The West African nation of Togo has been facing huge levels of deforestation, having lost 5.75% of its forests annually between 2005 and 2010. Most of the forest has been lost to make way for housing and agriculture, with most trees being cut down to make way for small hold subsistence farms, which are the main source of food for most of the population. Planting of cash crops is also common, the most destructive of which is teak, a non-native hardwood tree species that fetches a high price in the international market. As it is an alien species, nothing grows under the teak trees, causing dead zones in the local ecosystem.
Growing up in the Togolese town of Notsé in the 1980s, Romuald Afatchao played in the bushes and forests. He left his hometown to study, eventually moving to the US, where he became a professor of international studies at the University of Idaho. Over the years he observed the bushes and forests were disappearing – cleared for farms and teak plantations. Formerly plentiful local fauna were nowhere to be found, and young people have mostly lost their connection to the traditional way of life in Togo.
“I was surprised at what I saw when I came back. There were no more forests and everything was destroyed. Kids growing up in town can no longer identify the native fruits and trees that were once very common, and they haven't even seen an antelope in real life. This was a rural area, not a city. Furthermore, because of the destruction of the forest cover, there is soil erosion everywhere, and it was painful for me to see.”
This led Afatchao to establish the nonprofit organization Institute For Community Partnerships and Sustainable Development (ICPSD), which seeks to support community-led development and ecosystem restoration in Togo. He co-founded the organization with his former student Whitney Schroeder, who he had advised on a study trip to Ghana.
ICPSD's stated goal is to work with local communities using a unique, holistic approach that blends science-based and local knowledge to bolster local communities, youth, and women in improving environmental and economic resilience. It believes that ecosystem restoration, specifically reforestation and native plant species restoration, is the foundation of all other aspects of development, such as food security and education.
In order to combat deforestation, habitat degradation, and soil erosion, ICPSD established a native plant nursery in Notsé, in cooperation with the University of Idaho and Lolonu, a local women's co-operative. The nursery grows and cultivates native plant species, including fruit trees whose seeds are now very rare and hard to find.
As part of ICPSD's ethos to blend science-based and traditional knowledge, the local people are the ones who decide which native species to grow. It gives seedlings to schools, community-owned forests, and other nonprofit organizations, as well as the city council of Notsé, in support of the government's tree planting programs.
ICPSD also has a piece of land, known as its experimental planting site, where it plants samples from the seedlings that it grows each year. It aims to make the experimental site a nature preserve, where students can go and learn about the local plant and animal species, and their cultural history.
Aside from environmental restoration, ICPSD runs a youth community development program that instills the passion of conservation and the environment in the youth.
“Students are very involved in ecosystem restoration. They participate in planting cycles get to learn about restoration work, and are involved in the nursery in various ways. Outside of that program, we try to supplement their education because that frees them up to have time to be involved. The students elect their own student leadership, and as a group they decide and come to us with their needs. They told us that they need help in English and Mathematics, as well as computer literacy,” Schroeder says.
ICPSD also has an experiential learning program, where it connects students in the US and in Togo. Aside from forestry researchers, ICPSD also facilitates visits to Togo by US high school and college students, allowing them to learn about the nursery and restoration work as well as participating in cross cultural exchange. In the future, ICPSD is also looking to bring over Togolese students to the US for an immersive learning experience.
“Our goal at ICPSD is to allow the next generation to have the opportunity to experience what I did as a child and enjoy nature. When I was in Idaho, nature was easily accessible, and the university had trees planted in the 1800s and 1900s. I want the youth to encounter wildlife and know about Togo's native tree species. We want to create awareness and garner local support, participation, and concern for environmental protection and conservation. This is my passion and what gets me up every day. That's why we at ICPSD spend our own resources to support the organization. I hope that a hundred years from now, the restoration areas we've worked on are now full-grown forests, where people can enjoy nature and native plant and animal species can thrive,” Afatchao says.
Media contact:
Name: Whitney Schroeder
Email: [email protected]
