Ghana - Additional Financing for the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project : environmental assessment (Vol. 3 of 9) : Mini strategic management plan for Sissili North forest reserve

 E4503 V3 MINI - STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN SISSILI NORTH FOREST RESERVE: . 2001- 2020 - NAVRONGO FOREST DISTRICT, UPPER EAST REGION 1.0 CURRENT RESOURCE SITUATION 1.1 Name and Location The Sissili North Forest Reserve was named after River Sissili, which borders the Western end of the reserve. It is located within the jurisdiction of the Kassena-Nankana District Assembly. The forest reserve is located within latitudes 10° 45' N and 11001' Nand longitude 1024' Wand 1031' W. It shares common boundary in the north with Ghana- Burkina Faso international border, with Chiana Hills forest reserve along the mid-way of the eastern boundary and with Sissili Central forest reserve along its southern boundary. 1.2 Date of Establishment The forest reserve was established on is" February 1941. 1.3 Area and Perimeter The total area of the forest reserve is 8288 ha with a perimeter of27.7 km. 1.4 _ Forest Ownership and Admitted Right The Sissili North Forest Reserve lies within the Kassena-Nankana Traditional Council. The local chiefs who exercise jurisdiction over the area are Kayoro and Nakong chiefs. Though there is no admitted farm in the reserve, the chief and people of Kayoro have an admitted right over nearly 0.5 ha area within the reserve where their shrine (Kukula) is located, around boundary pillar number one (1) along the Sissili River. ~ 1.5 , Town and Settlements Major The main settlements, which are close to the reserve, are Kayoro located towards the northern part of the reserve and Nakong in the southern portion. 1.6 The Condition of Forest Reserve Boundary The reserve shares common boundary with Chiana Hills Forest Reserve between BP 39- BP 48. All the 77 boundary pillars are in place with the exception ofBP 74 which has broken down.  1.7 Nature afForest and Condition Score The entire Forest reserve is composed of only natural vegetation of Guinea Savanna Woodland. The forest reserve has an area of 8-2.9 krnl- Though the reserve is not degraded, the frequent incidence of bush fires, which has had on adverse effect on the growth of vegetation in some areas especially towards the southern portion of the reserve. Dominant tree species found along the bank of River Sissili and in low lying areas include Khaya senegalensis, Anogeissus ~. Daniella oliveri. Parkia bioglobosa, Vitellaria paradoxum and other commoll savanna species. The forest reserve serves as a watershed area for Sissili River and its tributaries. It also serves as a shelter for a good number of wildlife species and as a faunal corridor for migratory animals from Nazinga Game Reserve in Burkina Faso in the country. Mammals like Loxodonta africana (elephants) and other migratory mammals move from Burkina Faso through Sissili North forest reserve. The Sissili North forest reserve then provides a protective corridor for the animals to either Chi ana Hill forest reserve or Sissili Central forest reserve both of which share common boundaries with it. The' reserve could be categorized into most degraded, less degraded and forested areas. Most Degraded Area: Area around BP 53 - BP - 77 is the most degraded. This is due to its close proximity to Nakong village where bush fires into the reserve normally start. There has also been an overgrazing activity by cattle of Fulani herdsmen over the years. Coupled with these, is the rocky nature of the land, which does not encourage prolific growth, and regeneration of trees. . Less Degraded Area: This area is located between BPs.26-35. The main cause of degradation is due to fire outbreaks. Forested Area: The well-forested Guinea Savanna Woodland vegetation is located between BP.l - 20. One finds if difficult to accept the fact that it is a savanna forest. The nature of this portion may be attributed to the nearness of the well-forested area to the Kukula Shrine. The local population entertains great fear to set fire- near the shrine. , In general the average stocking level of trees in the reserve is estimated to be about 560 stems per hectare, with condition score of three (3). 1.8 Non-Timber Forest Resources \ The Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) found in the reserve include fruits of Gardenia ~., Parkia biglobosa, Vitellaria paradoxa, Lannea acida, Diospyros mespiliformis, Annona senegalensls for food; poles and rafters for building, small timber for tool handles and mortars; as well as medicinal plants. 