Winrock International Solomon Islands’ Community Engagement Team have reached out to Bina and Kwaibala communities and surrounding areas in preparation for the roll-out of river catchment management and forest protection activities.
Protection of freshwaters through forest management and conservation at these catchment areas are crucial to ensure clean and sufficient water supply to the growing Auki township and proposed developments at Bina Harbour.
Subsequent proposed project activities in those catchment areas will involve assessment of degraded forest areas, reforestation of those areas and other livelihood activities.
With the agreement of the tribes who are responsible for the lands within the Bina and Kwaibala catchment areas, Winrock will work on the development of a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) initiative, also known as Carbon trading.
Any such initiative would be a partnership with the resource owners and would aim to provide benefits to the resource owners.
The team visited catchment communities in wards 1, 28 and 29 over the period from Thursday 11th to Tuesday 16th November, together with the local MPAs Felix Bosokuru and Claudio Tei’ifi.
The SCALE-NRM team will also meet with Nakau members this week to discuss initial activities for commencement of work with two tribal groups in East Fataleka to progress initial key PES required activities.
Nakau, an international group that specializes in PES project and forest carbon feasibility assessment and development in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, will work with SCALE-NRM to ensure tribes are able to meet the key requirements for a PES scheme and associated standards.
The work on PES in Bina/ Kwaibala and East Fataleka follows on from last week’s signature of a partnership agreement with Mai Ma’asina Greenbelt, a community-based conservation network that currently works with various other 30 tribal groups in Malaita, to progress PES activities over the coming years.
Implemented by Winrock International, Strengthening Competitiveness, Agriculture and Livelihoods – Natural Resource Management SCALE-NRM initially targets Malaita, and is made possible by the generous support of the American people to develop and implement sustainable models for improved natural resource governance in Malaita Province and throughout Solomon Islands.
Sources –WINROCK and Island Sun newspaper.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
