Togo/ Training courses to strengthen sustainable ecosystem management in northern Togo
In Togo, a training program on best practices for the sustainable management of terrestrial and forest ecosystems was validated last week (July 18) in Défalé, in the Doufelgou 2 commune (Kara region).
This program, part of the Gestion durable des terres et écosystèmes des zones semi-arides au nord du Togo (GDTE) project, led by the Ministry of the Environment with support from the GEF and UNDP, aims to provide local players (technical agents, community leaders, teachers, young people) with a structured frame of reference to better preserve natural resources in degraded areas.support from GEF and UNDP, aims to provide local players (technical agents, community leaders, teachers, young people) with a structured frame of reference for better preserving natural resources in areas suffering from degradation.
In detail, the curriculum covers modules on ecosystem services, sustainable agroecological practices and participatory management methods. It also includes a trainer's guide and teaching sheets, with the ambition of professionalizing local interventions in environmental preservation.
"Communities will be better equipped to reconcile agricultural yields with land protection," says Awesso Balakiyem, coordinator of the GDTE project.
In his view, the program aims to respond to the climate emergency and unify training approaches in rural areas.
Co-financed to the tune of 5 billion FCFA by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Togolese government, the GDTE started in Togo in 2022 for five years, with the aim of restoring degraded land, preserving biodiversity and improving agro-pastoral livelihoods in the Savanes and Kara regions. Interventions include 22,000 ha of forests, 20,000 ha of farmland, 17,000 ha of pastures and 37,000 ha of agro-sylvo-pastoral areas, while contributing to more effective management of protected areas covering more than 210,000 ha.
Source: www.togofirst.com
