Burkina-Environment-reforestation:
A women’s association reforests Gogo to counter desertification
Gogo, August 14, 2022 (AIB) – The women’s association Sol Vert planted 1,000 plants of local species on Thursday in Gogo (Zoundwéogo province) to fight once morest desertification and strengthen the livelihoods of local populations. .
These local forest species are made up, among others, of baobab (Adansonia digitata), liana (Saba senegalensis), néré (Parkia biglobosa), jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana), caïlcédrat (Khaya senegalensis), Nobga or plum tree of Africa and Tamarind (Tamarindus indica).
“These are species that fight once morest desertification and promote the restoration of plant cover (…) These trees also constitute means of subsistence and are used in traditional medicine”, indicated, Thursday, in Gogo (province of Zoundwéogo), the president of the Sol Vert association, Rasmata Koné to justify the choice of the different varieties selected.
Ms. Koné spoke during the reforestation session as part of the 3rd edition of the reforestation day of her structure, which accompanies the government’s environmental policy in favor of neutrality in terms of land degradation.
According to the technical services of the Regional Department of the Environment, Energy, Water and Sanitation of the Centre-South, which support the Sol Vert initiative, two sites with a total area of approximately two and a half hectares have been identified within the Gogo center for the planting of 1,000 plants.
The president of Sol Vert, welcoming the help of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), specified that the reforestation activity was made possible thanks to the support of this structure.
The resources made available to Sol Vert come from the funds allocated to the execution of the “Terres d’Opportunites au Sahel” project, also known by the acronym LOGMe (Land Oppotunities Global Mechanism) which is provided in Burkina Faso but also in Ghana and Niger by IUCN, she added.
Regarding the genesis of the partnership between IUCN and Sol Vert, the LOGMe project manager on behalf of IUCN, Bassourou Boyla, indicated that the support for the women’s association for the realization of its activity is in line of the strategic objectives of the LOGMe project.
He clarified that the activity was implemented thanks to funding from the Italian government through the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
“This reforestation activity contributes to the achievement of the overall objective of the LOGMe project which is to contribute, in a significant and sustainable way, to the restoration of landscapes in the Sahel while creating income-generating activities for local communities”, pointed out Mr. Boyla.
The nature of IUCN’s support to Sol vert, he said, has been both technical and financial, including the choice of sites and species to plant, raising awareness through crafting and erection of an explanatory panel and the acquisition of protective netting for the plants.
For Rasmata Koné, following the reforestation session, it is important that the local populations ensure the protection of the plants until the sites are transformed into forest islands.
“We really want people to take care of it because the tree is life,” she argued.
The representative of the Chief of Gogo, Moumouni Bouda, assured that the call is heard.
“We are going to choose young people who will take care of it,” he maintained, insisting, moreover, on the usefulness of forest species planted both for human consumption and for care.
The women’s association Sol Vert has 188 members. It was accredited in December 2021 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Sol vert’s main objective is to contribute to the sustainable improvement of living conditions and the reduction of poverty in communities and to support local authorities in promoting local economic development.
Burkina Information Agency
MZ/ already