partnership at the launch of the Momentum for Change Initiative in Durban on Tuesday 6 December. This high level event welcomes UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as guest speaker and Lord Nicholas Stern as moderator with President Zuma of South Africa in attendance. More information here.
Through the Momentum for Change initiative, the UNFCCC secretariat is seeking to build momentum for climate change action by increasing the visibility of successful adaptation and mitigation projects on the ground that not only improve the quality of life of the people they benefit but have the potential to evolve on a larger scale.
The Wales – Mbale Tree Planting Project is a public-private scheme that has been developed in association with the Size of Wales programme www.sizeofwales.org, the Welsh Government’s Wales for Africa programme and the Mbale Coalition Against Poverty which brings together District governments, NGOs and the private sector in the Mbale region of Uganda.
As members of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development, nrg4SD, Wales and Mbale work closely to showcase the success of regional climate action projects at subnational level. nrg4SD is delighted to see the Wales-Mbale project selected for the first platform of 10 ‘Lighthouse Projects’ which are beacons of opportunity, pointing the direction towards fulfilling the objectives of the Convention.
The Wales – Mbale partnership has evolved over recent years growing from a community to community link that has seen joint activities on health, education and business activity. This multi-faceted link continues to grow in breadth and depth and is the basis for the successful tree planting initiative. Apollo Mwenyi, coordinator of the link said:
“The challenging part of tree planting often overlooked by bigger projects, is to work genuinely and closely with local communities. Only by involving local communities in the work from the start can we have any hope that the trees will stay in the ground and not all be cut for firewood as soon as the project ends. The strong roots in the community that we and our partners have will ensure that this project is a success. Wales and Mbale have a long term commitment to work together on this and many other projects which grows deeper every year.”
Gumutindo is a Fairtrade Organic Coffee Cooperative with 10,000 members on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Eastern Uganda. A major impact of climate change within the region of Mbale is the damage caused to organic coffee bushes by increasing temperature and greater intensity of rainfall. A slight rise in temperature dramatically increases the incidence of disease and pest attack. At least one million trees will be raised and planted by local nurseries by Gumutindo and other local partners. Tree species have been selected in order to shelter the developing coffee harvest whilst helping slope stabilisation, improving the soil, increasing the range of marketable crops and decreasing deforestation. A good mixture of trees are being planted and it has been essential to include fast growing varieties suitable for cutting for animal feed and firewood.
The 3 year tree planting is nearly half way through and is on track to meet the target of one million trees in the Mbale area (Gumutindo target: 250,000). Gumutindo has already planted 100,000 seedlings, established 14 nurseries and raised awareness to over 2000 farmers and over 10,000 community members about the positive impact tree planting can make both in the short and long term. Local communities are empowered to take responsibility for their own trees and therefore participate in tree planting and environmental management. Regular meetings between partners have become an invaluable opportunity for the different groups to share with and learn from each other. Both the Welsh Government and the Mbale Anti-Poverty Coalition carry out official reports and evaluations, creating an opportunity for in depth learning which is uncommon in the region.
The project is bringing climate change issues into the everyday conversations of local communities. The Ugandan community has benefited from the widespread Welsh interest and concern, especially the active measures taken to support Mbale on the occasion of recent tragic landslides. The Welsh has an increased awareness of the impacts of climate change and for the Welsh Government it is an important practical demonstration of the way it has embedded sustainable development as its central organising principle. The project has a huge potential to scale up in the future, continuing to raise awareness and capacity building within local communities about the opportunities of tree planting in the context of regional climate change.
For more information on the Wales - Mbale partnership please contact the nrg4SD Secretariat
For more information on nrg4SD's activities at UNFCCC COP17, click here.
