Can forests save our water?
Another great way forward towards Improved Ecosystem Functionality – An implementation of the forest and landscape restoration
Under FAO's Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded "Life and Nature" project, a joint force of national and sub-national government officials, local authorities, watershed management committees, community members, forestry officers, monks, rangers, teachers and students was mobilized for tree planting ceremonies across micro-watersheds in the four provinces of Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, and Ratanakiri. Learn more about the FAO-GEF partnership here.
The event was supported by the Life and Nature project, the Provincial Department of Environment (PDE) within the four provinces, Forestry Administration Triage officers and Commune Councils at the commune level. A total of close to 80.000 bamboo and tree seedlings were planted on more than 119 hectares of degraded deciduous forest lands.
The joint force was mobilized through tree planting ceremonies conducted on the first week of October. Tree planting is one of the significant activities of forest and landscape restoration conducted in the four targeted areas, aiming at restoring damaged watershed ecosystem and functions, improving water supply and enhancing forest productivity for the future supply of non-forest (wild fruits and vegetables like bamboo sprouts and mushrooms, and medicinal plants, to name a few) and forest products for local communities. Moreover, it also contributes to alerting community members about community-based forest management, training them in planting and maintaining procedures and strengthening the effectiveness of Forestry and Protected Area law enforcement.
The selected sites for 2018 implementation of this tree planting were Srae Krasang community forestry (CF) and Anlong Kranh Community Protected Area (CPA) of Kampong Thom province, Chang Kran Roy Community Forestry (CF) of Siem Reap province, Pou Mek Boun Community Forestry (CF) and Pou Reang Community Protected Area (CPA) of Preah Vihear province, and riparian buffer zone along Ou Kham Pha stream in Sanh and Ke Kuong villages of Rattanakiri province.
The seedlings of native tree species were strategically selected based on different physical and ecological situations, and micro-climate of the selected sites for forest and landscape restoration after being studied carefully by experts from project, PDEs, FA triage, as well as community members. Consequently, mixed species of nitrogen fixing tree, fast growth trees and fire-tolerant trees suitable with such the degraded deciduous forest were identified. They are indeed able to withstand, survive and grow well under conditions of poor soil, fire-prone landscape, stress micro-climate and grass colony. The growth of these tree species will kill (shade out) grasses over the next three to four years and help assist the natural regeneration of other native tree species to survive and grow faster.
Besides restoration of upland forest, the Life and Nature project also helped restore river edge buffer zones by planting riparian plants, bamboo and fruit trees along stream banks to buffer and slow flood peaks, prevent soil erosion, improve groundwater recharge and water quality, as well as restoring fish habitat for breeding and spawning, and increasing community access to wild vegetables.
The forest and landscape restoration plans were developed in consultation with the local authorities, Watershed Management Committee (WSMC), CF and CPA management committees and members, and the concerned government departments (PDE) as well as Forestry Administration Cantonments (FAC). As a result, local communities agreed to support the implementation of the plan voluntarily and participated in the whole process of the forest restoration for the sake of their next generations.
H.E. Huon Vanith, Deputy Governor of Kampong Thom province, who presided over the tree planting ceremony on October 2, 2018, at Anlong Kranh’s CPA, stated: “I strongly appreciate the great effort and collaboration between the FAO’s Life and Nature team and the PDE in putting in place this significant action to restore the degraded forest. It will contribute to the sustainability of food security, livelihood and well-being of the community people, which is one of the objectives to be achieved by the Ministry of Environment (MoE), as well as the Kingdom of Cambodia as stated in its policy frameworks.”
He further added: “the tree planting ceremony is a platform to cultivate a strong commitment, affection, and strength among community people as well as other relevant stakeholders to protect the natural resources to further support many lives, human and animals, and biodiversity enhancement. Forest will also reduce vulnerabilities caused by climate change impacts.”
Mr. Chan Thel, 58, member of the WSMC of Kampong Thom province, who gains benefits from this CPA commented with a smile: “I firmly believe that my efforts today into this forest and landscape restoration with the tree planting will pay off. I am doing it today with the expectation that my children and people in the next generations will access non-timber products for food and income, some other forest products for house construction. I also hope that they will get to know rare tree species that have already disappeared,” and added that “such restoration could be a great example for other communities across Cambodia to replicate, as it is very useful for our livelihoods as farmers.”
Similar reactions in Anlong Kranh CPA, where the tree planting ceremony was organized at Chang Kran Roy Community Forestry, in Siem Reap province. This particular Community Forest supports the livelihoods of hundreds of smallholder famers living in eleven villages of five communes. Ms. Chheun Sokdy, 44, is a Chang Kran Roy’s CF chief. She is managing the community forest, focusing on strengthening the CF management committee, the sustainable use of forest and non-forest products, and the control of illegal forest activities. “I am totally happy to see the tree planting happening in my community today. It is great to see people from different levels, from provincial governor, government officials, rangers, monks, youths to community members collectively come onboard to restore our degraded forest.”
When asked what does forest and landscape restoration mean to her? Sokdy quickly answered “it is about restoration of ecosystem services that will generate both economic and social benefits for us. The tree planting today as part of the forest and landscape restoration, together with the construction of small-scale cascade dams under support of the project, potentially leads to improved groundwater recharge and regularity of weather pattern.” She continued with an example: “in recent years, some of local people living in the commune faced shortage of water during the dry, hot season, even though they dug wells as deep as 70 meters. And I think the action today will help them access enough ground water to cover their needs in the coming years.”
A 19 years old youth, Ang Navy, also participated in the tree planting in Lvea Krang commune. With her smiling face, she said “I did not know Kranhoung (Dalbergia cochinchinensis, known as Siamese rosewood) or Angkanh (Cassia siamea, or yellow cassia) looks like before, as we could not find them anymore in the forest. Now I see and know these species seedlings and many others. I am waiting to see them grow up in this community forest so that the next generations will also know these precious trees of Cambodia.”
In 2017 and 2018, FAO's Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded "Life and Nature" project supported the CF and CPA forest protection efforts and tree planting within its targeted areas, covering more than 140 hectare of degraded deciduous forest lands, with a total of around 90.000 tree seedlings. This action will be pursued at a wider scale in the upcoming years with continued training of communities and commune-level stakeholders in the planning and implementation of local forest land restoration and protection.