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ETHIOPIA 2017. Sustainable Forestry: a Safety-Net for Gambella Refugees and Host Communities

February 2017. Gambella, Ethiopia. Facing civil war, drought, and famine, more than a million and a half South Sudanese have sought refuge across the borders in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. Several hundred thousand people have come here, to Gambella in western Ethiopia, leading to a doubling of the region’s population in just a few years. This unprecedented influx has increased pressure on the local environment as the refugees fell trees to meet their needs for woodfuel for cooking. In the long run, this will be unsustainable as the forests will be destroyed. An FAO project in the Gambella region is working to support the energy needs of the large refugee community, in order to reduce the negative impacts on local forest resources and alleviate the pressure on the host population.

Duration 5m28s

Edit Version International

Video Type Video News Release (VNR)

Date 10/10/2017

File size 686.87 MB

Unique ID UF2T50

All editorial uses permitted

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO Video

Shotlist LOCATION: Gambella, Ethiopia

SHOT: February 2017

SOUND: Natural, Nuer, English

TRT: 5’28”

0:00 1. WS panorama of Tierkidi refugee camp

0:07 2. MS of Tierkidi camp

0:11 3. WS of Tierkidi camp

0:15 4. WS Camp residents carrying grain

0:20 5. MS children posing for camera

0:26 6. CU children watching

0:29 7. WS woman carrying firewood

0:33 8. WS downed tree near camp

0:36 9. WS stumps of cleared trees with refugees carrying wood in background

0:40 10. MS woman carrying firewood

0:45 11. MS woman sifting grain

0:49 12. CU woman sifting

0:54 13. MS women carrying grain and water

1:00 14. WS refugee Buk Liy Kang walking to collect firewood

1:05 15. MS Buk chopping wood

1:11 16. CU Buk’s face as she cuts wood

1:14 17. MS Buk cutting wood

1:20 18. WS Buk collecting wood

1:31 19. CU Buk tying wood into a bundle

1:37 20. SOUNDBITE: Nuer; BUK LIY KANG, South Sudanese Refugee:

I usually come back from the forest after two, two and half hours, and I get so tired. After resting for a short while, I arrange my firewood for home use and for sale so that I can get a little money for other things or to change the type of stew we eat.

1:52 21. WS Buk walking back to camp

1:57 22. MS Buk returning to camp with firewood

2:01 23. MS Buk walking back home

2:04 24. CU Buk’s feet as she walks home

2:07 25. SOUNDBITE: Nuer; BUK LIY KANG, South Sudanese Refugee: My daughter cannot go to the forest for firewood. I go to the forest because I know better the insecurity in the forest.

2:14 26. WS Buk with daughters and grandchildren inside home

2:17 27. MS Buk’s daughters

2:21 28. CU Buk’s granddaughter

2:24 29. WS Buk starting fire for cooking

2:29 30. CU cooking pot

2:33 31. WS Buk cooking

2:38 32. CU Buk’s face as she cooks

2:40 33. SOUNDBITE: English; AMADOU ALLAHOURY DIALLO, FAO Representative in Ethiopia: If action is not taken, it will destroy the environment and the degradation will be very quick. So that’s why FAO Ethiopia and the government of Ethiopia, and UNHCR, with support from donors, we are trying to face the situation.

2:58 34. WS camp residents in front of home

3:06 35. WS woman in Jewi refugee camp gathering firewood

3:15 36. CU fire under cooking pot being lit

3:22 37. Satellite image of Pugnido camp, October 2016

3:28 38. Satellite image of Pugnido camp, January 2017

3:34 39. SOUNDBITE: English; ARTURO GIANVENUTI, FAO Forestry Officer: The growing number of displaced people in this region and the associated demand for woodfuel for cooking is causing a significant increase in forest degradation and deforestation around the refugee camps. It is therefore crucially important that we develop a coherent strategy that enables the local population to have access to energy and clean and efficient technologies, while fostering good practices to reduce firewood demand and environmental degradation.

4:04 40. MS woman stirring pot

4:09 41. CU pot contents boiling

4:14 42. MS Woman stirring pot

4:19 43. WS worker preparing field for planting trees

4:23 44. MS worker levelling soil for plantation

4:28 45. WS women pounding soil

4:31 46. MS woman pounding soil

4:36 47. CU bag of seeds

4:40 48. CU Buk Liy Kang chatting to her daughters

4:44 49. MS Buk listening

4:50 50. WS Jewi refugee camp

4:53 51. SOUNDBITE: English; EVA MÜLLER, Director, Forestry Policy and Resources Division, FAO: Once a displacement has become established with large numbers of people, it is very difficult to create a balance between demand for wood and local supply. In future cases of major forcible displacement of people, it is critically important that wood-supply planning and funding starts in the early stages of displacement.

5:08 52. WS River and countryside near Gambella

5:14 53. WS Woman carrying firewood

5:20 54. WS river scene near Gambella

ENDS

Script Facing civil war, drought and famine, more than a million and a half South Sudanese have sought refuge across the borders in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. Several hundred thousand people have come here, to Gambella in western Ethiopia, leading to a doubling of the region’s population in just a few years. This unprecedented influx has increased pressure on the local environment as the refugees fell trees to meet their needs for woodfuel for cooking. In the long run, this will be unsustainable as the forests will be destroyed. It is also causing tensions between the refugees and host communities to rise further. When displacement camps are created, it is often in the belief that they will be temporary. In reality, the average age of such camps in Africa is more than 20 years. Buk Liy Kang came from South Sudan three years ago with her six children. They live in one of seven camps set up in Gambella to house the wave of refugees. Her family receives food. But in order to cook and boil water she must venture out of the camp and gather firewood, a trek that has grown longer and more dangerous as the trees in nearby forests have been cut down for fuel. Buk’s journey to collect firewood is not only exhausting, but treacherous. Her path passes through the refugee camp and close to communities of other ethnic groups, and across the habitats of animal predators. For the foreseeable future, refugee families like Buk’s will continue to rely on wood as their main source of energy. But without sustainable practices, the huge demand will degrade further the nearby forests, significantly worsening living conditions for all peoples in the region. An FAO project in the Gambella region is working to support the energy needs of the large refugee community, in order to reduce the negative impacts on local forest resources and alleviate the pressure on the host population. Together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, FAO is monitoring the amount of woodfuel produced, collected and consumed. Using satellite imagery and a national forest inventory, they are supporting the development of sustainable forest resource management together with Ethiopian forest experts. Displacement camps are also starting to re-forest degraded areas, by establishing multipurpose tree plantations to help meet energy needs and reduce environmental degradation. The added value for the refugees and host communities is that such activities also create opportunities for them to generate income. More abundant stocks of wood should also reduce the burden for women like Buk, who will face a shorter trek to gather their only source of fuel. Developing sustainable forest management plans in crisis-affected areas offers far- reaching benefits for the environment and for the local populations, who will have greater personal, economic and food security from the forests, while replanting will help mitigate the effects of climate change.

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