ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION AND NATURLA RESOURCES MANGMENT
PC in partnership with EU Civil Society Fund II is undertaking a project called Pastoralist and Agro-pastoralist Natural Resource Management Livelihood Initiative Project (PANRMLI) in Five Woredas of Oromiya and Somali Regional States of Ethiopia namely; Filtu, Deka-suftu, Tuliguled, Kebribeyah and Goro-dola respectively. The main objective of this project is to regenerate the native environment & create sustainable livelihood opportunities for women and youth in previously over-exploited & deforested areas of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in Somali & Oromia regions.
The project has three complementing components; Indigenous tree plantation, promotion of efficient energy such as stove technology and mud-block for environmentally friendly construction. The main purpose is to draw attention to the impacts of the climate change and encourage pastoralist communities to protect the natural resource and the environment effectively. And accordingly, PC has established 2 nursery sites and distributed hand tools to tree planting beneficiaries, school clubs and others where more than 45,000 (Moringa and Luciniea) seedlings were also distributed and planted at community, household & different institutional levels. PC and its partners (OWDA &DUBAF) conducted 23 CC sessions using developed environmental CC manual with local languages of Somali and Oromifa benefiting 690 community members as part of sensitization and awareness meetings on the impacts of climate change conducted at Kebele level in order to strengthen the resilience of the pastoralist community. Besides, PC participated in World Environmental Day celebrated on June 5, every year nationally and internationally.
PC has been recognized its contribution towards environmental protection and awarded Green Award Certificate by Ethiopian Somali Regional State Environmental Protection, Forest, Mining and Development Agency Bureau in Jigjiga. PC hired consultant to conduct study on fuel saving stove efficient production system, production equipment, tools, cost effectiveness, economic feasibility, human resource deployment (producer groups number in a center) and four cooperatives that will produce stove as part of the charcoal production reduction and environmental conservation efforts were established in the target Woredas where training on stove production was provided to 120 cooperative members and started the production of fuel saving stoves which is cheap and simple for producers and sold in fair prices for the end users and this stove approximately can save consumption of domestic use of fuel wood up to 45%.
Four mud-block machines were procured, transported and installed at Harakalo and Jidola centers by professional consultant who coached the youth on how to install the mud block machines . Two shades have been constructed in Harakalo town where the youth already started producing soil block in shades. This reduces the pressure from the forest in the environment by introducing mud-block from locally available soil and material, empowering the youth and women economically in the agro-pastoralist area living in the Goro-dola Woreda.
and last but not least the tree plantations enabled the environment to regenerate and minimize the negative impacts of climate change effects in the target Woredas.
The target community members are also currently generating income from sell of moringa plants. Furthermore, SIPED-II project is funded by USAID through PACT Ethiopia and implemented in Dheka-suftu and Liben Woredas in Ethiopian Somali Regional State and Oromia National Regional State respectively. The project aims of improving environment for sustainable development. SIPED-II is being implemented in support of and with the leadership of the Ministry of Federal and Pastoral Development Affairs (MoFPDA). The project has two subcomponents: 1) improving the quality of service delivery through effective civic- government engagement and 2) improving natural resource management and governance through the implementation of participatory natural resource management processes.
Major Accomplishment
Pastoralist Concern had participated in the project launching workshop held at Jigjiga town organized by PACT in order to familiarize the project component and sub components which is improving the natural resource management and governance, to be implemented three woredas of Ethiopian Somali Regional State (Dheka-Suftu, Gursum and Meisso). As part of inception stages of the project, capacity building trainings had been provided to all the project staffs taking various trainings such as natural resource management, engagement barometer, climate resilience green economy and monitoring and evaluation, reporting and learning effectively. It is expected that the trained staffs will contribute to the project implementation accordingly.