Posted on 19 July 2011
By John Kabubu, WWF Coastal East Africa
Communications
The sound of a
saw cutting deep into the kiaat tree (Pterocarpus
angolensis, also called “bloodwood”) in
a forest in Kisangi village fills the air.
Sweat drips from the body of 56-year-old
Rafii Hashim as he pushes the saw rhythmically
back and forth to ensure a smooth cut. The
birds are chirping, the forest air is clean
and the lungs present are only too happy
not to be breathing in the heavy and polluted
city air. As the saw cuts through the tree,
it bleeds a deep red color. It’s not unusual
for the kiaat tree to release red colored
sap from its trunk when cut.
The harvesting of trees in Kisangi village
goes on in an orderly manner and without
fear. This is because all activities being
undertaken are legal and sanctioned by both
government and the community. FSC certification
is slowly taking root in some villages around
Kilwa and Lindi districts in southern Tanzania.
Communities are beginning to realize the
benefit of conserving their forests and
putting a leash on illegal trade in timber.
Despite this step in the right direction,
it is worthy noting that it hasn’t always
been as such in rural Tanzania.
A change for the better
Rafii Hashim bears an optimistic look on
his face as he speaks to us about FSC certification
and the challenges they experienced before
coming to the decision to harvest their
timber in a sustainable manner.
“Before FSC, we used to get 100 Tanzanian
shillings per tree and this wasn’t always
guaranteed since most of this timber was
being harvested illegally. This money was
not enough for us to do anything,” says
the father of 13 children.
Today, the story is
different for Rafii and the people of Kisangi
village. Through combined support from FDB
in Denmark, the Sound and Fair campaign,
Mpingo Conservation and Development Initiative
and WWF, Rafii and his fellow villagers
are beginning to reap the fruits of their
hard labour.
“This thing called FSC
has helped us conserve our forests better.
It has helped us know when it is right to
harvest and when it is not. We are now making
over 100,000 Tanzanian shillings for every
cubic meter we harvest. All this knowledge
will help us harvest our trees in a way
that doesn’t harm the forest and ensure
that even our children will have a forest
to enjoy,” he says.
The forest in and around Kisangi village
is indeed a lifeline for the communities
that reside there. The money generated from
sustainable harvesting of trees has the
support of government. According to the
National Participatory Forest Management
Coordinator Joseph Kigula, the government
gains when communities advance.
“This is their money and their forest. They
decide when and how to use the revenue collected
from sustainably sourced trees. We are not
losing as a government because the villagers
here are part of the government. In fact,
they are the government,” says Kigula, explaining
the benefits of the project.
Living in harmony with
nature
The residents of Kisangi village are mainly
farmers who grow maize, rice and the cash
crop sesame seed. The forest around the
village also has many benefits to the community.
According to Rafii, the benefits of having
a healthy forest cannot be underscored enough.
“We use the forest for many things. Many
stomach ailments in my household are treated
using medicine from the forest, from roots
and leaves that make our children stronger.
Today, our forests are even more beneficial
to us after the education we have received
so far to open our eyes and mind. We are
able to build our schools and hospitals
now with money from the forest. We did not
know how valuable our forests were until
we received education from Mpingo Conservation
and Development Initiative,” notes Rafii.
It is this education that has kept illegal
activities in the forest at bay and given
an incredible drive and willpower to Rafii
and the people in his village to protect
the forest from illegal activity.
“Before, both outsiders and village insiders
harvested trees illegally. Today, every
villager watches the forest and takes care
of it. We even want to increase the FSC
certified acreage so that our villages can
continue to benefit even more from our forests,”
explains Rafii.
Worrying challenges remain
“This is only our second
harvest, and finding markets to sell our
timber continues to be a big obstacle toward
the development of the village,” he explains
with a look of great concern on his face.
This challenge could easily see the communities
in Kilwa and Lindi districts revert to previous
illegal activities and trade in timber.
A great tree has come
crashing down, but the benefits of this
project are evident. Hospitals, schools
and other development projects will be carried
out with funds from the sale of sustainably
harvested timber. Communities will develop
and forests will thrive – provided that
markets are found for this community to
keep FSC certification running on its own,
sustainably.
