1. Yemen: Photoreport on social forestry

    1. Das Problem der Bewirtschaftung arider Buschwälder 

    2. Strategische Empfehlungen für Umweltprojekte im tribalen Islamischen Raum

    3. Topik - eine archaische Forschungsmethode zur Erschliessung des Gemeinsinns.

  2. Ethiopia: Arba Gugu Mountain-Forests Somaliland's Forestry Potential

  3. Somaliland: Photoreport on Forestry

    1. Forestry and Woodland Management in Somaliland. 

    2. A short overview: Somaliland's Problems.

    3. Background: Environmental, social and political structures.

    4. A modular development programme

  4.  Tajikistan's Forestry Potential

Martin Herzog

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Forestry and Woodland Management in Somaliland

 

Problems, Background, Development Potentials

 

Introduction and Summary of Recommendations

"Descriptions and photographs of the northern part of the Republic at the end of the 19th century, such as those of Major H.G.C. Swayne, record that the country was then park like with anbundant trees and grass. Herds of elephants could be seen roaming or resting in the shade of large trees and the wild ass was then so common and tame that shooting it was no sport. Today (1973, the auth.) the country between Berbera and Hargeisa to which these reports applied is one of the most degraded in the Republic. ... The last elephant died at Hargeisa in 1953 The rhinoceros, lion, greater and lesser Kudu and Swayne's Hartbeest are now extinct, or nearly so, in the region." [1])

This degradation is not only a problem in what concerns wildlife and biodiversity - it is first and above all a threat to the whole nation and its pastoral lifestyle. "The rangelands of Somalia constitute one of the most valuable natural resources of the country. They cover 80% of the land area and the livestock production based upon them provided, in 1978, 80% of the foreign trade earnings." [2])

This problem is understood by the government and many local and international NGOs. CARITAS Somalia took the decision to investigate the problem and have a look at potential solutions. The focus should have been on sustainable (= "commercial") plantations, e.g. fast growing species, alternative resources, methods and ways to plant trees, supporting local NGOs with advice. Potential cooperation with and relations to Ethiopia ("south-south transfer")should be taken into consideration. In addition there was a special mandate on the improvement of the carpentry section (VTC, Hargeisa).

This report will give some more details on above mentioned problems, present the natural and social factors of importance for activities in forestry and present the major topics with proposals for solutions.

The following part summarises the major points concerning each one of the modules. For each module here the main Problem, Recommendation and Comments are summarised:

1: (Fuel-)Wood and Charcoal

Wood is harvested without any restrictions on common lands, that means without any costs for reestablishment. Any plantation will produce wood that is more expensive than wood from common lands that has only to cover costs of harvest, processing (of charcoal), transport and marketing.

A rotation-system for wood harvest, replantation (nursery needed!) and charcoal production has to be developed with the participation of the ministry, the local charcoal associations, committees and elders. Charcoal production areas should be set up in blocks and delimited. Producers should be obliged to use the woodlands carefully, sustainably, that means, to take care for the natural regeneration or for replantations!

Nurseries:

The recommended fast growing species need water!!! That means, they compete with the crops on the farm, with the fodder on the range and with the people for the scarce water! Eucalypts, Prosopis and Parkinsonia, are not estimated at all by the farmers!

Proper testing of species has to be done, not only taking into account the ecological adaptability, but as well the socio-economic acceptability.

"Experimental nurseries" should be established doing species trials - as well as extension. This type of nurseries should be established close to water sources as dams, "balows" and wells (COOPI).

At any rate, forestry projects would have to look at things in a holistic manner, integrating production, distribution, plantation and protection of woodlands. The MLFR should play a coordinating and leading role in this field! especially the collection and import of seeds should be control by a seed-center.

To improve productivity of the nurseries a different approach should be used. Instead of assisting each one of those nurseries with their ridiculously low productivity, the result, the product, the seedlings should/might be contracted, but that again needs plantation projects.

The saving substitution of charcoal is very important and wanted! There are mainly three possibilities to do that:

The main steps or the improvement of stoves and ovens would be:

2: Water, Runoff, Erosion: Watershed Management

For Somalia ‑ RUNOFF - as a loss of water, and the erosion connected to it, is the main problem. Connected to it:

Fodder production is one of the highest priorities in Somaliland!

To approach those closely related problems, several activities, in addition to seedlings production and woodland protection, will be needed. Gullies and small rivers have to be managed to prevent:

a) the waste of water by runoff, and

b) the erosion caused by runoff.

Small dams (baleys and birkas) could produce the water needed for fodder production and tree plantation.

