Ghana - Additional Financing for the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project : environmental assessment (Vol. 4 of 9) : Mini strategic management plan for Bepona forest reserve

 E4503 V4 MINI-STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR BEPONA FOREST RESERVE 2001-2020 NAVRONGO FOREST DISTRICT 1.0 CURRENT RESOURCE SITUATION 1.1 Name and Location The name Bepona is compounded from the names of rivers running through the forest reserve; River Bonaponi and River Belipieni. It is one of the seven (7) forest reserves in Builsa District which form the Builsa Working Plan Area. Within the Navrongo Forest District of Upper East Region, the reserve lies between the Longitude 1° 16' Wand 1° 26' Wand the Latitudes 1 0° 43' Nand 10° 50' N. l.2 Date of Establishment The reserve was established on 1 February 1951. 1.3 Area and Perimeter The reserve encompasses an area of 6175 ha with a perimeter of 47.7 krn. Forest Ownership and Admitted Far It appears that the area lies within the jurisdiction of Builsa and Kassena-Nankana Native Authorities. The exact position of the boundaries between these two Native Authorities has never been defined. See pp 433-4, 437 and 440 of the Laws of Gold Coast V.1: III, 1939) Sub-ordinate Native Authorities involved in this area are:- BUILSA NATIVE AUTHORITY: Siniesi-Nab and his Council. Also involved are a number of sections, which serve the Sandema-Nab directly. Among these are Kandem, Longsa and Kalibisa. KASSENA-NANKANA NATIVE AUTHORITY: The Native Authorities involved here include:- 1. Nakonna-Pio and his Council; 11. Ketiu Pio and his Council; 111. Chiana Pio and his Council. There are no admitted farms in the reserve. 1.5 Condition of Boundary Pillars All the boundary pillars are in place with the exception of BP .1. l.6 Natural Forest and Condition Score The reserve falls within the Guinea Savanna Woodland Zone as classified by C. J. Taylor (1960). Trees with short branching and shrubs with dense undergrowth of tall grasses characterize the vegetation. ' In most places, the heights of the trees are below 20 metres and diameters less than 50 em at breast height. The tree density here is around 670 - 700 stems per hectare and about 70% of the tree population consists ofVetelaria paradoxum, Terrninalia ~., Acacia senegal, Bymenocardia acida, Anogeissus ~., Combretum~. and Piliostigma thoningii. However some area has diameter range of trees falling within 15 ern. - 30 ern. The reserve is not degraded. General condition score at most places is 3 with few areas around 4. l.7 Non- Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) These include fruits of trees like Shea, Baobab, Dawadawa. Large volume of nutritious grass for cattle; wild honey and medicinal plants for use by the local population. Firewood and poles of Anogeissus, Burkea, Afzelia and Detarium are also found in the reserve. 1.8 Wildlife Resources Cephalophus~. (duikers), Heliosciurus ~., Funisciurus ~., etc. (tree squirrels), Kobus kob (kob), Kobus defassa (water buck), Phacochoerus aethipicus (warthong), Cercopithecus aethiops (green monkey) Viverra civetta (African civet), Python sebae, Francolinus~. (bush fowls) etc. This information was gathered from forest guards and local hunters. 1.9 Factors Affecting the Forest Reserve 1. Grazing: Grazing activity of stray cattle is prevalent due to availability of nutritious grass and water from rivers, which flow through the reserve. This activity has both positive and negative effect on the reserve. b. The continuous grazing reduces build-up of fuel from dries grasses and as a result reduces fire risks in dry seasons; c. Grazing livestock cause some destruction to natural regeneration, though the effect is not so serious as the area is free from encroachment of man coupled with its prolific tree cover; 11. Wildfires: Wildfires sometimes sweep through some portion of the reserve, however the extent of destruction has not been so severe due to grazing activities of cattle, and the fire resistant nature of the tree species. Increased fire patrols by forest Guards have also been a check on rampant bushfires. 2.0 RESOURCE ZONATION The resource is classified as protection working cycle for management purposes on agreement reached between the Regional and the District Forestry Offices. T ABLE OF ZONE Table I ZONE AREA REMARKS Protection Working Area 6,1275 ha. Natural forest including watershed area. - Total Area 6,1275 ha Please see attached Zonation Map. 3.0 WHAT THE ZONE WILL BE MANAGED FOR 3.1 Broad management Objective of the Reserve The board management objectives are as follows:- 1.Protect Headwaters of streams; 11. To prevent erosion on hill sides; 111. Ensure sustainable supply of forest produce to the surrounding population. 