Natural Resource management Programme

 

BIODIVERSITY COMPONENT

Based on the results of a two-year extensive botanical survey across the high forest zone, the Forestry Department has determined areas of high floral diversity using a measure known as Genetic Heat Index. This is an index of the concentration of rare plants within the forest community. These indices have confirmed that some of the forest reserves have biodiversity that is of global significance. These areas have been designated as Special Biological Protection Areas.

The Biodiversity Component will confirm, refine and document these priority areas as Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) within the high forest zone and ensure they are excluded from future timber exploitation. Title to these forest reserves rests with local land holding communities. It is recognised that the establishment of GSBAs involves a loss of revenue and access to forest products to the communities that own the land and depend on it for development revenues and forest products. The Component will establish Community Investment Funds to channel funds from the GEF to the affected communities to assist in the establishment of alternative livelihood options.

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The forest protection measures also designate 5% of each ecological zone as Intact Forest Areas [IFAs] and set aside other areas within forest reserves as Provenance Protection Areas [PPAs] for conservation of Scarlet Star species (prime timber species under threat of economic extinction). NRMP I will undertake baseline studies to refine the criteria for selection of these areas and will demarcate and establish the IFAs and PPAs.

Since the earlier work on forest protection did not consider the small, but very diverse southern dry forests along the coast, this Component will identify, inventory and legally establish these areas as protected forests to be managed on a collaborative basis by the Forestry Department in partnership with local communities.

Since the earlier studies were not able to consider faunal issues, this Component will also initiate faunal surveys in selected forest reserves in order to develop similar protection measures for maintenance of faunal diversity within the forest reserve management system (fine grained and large grained measures).

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BC component will be supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) element of the Natural Resources Management Project Phase 1 . Links will be established with a regional GEF-supported Conservation Priority Setting Process for Upper Guinea Forest Ecosystems in West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana). The priority setting process will be facilitated by Conservation International (C.I) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The goal of this regional exercise is to promote conservation of the Upper Guinea forest ecosystem by providing decision-makers with access to accurate, up to date information on the ecosystem's biotic resources, socio-economic conditions and threats. The priority-setting exercise will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will involve a priority-setting workshop. Phase 2 will involve national level processes to integrate conservation priorities into planning processes. Phase 3 will focus on a regional conference to enable donors to commit to supporting regional and national conservation priorities.
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• Objective of BC
• Sub Components of BC
• Programme Co-ordination and Administration for BC
• Site Preparation and Management Planning for BC Areas
• Research and Monitoring for BC
• Southern Dry Forest Establishment
• Alternative Livelihood Investment Fund
• Key Performance Indicators and Means of Verification for BC
• Forest Reserve Areas to be Addressed by the BC Component

• Programme Co-ordination and Administration for BC

• Site Preparation and Management Planning for BC Areas

• Research and Monitoring for BC

• Southern Dry Forest Establishment

• Alternative Livelihood Investment Fund

• In summary, the successful outcome of this component will be measured by the following key performance indicators and verifiers.
  

• MoU on collaboration in biodiversity conservation ratified by FD and WD and disseminated to all staff. Refer NRMP reports and GEF monitoring mission reports.
  

• Legal establishment of all GSBAs. Refer Gazette Notice to verify establishment.
  

• Research protocols prepared and contracted out to reputable researchers. Refer NRMP quarterly reports.
  

• Southern Dry Forests that are to be permanently protected identified and inventoried. Refer NRMP quarterly reports to verify.
  

• Scope and operating modalities for an Alternative Livelihood Investment Fund agreed with communities, government and the GEF. Refer NRMP progress reports to verify.
  

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