To avoid environmental degradation around water points, the construction of new water points, either surface or borehole, should strictly and only be done in association with grazing management plans for the areas.

The watershed management model COOPI is using at Boroma, is very developed, but as well quite expensive ($ 10,000/ha). As enormous areas have to be treated in Somaliland, some cheaper model will have to be developed.

3: Natural Forests Protection and Management

The traditional idea of drought reserves or the like would have to be expanded, the neglected drought and other reserves will have to be reestablished.

The most important one for forestry is the Golis range at Erigavo, the Daloo forest.

So far no recommendation can be given on the management or the possibility to reestablish the sawmill, as the area could not be visited. The following questions would have to be checked

The relevant literature to be consulted on the subject of Erigavo is:

Moreover the "Somalia Ecological Society" might have some interesting information as well and should be contacted:

As well as:

Cooperation is advisable, is the management of the natural forests of Midagdu (Ethiopia) and of the Golis mountains in Somaliland. Unluckily neither of the two countries does have experience in the management of natural forests.

 4: The development of an Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Culture:

COOPI, at Boroma, is already active in the fields of tree plantation on bounds and dams, live fencing and erosion control.

Wider activities in agro-forestry should be started in the agricultural expansion zones of Hargeisa-Boroma and Erigavo. Before - and better than - tackling large scale projects, grass, hay and silage production should first be tried on a small scale, on farms ‑ together with water harvesting and storing. Water catchment and production have to be improved.

Along wadis a lot of the tall grasses are growing that might be replaced by bamboo, e.g. for  roof construction.

Comments on the Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Culture:

The potential south-south exchange between Ethiopia and Somaliland is limited, as Ethiopia has a long standing tradition in agriculture, while Somaliland is a country of pastoralism, where agriculture is only slowly developing. Moreover, the efforts undertaken in Ethiopia have the aim to introduce soil stabilisation by terracing, contour bounds, plantations, watershed management and more. Those activities are not really part of traditional land use in Ethiopia. A cooperation with Yemeni farmers might be more advisable.

5: Extension:

So far there is no teaching material available for environmental awareness raising or education. For this kind of training the Ministry of planning should be leading, as different Ministries, as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, education and interior are involved.

Recommendations on extension:

Ø The strong  tradition in oral knowledge-exchange will have to be taken into account for any training and extension activities.

Ø The possibility of working with and through the awqaf has to be tested. Extension materials and curricula should be done in cooperation with them.

The recommendations the National Range Agency made in 1980 are still valuable and should be followed:

a) initiating dialogue with the pastoral community whilst collecting sociological data in the area

b) continuing the dialogue  by explaining the objectives of the range development plan

c) producing visual aids and educational material applicable to the range development plan and easily followed by the nomadic communities

d) conducting seminars and workshops in the regions specifically prepared for the conditions of those regions.

d) carrying out regular programmes with mobile cinemas using films, slides, film strips or even video tapes.

Ø To get a better idea on the real needs of women in Somaliland and on their influence on the environment, to enable us to make some reasonable project proposals, including the women, some PRA would be needed as a first approach. For this EC and Oxfam (Environmental Advisor Rosalind David) might - hopefully - cooperate.

 6 Data:

 Data and libraries are lacking. It is very difficult, for foreign experts as well as for locals, to get information. Any assistance in this field would not only help Somaliland, but very much the donor countries themselves when in search of data needed for development projects!

 Final recommendations - The need for a systems approach

 The major problem for projects in Somaliland will be the needed "systems orientation" as well as the time frame.

The National Range Agency put it clearly, already in 1980: "I should like to conclude this introduction by pointing out that range development is, of necessity, a long term exercise dealing with people´s traditional ways and the growth of natural vegetation both of which may be extremely slow to change. ... Traditional ways are hard to change and to raise the educational standards takes generations."

This does not mean, that CARITAS or other involved agencies will have to run projects that cover the whole country and all the fields of activities mentioned in the report, and it does not mean, that projects have to commit themselves for 6-10 years - but it means that any project working in this field will have to be aware of the facts, that forest and range need long term commitments, that "punctual" approaches have little chance. Cooperation with other organisations and projects has to be established - because water, range, woodlands and the communities are strongly interlinked and "interactive". It all happens on the same two-dimensional space -and possibilities for "exclosures" are very limited, because they are themselves disruptive in what concerns the traditional, the nomadic, land-use. Forest, range and water can't be separated - and they are all common!

And it means that agencies have to assist with funds. Pure "advice" is not much valued, neither by government nor by the local NGOs: "We have the expertise, what we need are the funds."