3.2 Protection Working Area a. Specific Management Objective: The objective for the protection working area include:- 1. Protection of existing vegetation in order to check erosion and assisting in raising the water table; 2. Provision of barrier to dry north-east harmattan winds, insulation and other harsh physical environmental factors; 3. Provision of some NTFPs on sustainable basis for domestic use by fringe communities. b. Management Strategies 1. Boundary Maintenance: The forest reserve boundary of 47.7 km will be cleaned, planted and patrolled to enhance protection and forestall encroachment; 11. Fire Protection: Kandem, Kalibisa and Longsa communities in Builsa District, as well as Nakong and Ketiu in Kassena-Nankana District would be educated and encouraged to embrace fire-free environment concept; their involvement will be solicited in the practise of early burning in fire hazards areas, physical fire fighting through the formation of fire volunteers and in organising training and educational durbars. 12. Encroachment: Collaborative Forest Management Committees will be formed to detect and report pilfering, squatting, illegal farming, poisoning of river for fish and illegal commercial wood harvesting. IV. NTFP and Community Interest: Community Resource Assessment Team will be formed to collect information on NTFPs distribution, frequency, seasonality, location, availability and extent of their exploitation for domestic use. Possibility of domestication and cultivation of some NTFP by user groups will also be considered. No live tree will be allowed to be cut from the protection working area during the period of this plan. The collection of dead wood, grasses and fruits by the local population will be allowed throughout the area. v. Compartment Demarcation and Stock Assessment: Currently, there are no records on compartments within the reserve. The reserve will be demarcated into 128- hectare compartments and compartment pillars will be erected. Assessment of compartments will then be carried out to know the stock of the resource (NTFP) to determine sustainable level of collection/extraction for use by the local population. 4.0 IN WHOSE INTEREST WILL THEE BE MANAGED The categories of beneficiaries include:- a. Central Government: Benefits to Central Government include:- 1. Revenue generation; 11. Source of employment to cross-section of the population; lll. Maintenance of environmental quality; IV. Provision of resources for infrastructural development. b. Builsa and Kassena-Nankana District Assemblies: Benefits to District Assemblies are as follows:- 1. Revenue (levies) from wood dealers; 11. Provision of forest products, e.g., poles for local development; lll. Provision of environmental quality to forestall environmental degradation with its attendant disasters. 1. c. Chiefs and Traditional Leaders: Benefits include:- 1. Source income; 11. Cultural and religious benefits; 111. Access to forest products for domestic and communal use. d. Forest Fringe Communities: Benefits include: - 2. Source of income from community boundary maintenance contracts and other collaborative activities like fire protection, etc. 3. Communal right and responsibilities such as right to fish on permit, right to hunt and harvest honey on permit, right to controlled watering and grazing, right to maintain existing footpaths in forest reserve, collect edible fruits, herbaceous medicinal plants and termites as well as cutting of grass for mat-making and roofing as indicated in table 2 below:- T ABLE II: Communal Rights Admitted (Source: Reserve Settlement Committee Report) NA TURE OF RIGHT EXTENT OF PERSONS PERMITTED RIGHT TO EXERCISE RIGHT l. - Right to collect dead fall for firewood; - Right to cut grass for mat making and roofing; Natives ofBuilsa and - Right to collect edible fruits and Unrestricted Kassena-Nankana local herbs and leaves for medicinal areas, around the forest purposes; reserve. - Right to collect tie-tie; - Right to maintain existing . footpaths. Subject to control 2. Right to graze and water cattle. by Forest Officer - do - Unrestricted except in the months of '"l .:l. Right to collect honey. October, November - do - and December. 4. Right to collect sticks for tools For personal and handles and household implements. family use only - do - Free on permit at the discretion of the 5. Right to cut rafters and poles for Forest Officer and building. it is subject to any - do - future agreement between the people 1. Iand Government. 