Community-led Forest Management

Trees 4 Livelihoods, a 4 year project supported by the Big Lottery Fund, is continuing to make progress in Mali.

Community leaders at a workshop

An important issue for the local communities is their declining access to the Koubaye forest due to unsustainable management leading to the felling of trees.

This is a long standing problem and attempts have been previously made by other authorities to produce an environmental plan which has not been adopted. However this issue was too important not to tackle, so project partners, Sahel Eco, have focussed on a more inclusive management approach involving the local communities who use the forest.

Training sessions on the forest code have been delivered to charcoal burners, woodcutters, animal herders, non-tree forest produce dealers, community leaders and elected municipal representatives. Intended to encourage sustainable agricultural practices and access to forest resources, the training looked at woodland operations, marketing of forest produce, protected species and the decentralised management of forest resources.

Further training followed for 22 livestock owners and 35 woodland operators including 12 women, on the laws constituting the pastoral charter for the Republic of Mali. These laws set out the principles of pastoralism including sustainable development, right of access to resources, management of conflicts and protection of pastoral spaces among other issues.

The next step is to develop a new management plan for the Koubaye Forest that ensures conservation and fair access to and sustainable use of forest resources by the different user groups.

We will catch up with the project at the end of its second year.

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