Community members walk along a seasonal river to identify potential sand dam site.
Utooni Development Organization
Sand dams (some times called more general groundwater dams) store water under the ground. A sand dam is a small dam build above ground and into the riverbed of a seasonal sand river. Sand accumulates upstream of the dam, resulting in additional groundwater storage capacity. Similar to sand dam a subsurface dam obstructs the groundwater flow of an aquifer and stores water below ground level. Sand and subsurface dams are suitable for rural areas with semi-arid climate in order to store only seasonal available water to be used in dry periods for livestock, minor irrigation as well as for domestic use.
Benefits include:
Storage of rain water in seasonal rivers
Minimum evaporation since water is stored in sand
Reduction of contamination by livestock and other animals since water is under sand
Filtration of water flowing through the riverbed sand improves water quality
Sand dams can be built with locally available material and labour but building a dam still requires relatively high investments, is labour intensive and specific expertise is needed.
The technology is labour and physical capital intensive. Depending on site location, some communities may not be able to implement it without some external aid.
In this project we worked closely with government at all levels.
National level: it was important to obtain political support on priorities and to agree on where restoration would be useful and where protected areas could established
Regional level: Regional buy in is very important - to convince regional government of the need for and positive consequences of establishing a protected area; key arguments were linked to social issues and income from the landscape – establishing a linkage between biodiversity protection and the development of income alternatives with the villages
Local level: Buy-in here focused on practical level decisions linked to resources for the villagers.
If not all levels agree then there is a danger for a “paper park”
That’s why it was important to bring all on board.
There is need for building trust and relationships, particularly when working at regional and local government level. We did not have relationships with the villages before. The time invested and relationship building allowed us to engage people and develop activities. Positive signals from government were key here.
Strengthening local governance structures enables more stakeholders to take decisions which are necessary for the long-term success of FLR. It leads to real engagement of landscape stakeholders.
For building relationships linked to governance we need to have people in strategic places to be able to engage with communities.
National parks have limited resources – therefore it is important to create a win-win situation from this. Advantages for communities can lead to conservation benefits that also are supported by governance structures at all levels.
Funding of such projects requires long term thinking
Restoration outside a national park can work well and can happen at low cost with the help of the community
People are part of the solution- over the long term
The region in Madagascar we worked in was very complex with different needs of people in the landscape. As communities were key drivers of degradation and deforestation via slash and burn agriculture, we had to take a long term approach to build relationships and trust and to get community buy-in towards adopting alternative income opportunities and sustainable agriculture approaches. This included offering training, building capacity and awareness. In return we got them involved in restoration activities.
Communities have to take real ownership of the solution. The project gave the communities a joint vision and positive alternative to their previous way of living and working in the landscape. Achieving that buy in village by village takes time. The project area was large, with a Protected Area at the core, surrounded by many villages. Without a social component and cooperation, the chance for deforestation and degradation to continue is high.
For any project that deals with restoration and community engagement, giving it time is of big importance to ensure sustainability and long term effects.
It is important to understand the diversity of the people – the social dimension in the landscape
Needs involvement of people with affinity to social issues – studies showing real alternatives raise credibility
Social monitoring is important
Build relationships – need to be present in the landscape to raise trust and build partnerships
It requires time, both social aspects and forest restoration
Build an exit strategy into your project design (or indicators to properly decide when exit is possible)
Forest landscape restoration has both an ecological and a social dimension, and the social one is fundamental to long term success.
Take time to build relationship and be present in the landscape
Ensure community takes real ownership
Build capacity to support Forest Landscape Restoration
Solid knowledge of the socio-cultural, political and ecological features of a landscape is important to better design and implement FLR interventions that are suited to local conditions.
Integrate your activities within a landscape-scale plan.
Restoring forested landscapes is a long-term process and much flexibility over the course of such an endeavour is needed. Periodic reappraisal is paramount.