5.0 BY WHO WILL THESE BE MANAGED All beneficiaries of the resources will as well have some responsibility for ensuring sustainable management. of them. a. Forest Services Division: Forest Services Division as Central Government Agency primarily responsible for the forest resources will continue to ensure conservation and sustainable management of the resources for the maintenance of environmental quality and socio-economic development of the District Assemblies areas. These will be achieved through:- 2. Monitoring the condition and extent of forest resources and provision of accurate and timely forest data (information) to aid decision-making; II. Re-establishing domestic use rights for resource owning communities and ensuring that they receive a fair share of forest revenues where appropriate and related benefits in timely and sustainable manner, as well as consulting fully with them in demarcation of community reserves and adoption of reserve management plans;  111. Pursuance of collaborative forest management practices with local communities in the protection ofthe forest resources; IV. Controlling and monitoring the harvesting of all forest products; V. Creation of enabling environment for effective community afforestation project. b. Builsa and Kassena-Nankana District Assemblies: The District Assemblies will be responsible for:- 1. Enactment of environmental bye-laws and ensure compliance on the local folks; II. Assisting in writing forestry component of 5-year District Medium-Term Development Plan; 111. Assist in creating awareness on environmental management and protection by the use of sanitation and environmental sub-committee of the District Assemblies; IV. Provision of funds for afforestation programmes in the communities. c. Chiefs and Traditional Leaders: The chiefs and traditional leaders in communities will have the responsibility for:- 1. Mobilization of community members for execution of planned forest activities; 11. Enforcement of community decisions and traditional laws on environmental management and protection; 111. Ensuring availability of land for community afforestation programmes. d. Fringe Communities: Those communities around the forest reserve will have the responsibility for:- 1. Embracing fire-free environmental concept; 11. Active involvement in activities of collaborative forest management committee in areas of tree nursery production, planting and protection, resource management plans, etc.; 12. Involvement in Community Boundary Maintenance Contract (CBMC), detection and reporting of forest offices and possibly causing arrest of offenders; . e. Fuelwood Dealers and Wood Processors: These categories of stakeholders will also be responsible for:- I. Strict adherence to rules and regulations guiding the resource harvesting, transporting and marketing; 11 Showing respect for community rights, cultural rules and local infrastructure; Ill. Making prompt payment of all charges and fees concerning their operations. f. Hunters and Fishermen: They will be required to adhere to rules and regulations guiding the rightful and sustainable use of the resource. These include:- I. Permit acquisition; 11 Observance of close season; 111. Avoidance of use of poisonous substances for fishing and hunting; and also fire for hunting. 6.0 HOW GOALS OF MANAGEMENT WILL BE ACHIEVED PROTECTION WORKING AREA OUTPUT I  47.7 km of external boundary of Bepona forest reserve maintained twice a year till 2020. Activities I. Clean and patrol 47.7 km of boundary twice a year and carry out boundary planting on contract by collaborating communities and Forest Guards; II. Inspect 47.7 km of external boundary twice by Forest Services Division Range Supervisor responsible for the forest reserve; 111. Check survey reserve boundary by 2005. OUTPUT II Fire-free environment achieved in the protected area by 2020. Activities 1. Embark on and complete extensive fire education in all fringe communities by 2004; II. Select and train fire volunteers in forest communities to combat wildfires in collaboration with Ghana National Fire Service; 111. Create and maintain fire traces around the area with the support of forest fringe communities; IV. Form collaborative forest management committees to enhance community level participation in forest management. OUTPUT III Perpetual flow ofNTFP supply for domestic need of communities ensured and integrity of the forest resource maintained by 2020. Activities I. Consult communities on their NTFP needs and usufructuary rights in the reserve; 11. Form community resource assessment team to collect information on NTFPs in the reserve; ,' 111. Encourage and assist user-groups to domesticate and cultivate NTFP where possible. 7.0 INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT 7.1 Buildings There are no Forest Guard quarters near the reserve. The Forest Guards in-charge of the beats of the reserve rent accommodation in the nearby settlements. 7.2 Communication The reserve is not accessibly by road. Footpaths pass through from Sandema to Ketiu; and Sandema to Nakong. The Sandema-Chiana main path passes within 1.6 km of the eastern boundary. Distances from the reserve to motor road: - Sandema 5.6 kilometres; Chiana 4.8 kilometres; Ketiu 3.2 kilometres; Nakong 3.2 kilometres 8.0 REVENUE GENERATION The object of the reserve is to protect sources of streams which flow through the area. It is therefore anticipated that no exploitation would be carries out in view of revenue.