1.9 Wildlife Resources . The detail information on wildlife species and their populations has not yet been documented. However, direct observation on parrols, as well as information from local hunters indicates that the following animals are present in the reserve: Loxodonta africana (elephant), Kobus defassa (water buck), Hippotragus equinus (roan antelope), Potamochoerus porcus (bush pig), Lepus carpensis (hare), Heliosciurus ~., Funiscium ~. (tree squirrels) and Cricetonys gambianus (giant rats), Python sebae, Irancclinus snn. (bush fowls), Falconidae (hawks, falcons, kites), etc. 1.1 0 Factors Affecting the Resource 2 1.10.1 Human Activities 3 Population increase in Nakong, and existing trade in firewood has brought in its wake pilfering of wood from the southern portion of the reserve. The local population in most cases, to meet their domestic demands, cuts poles, rafters and firewood. 4 1.10.2 Annual Bush Fires 5 Annual grass fires, which occur late in the dry season cause considerable damage. The late fires kill off young regeneration of woody vegetation and scorch stems and branches of older trees resulting in stunted growth, bad shape and sometimes making them susceptible to insects attack. 6 Many plants are normally in flowers when these fires occur and their seeds are therefore lost. Habitats of fauna in the reserve are lost. Some of their young ones are destroyed and those who survive are easily hunted on. 7 1.10.3 Animal Damage 8 Damage caused by wild animals, especially elephants, within and without the reserve during harvesting seasons are sometimes quite alarming, especially in the northern part of the reserve. Grazing activities of large herds of cattle owned by Fulanis towards the southern portion of the reserve is assuming an alarming proportion if the practice is not checked. 9 2.0 ZONATION 10 The Sissili North Forest Reserve is being managed as a protection working area as determined by the Regional and District Forestry Offices. There is no plantation in the reserve. The reserve is therefore considered as a watershed area for River Sissili and its tributaries, as well as a fauna protection area especially the northern around Kayoro • t 11 commumty. , 12 The Kayoro community in collaboration with Global Environmental Facility (an NGO) 13 has initiated a project to protect the wildlife in the reserve. This initiative, which took off last year, is meant to enhance biodiversity conservation in the area. 14 Table of Zone: 15 ZONE AREA (HA.) REMARKS Protection Working area 8288 Natural Forest comprising of watershed and fauna protection area. Total 8288 16 3.0 WHAT THE ZONE WILL BE MANAGED FOR 17 3.1 Management Objectives: 18 The broad management objectivesof the reserve are as follows:- 1. To protect headwaters of streams and catchment area of River Sissili; and also to protect the wildlife population in the reserve from poachers (hunters); 11. To prevent erosion on hillsides. 111. Ensure supply of forest produce to the Kayoro and Nakong communities. 3.2 Management Strategies 1. Boundary Maintenance: Forest Guards and the people ofNakong and Kayoro communities will maintain the forest reserve boundary. Missing and removed boundary pillars will be replaced and the defaced and broken ones maintained through the plan period in order to maintain the integrity of the reserve boundary. Check survey of boundary will also be undertaken to establish the true perimeter of the forest reserve external boundary. -u, Rehabilitation Degraded Area: All degraded and denuded areas within the reserve including watershed areas will be identified and demarcated for planting. 111. Fauna Protection: Wildlife in the forest reserve will be protected from poaching by hunter through collaborative bio-diversity programme initiated by Global Environmental Facility (an NGO) and the Kayoro community. Protection: The Forest Services Division in collaboration with Ghana National Fire Service, IV. Fire Kayoro and Nakong communities, and Global Environment Facility will work out modalities to exclude fire belt, fire prevention and control, strategies, training and retraining of community fire volunteers as well as organization of community durbar on maintenance on maintenance of fire- free environment. It is hoped that complete fire protection would be achieved by 2015. v. Encroachments: Collaborative forest management committees will be formed to f detect and report on pilfering, squatting, illegal farming Fulani herdsmen, poisoning o-f River for fish and illegal commercial wood harvesting. , VI. NTFP and Community Interest: Community Resource Assessment team will be formed to collect information on NTFP's concerning their distribution, frequency, seasonality, location, availability and extent of their exploitation to determine their levels of sustainability for domestic use. Possibility of domestication and cultivation of some NTFP by user-groups will also be considered. X11. Exploitation: Cutting/harvesting of live trees will not be allowed in the protection working area during the period of this plan. The collection of deadwood, grasses and fruits by the local population will be allowed throughout the area, with prior approval from the District Forestry Office. 