A participant transplanting a pine tree seedling.

The project site is on Muni hill, adjacent to River Asa, a permanent river and tributary of River Nile. It provides water for households, livestock, and agriculture to communities around it. Unfortunately, the ecological integrity of the river is compromised. There is heavy siltation and land degradation on the river bank due to land encroachment and excessive deforestation. Without sufficient restoration, the hydro-ecological and socio-economic values of this landscape will rapidly disappear.

Specifically, the project will: 1) restore degraded landscapes and ecosystems through promotion and conservation of suitable and endangered tree species with a focus on Khaya sp., Cacia sp., Albizia sp., and other indigenous tree species; 2) Address socio-economic issues in landscape management, natural resource conservation, and agriculture through development of behavioural change strategies; and 3) Determine the influence of the restored landscape and ecosystem on water quality and on the composition and abundance of biodiversity in the Muni landscape.

Data obtained will be used for establishing benchmarks and establishing performance monitoring systems in natural resource (NR) governance. These will ensure sustainable management and utilisation of NR along the Nile basin. A centrepiece of the study will be education and training of communities to derive benefits from NR while practicing conserving. This will create awareness, enable communities to acquire skills needed to achieve sustainable NR management, and contribute to long-term poverty alleviation to ensure food security and climate change adaptation. Also, a healthy and restored landscape of the Muni and River Asa ecosystem will be capable of generating alternative livelihoods, such as ecotourism, aquaculture, and irrigation for the surrounding community and Muni University.

Moreover, the successful implementation of the project will contribute to CO2 sequestration, which will have a long-term impact in mitigating climate change. In addition, the findings will be published as reports and publications to inform planning, decision-making, and implementation of policy reforms on NR governance and conservation.