Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

trees, water anD people : rebuilDing family anD environmental HealtH 209
Central America and charcoal in Haiti, plus the increased need for agricultural
lands to provide food for a burgeoning population, are overwhelming for
the forest reserves of these countries. In fact, all five nations have less than
50% of their forest cover remaining. The standing forests, unless already
recognized by the government as a protected area or national park, most
likely have had their best trees harvested (legally or illegally), and what
remains are secondary growth forests no more than two to three decades
old. These forests are not guaranteed to survive unless communities and
institutions are educated about the importance of replenishing what has
been taken and conserving what remains.
Community Forestry
Trees, Water & People has established long-term community-based
partnerships with passionate groups dedicated to educating and inspiring
land owners, communities, schools, church groups, local non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and municipalities to recover their forest ecosystems.
Our programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua each maintain
two or three tree nurseries producing 40,000 seedlings in El Salvador and
Guatemala, and 500,000 seedlings in Nicaragua. In 2009, the nurseries
produced various medicinal plants, fruit trees, hard woods, and trees for
firewood from seeds and cuttings collected from the forests or purchased
from national forest associations.
In El Salvador, the smallest nation in Central America, TWP partner
Arboles y Agua para el Pueblo (AAP) has worked to stabilize the forests of ‘La
Magdalena.’ This 776 hectare area has seven types of forest and is the source
of 24 springs that provide water to five townships and 25,000 people. AAP
has managed to recover 65 hectares of land within the park and continues
to supply nearby residents with tree seedlings to plant in and around their
homes to reduce the demand on park resources.
AAP works with Pedro Medina, who from the age of six developed
a deep respect for La Magdalena. He has led community initiatives to
maintain the integrity of the park and its valuable water resources. Pedro
claims that since the population became active in caring for the natural area,
paying for forest rangers and planting trees within their household space, the
park looks fuller and greener, the breeze is cooler, and wildlife has returned.
Conservation Methods
TWP and AAP have been working diligently to create a buffer zone between
agricultural lands and the limits of the park. House sites in and around the
Magdalena Protected Area are planted with trees that will grow into maturity
and continuously cycle carbon, release oxygen, create soil, and provide
animal habitat, shade and fodder for livestock, and fruit and firewood
for personal consumption. Sensitizing the farmers and their families and
workers of the area has been quintessential to ensuring that these trees