4.0 IN WHOSE INTEREST WILL THESE BE MANAGED The categories of beneficiaries include: - a. Central Government: Benefits to Central Government include:- 1. Revenue generation. ll. Source of employment to cross-section of the population. 111. Maintenance of environmental quality. 1 v. Provision of resources for infrastructural development. b. District Assembly: Benefits to Kassena-Nankana District Assembly are as follows:- 1. Revenue (levies) from wood dealers. 11. Provision of forest products e.g. poles for local development. ill. Provision of environmental quality to forestal environmental degradation with its attendant disasters. c. Chief and Traditional Leaders: Benefits include: - 1. Source income. 11. Cultural and religious benefits. d. Forest 'Fringe Communities (Kayoro and Nakong): Benefits include: - 1. Source of income from community boundary maintenance contracts, eco-tourism, and other collaborative activities like fire protection, etc.; 2. Communal.rights 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 , foot paths in forest reserve, collect edible fruits, herbaceous maintain existing medicinal plants and termites, as well as cutting of grass for mat-making and roofing Table 2: Communal Rights Admitted (~ource: Reserve Settlement Committee Report) NATURE OF RIGHT EXTENT OF RIGHT PERSONS PERMITTED TO EXERCISE RIGHT 1. - Right to collect deadfall for firewood. - Right to grass for mat making and roofing. Inhabitants of Kassena- . - Right to collect edible Nankana Local Council Area fruits and herbs and Unrestricted and people from Kayoro and leaves for medicinal Nakong communities. purposes. - Right to collect tie-tie. - Right to maintain existing footpaths.  ~ Right to graze and water Subject to control by -do- cattle forest officer Unrestricted except in the months of 3. Right to collect honey October, November -do- and December 4. Right to collect sticks for F or personal and tools handles and family use only -do- household implements Free on permit at the discretion of the forest officer and it is 5. Right to cut rafters and subject to any future -do- poles for building agreement between t the people and 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 the forest resources. 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 Assembly area. 1. Monitoring the condition and extent of forest resources and provision of accurate and timely forest data (information) to aid decision-making; Pursuance of collaborati:ve forest management practices with local communities in the protection of the forest resources 111. Controlling monitoring the harvesting of all forest products; IV. > Creation of enabling environment for effective community afforestation project. b. Kassena-Nankana District Assembly: The District Assembly will be responsible for:- 1. Enactment and enforcement of environmental bye-laws in the Kassena-Nankana District; 2. Assisting in writing forestry component of 5-year District medium term development plan; 111.Assist in creating awareness on environmental management and protection; IV. Provision of funds for afforestation programmes in the communities. c-, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders of Kayoro and Nakong: The chiefs and traditional leaders in the various 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 (especially getting rid of Fulani herdsmen within and without the Sissili North forest reserve); 111. Ensuring availability of land for community afforestation programmes. d. Kayoro and Nakong Communities: The above-mentioned communities located on the fringe of Sissili North forest reserve will have the responsibility for:- 1. Embracing fIre- free environmental concept; 11. Active involvement in activities of collaborative forest management resource management plans, etc.; 12. Involvement in community boundary maintenance contract (CBMC) and reporting of forest offences and possibly causing arrest of offenders. e. Fuelwood Dealers and Wood Processors: These categories of stakeholders will also be responsible for:- 1. Strict adherence to rules and regulation guiding the resource harvesting, transporting and marketing; 11. Showing respect for community rights, cultural rules and local infrastructure; 111. Making prompt payment of all charges and fees concerning their operation f. Hunters and Fishermen: They will be required to adhere to rules and regulation guiding the rightfuland sustainable use of the resource. 