Environmental activities continued to be implemented using a landscape approach knowing that impacts of environmental degradation are not limited by administrative boundaries. There was close engagement between UNHCR, OPM, partners and district local governments for the success of the interventions. This has encouraged co-existence within the host and refugee communities, particularly the Agroforestry activities, thereby promoting ownership and sustainability of implemented programs. Environmental interventions were implemented within the districts of Isingiro, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa and Kikuube. The overall goal was to protect and restore environment and natural resources in the above areas while also promoting safe access to sustainable energy and green livelihoods for beneficiaries.
UNHCR continued to strengthen the partnership with the National Forest Authority (NFA) in implementing the Refugee Forestation Project (ReForest) through which majority of the seedlings planted by Implementing Partners were sourced. NFA continued managing 92 hectares of reforested area planted since 2019 in Bugoma Central Forest Reserves (CFR), in Kikuube district and established an additional 300 hectares part of which includes 50 hectares in Bugoma CFR and 100 hectares in Rwensambya CFR in Kyegegwa district while the rest was restored in the West Nile. Altogether with South Sudan situation, the cumulative area of CFR restored since 2019 to 771 hectares.
Overall, NFA provided partners including district local governments with 5.28 million seedlings in the intervention area. In addition, UNHCR partners produced and distributed for planting more than 1 million seedlings, including seedlings produced from private nursery owners. In South-West, this resulted in more than 300 hectares of new woodlots established in 2021 alone and more than 400 hectares of already existing woodlots maintained. Also, more than 17,100 households were engaged in tree growing at household level in South Sudan mostly planting fruit trees and fast-growing tree species for wood. The woodlots were established and maintained to meet the demand for construction/building materials and fuel wood by refugees and host communities as well as rehabilitation of degraded areas to protect and conserve the environment. Survival assessments carried out in South-West revealed minimum tree seedling survival of 70% for woodlots.
A total of 134.3 hectares of wetlands within the south-western settlements were demarcated with concrete pillars to protect them from being encroached on by refugees and nationals in search of land for farming. Furthermore, environmental activities were implemented using the modality of cash-for-work and taungya system under which over 3,700 households benefitted from green livelihoods including agroforestry (intercropping trees with short rotation food crops), apiary, seedling raising, etc were engaged to support nursery establishment, strip weeding, weeding, pest and disease control and beating up earning them an income. These activities were a source of income for the individuals engaged contributing to their self-reliance.