FORESTRY

GISEEM – GIS Enhanced Ecological Mapping for Improved Governance

GISEEM combines geo-informatics to capture and help in the translation a X-platform of knowledge and information as narrated and told by the local communities about their lives, livelihoods and factors that have played a role in forming and moulding their relationship with nature and the general environment.

GISEEM project is being implemented as a partnership between three communities (Kariima, Giitune and Mukogodo), three NGOs (Porini, BEA International, SHALIN Finland). The partnership is further extended through ABN/Gaia Foundation, ERMIS Africa, IPACC and IIED. GISEEM funding is from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MfA) and the project is for three years (2007-2009). The total funding is 110,000 Euro. In 2007 project spent 55,238.00 Euro which included donations, volunteer time and cash contributions. From the Ministry budget, the project spent just over 37,000 Euro.

In 2008, the crisis in Kenya delayed most of the planned project activities and the bulk of this work will be undertakeń during the second part of the year.

The main objective of the project is to improve the governance and management of natural resources in Kenya and in doing so promote the regeneration indigenous knowledge systems.

Development Goal: Community forests managed in a sustainable manner in support of livelihoods within clear legal frameworks and well-governed institutional arrangements.

To work with 3 pilot communities in Kenya using GIS enhanced ecological mapping to achieve
the improved conservation of biological and cultural diversity, the fair and equitable partitioning of forest resources and clarity in the Forestry Act enhanced community ecological governance and mitigation of resource related conflict the improved institutional governance in the management of community (trust) land and natural resources.

GISEEM data is captured using handheld GPS and later processed to produce maps. The maps are an added tool for the community to use for advocacy, lobbying, dialogue and consensus building.

The local communities are trained in the skills of GIS mapping and data storage.

The trained local GIS team then train other community members to use GPS to map out their resources.

The maps produced are an added tool for planning of the use of natural resource including the development of Community Forestry Management Plans as required under the Forest Act.

ENERGY

RESCUE does not work through planting of trees, we instead focus of empowering local groups, communities or individuals to develop energy systems that lead to the avoided deforestation.  By offering immediate local enegrgy alternatives, we support the recuperation of local ecosystems.

While tree planting is an easy option,  It has its own risks. One major risk is that one is never assured that the Carbon captured in trees will be parmanently locked away. We also find that some approaches in the Carbon Offset schemes that use forestry are un-ethical and have been shown to deny people traditional rights over their resources, like in the quoted case of Uganda.

Supporting renewable energy processes is at least guaranteed to offset carbon through avoided deforestation as long as the installed system is functioning, people are engaged in energy efficiency practices and communities are involved in ecological restoration processes.

RESCUE is currently supporting and lobbying for the adoption of renewable energy by local communities and a more creative process that involves the actual Carbon Capture and Storage by local communities.

RESCUE aims at supporting capacity building of communities and institutions in the Global South to be better placed to actively support and be involved in mitigating climate change and global warming and develop a fairer system of Carbon Reduction. This were are doing by interpreting the frameworks for CDM and Carbon Offset Mechanisms and seeking for the ethical bind that will offer real change to the environment and to local the communities who are increasingly at risk of being exploited by carbon trading merchants over and above the projected impacts of climate change.

Current focus:

1. Capacity Building in Renewable Energy Technologies:

Developing Technical capacities in Wind Turbines for deployment to Schools: Wind energy is one solution to clean energy and a mitigation process to Climate Change. RESCUE targets at providing Schools (and rural communities) with Wind Turbines to light up and power IT classes. This is through capacity builing of local artisans who are trained in all aspects of build and maintenance of the Turbines. The materials used are local material. The students from the schools are also part of the building process and are encouraged to actively participate.

After training, the artisan join the Network are supported in developing and marketing their skills or setting up their own Renewable Energy enterprises. The initial training takes approximately 21 days. Thereafter, building of the systems takes lesser time as the skills of the trainees improves.

2.Developing Technical Capacities in Biogas Systems for deployment in Schools. The approach is similar to the Wind Turbines project. For efficiency and reliability, the two systems are built at the same locality so that they compliment each other in the case of low wind or reduced biogas production. Bio Latrines are also crucial in the promotion of environmental hygiene and are perfect in schools where there is assured supply of human waste.

3. Developing and Promoting Technical capacities in Biomass Stoves for Schools: This is meant to improve the efficiency in the utilisation of biomass as an energy source. It aims to promote the use of raw biomas as opposed to using charcoal for energy. The stoves used convert biomass to charcoal as opposed to ash. The charcoal is then used in demonstration farms “to reactivate an old Amazonia Indians Agricultural practice that lead to the formation of artificial soils called- Terra preta do indos. These farms will form a new gardening “Terra Preta Gardens in Schools” and promote sustainable practices in agriculture, food security and climate change mitigation.

4. Promoting innovation in Terra Preta Gardens in Schools: The mixing of charcoal with soil has many advantages:

* It improves soil fertility
* Increases food security
* Allows for reclamation of degraded lands- hence improving the carbon sink factors through growth of vegetation
* Is a direct action Carbon Capture and Storage- since the charcoal buried in the soil is Carbon, inert and can not be reintroduced back to the environment

Partners in the Network

RESCUE Network is committed to providing leadership in environmental services through promoting innovative technologies, renewable energy services, green enterprise, ecosystems renewal and regeneration towards a low carbon future.

The main objective is to use climate change mitigation processes and activities as a means towards poverty alleviation and promotion of cultural and biological diversity. RESCUE aims at engageing global actors in both modern and traditional technologies to fight global warming.

Focus issues

Simple technologies associated with climate change mitigation can be used to alleviate poverty and especially rural energy poverty as well as mitigate Climate Change and Global Warming.

In the area of Energy, capacity building of local artisans in intermediate technologies is paramount to the sustainability of the chosen technology.  This also ensures that, it is not only the sustainable technology that is being introduced, but also the building sustainable communities is being given the due consideration.

It is also crucial to link any such initiative to a central grid that will continually propagate information about the “new” technology.  In this regard working with local schools as primary targets ensures a practical dimension to environmental education as well as real action towards mitigating climate change and global warming.