1. Permit acquisition; 11. Observance of close season (no hunting from 1 st August to 1 st December each year); 12. Avoidance of use of poisonous substances for fishing and hunting; and also fire for hunting. 6.0 HOW GOALS OF MANAGEMENT WILL BE ACHIEVED As early discussed, the entire Sissili North Forest Reserve is placed under protection management strategy. In order to achieve the goals of management wet within the time frame of 200 1 - 2020 plan period the following activities ought to be embarked on. -l~ Boundary maintenance: The cleaning, planting and patrolling of boundary lines will be jointly carried out by Forest Guards and local population under community boundary maintenance contract. However it is anticipated that maintenance of forest reserve boundaries will be gradually and systematically ceded to the fringe communities (Kayoro and Nakong) to enhance community participation in forest protection. 11. Fire Protection: This plan seeks to achieve fore-free environment within the forest and adjoining off reserve by 2020. Intensive education would be embarked on and complete by 2004 in Kayoro and Nakong communities. Training and retraining of community fire volunteers in collaboration with Ghana National Fire Service by carried out to build the communities fore control and prevention capacity. Fire belt will be constructed around the reserve with the support of Forest fringe communities to reduce fore risk extending from outside forest reserve. ~ 111. Sustainable Production ofN.T.F.P for Domestic Use: It is supposed that perpetual. flow ofN.T.F.P supply for domestic need would be ensured by 2020 without , sacrificing the integrity of the forest resource. This would be achieved through consultation with communities on their N.T.F.P requirement and usufructuary rights in the reserve, formation of community resource assessment team to collect information on level, distribution and state of N.T.F.P's in the reserve and establish level to be harvested for specific period. IV. Control ofFulani Herdsmen: Forest Services Division staff in close collaboration with the chiefs, local communities and District Assembly will map out strategies to flush out Fulani herdsmen who annually graze their cattle and lop trees for fodder to feed their herds of cattle in the forest reserve. Effective control of these Fulani herdsmen could be achieved through enactment and enforcement of District Assembly environmental byelaws, joint patrols of Forest Guards and the selected members of the local community to flush out Fulani herdsmen from the reserve: This activity would be carried out yearly till 2020. Rehabilitation of Degraded Area: Degraded areas within the reserve including watershed would, be identified, surveyed and planted by 2018 through the following activities: - 1. Conduction of survey of degraded areas using contract from Kayoro and Nakong communities; 2. Encouraging and assisting Kayoro and Nakong communities to establish community tree nursery; Ill. Implementationof planting schedule in collaboration with communities; IV. Jointmanagement of planted areas with communities and Forest Services Division staff. VI. Biodiversity Conservation: Global Environmental Facility, an N.G.O. working in collaborating with the hunting community in Kayoro is designing income- generating activities to disengage the hunter from hunting activities. The community, in turn, is expected to form Wildlife Association to protect wildlife in the forest reserve, prevent and control bush fires, detect and report on poaching, poisoning of rivers and other forms of encroachment. The ultimate goal is to conserve wildlife and protect their habitats ( flora) within the Sissili North Forest reserve for eco-tourism to enhance income generation among the people of Kayoro by 2010. , 7.0 INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT 7.1 Building The junior staff quarter at Chiana range must be renovated. Two Forest Guards posts have r' to be put up at Kayoro and Nakong to house the Forest Guards in-charge of the forest reserve. , 7.2 Communication and Transportation The Sissili North Forest reserve could be reached by road. At least the southern portion is accessible by Chuchuliga- Tumu road, which passes through the reserve. It is nearly 36 kilometers from Navrongo. The Northern portion cannot be reached by road. One has to use a footpath of 10 kilometer or even more from Kayoro before getting access into the reserve. 8.0 REVENUE GENERATION The reserve does not generate any revenue. It is hoped that when the eco- tourism potential of the area is developed, part of the accrued revenue will be enjoyed by the Forest Services Division