BY SAMIE WAIKORI
THE Ahetaha Water Conservation Association has successfully strengthened the capacity of its local rangers in a three-day Forest Enrichment training atAhetaha of Manawai Harbour, East Are Are Malaita province from May 9 – 11.
Forest Enrichmentis about tree replanting approach for communitywhere they used ranger to ranger sharing experiences on community forestry.
Founder and advisor of AWCA, Mr Eddie Haikau Huitarau said its was a total new experience for the rangers to learned on key message to restore the forest, watershed and mangrove ecosystem for a greener future that required all rangers to plant one tree for the future.
The Forest Enrichment training was conducted by Wai-Hau Conservation Foundation in partnership with AWCA under a funding support from Global Green Grants fund.
Areas covered during the training were.
a. Nursery and Wilding Seedlings
b. Nursery Establishment and Management.
c. Tree Planting.
d. Maintenance
The training was attended by 17 rangers including five females from AWCA. This is part and parcel of the broader rollout of the local rangers and will support the preparedness efforts of AWCAs’ work and resourcing their respective ranger’s daily operations.
AWCA Homebased Chairman Mr Keith Hatamane said the forest Enrichment project is an innovative achievement for the people of Ahetaha.
“This training has been a dream for the people of Ahetaha and I am glad that it was through the vision of our Founder that this dream is realized and eventuated,” he said.
Also, during the training, AWCA rangers snatched the opportunity to do a hands-on job by identifying best mother trees and weed around the tree for wildings.
This is to prepare the site for seed collection or natural regeneration for collection of wildings and collecting and transplant in the nursery.
During the activity, rangers planted 160 mangrove seedlings, 10 bamboo stalks, 150 native species mainly Akwa (Pometia pinnata) and Ba’ula
A woman ranger, Ms Mirriam Haroka said: “We are so happy and so proud that this project has now come to reality and now we witness different methods of transplanting of wildings.
AWCA man ranger, Mr Tom Moukote explained the project was initiated because of the dire need to replant and restore pioneer ephemeral (or short-lived) nurse trees in the degraded sites.
“We are grateful indeed for the partnership with Wai-Hau and AWCA where we learn different methods of Production of planting materials including; Seed collection from readily available sources and seed collection from identified superior mother trees.
He further added that AWCA is not competing with anyone, but to complement the work that their rangers are already doing.
Eddie H Huitarau thanked Mr. Willie Atu In-Country Coordinator, and the Global Green Grants fund for the financial support.
