Short Course in Sierra Leone on Community-Based Forest Landscape Restoration for Environmental Sustainability
Last month, GRÓ LRT, in collaboration with the Icelandic Red Cross, organized a two-day short course on community-based forest landscape restoration in Sierra Leone. The training was held on November 20–21 in Freetown and was attended by 20 staff members and volunteers from the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society.
The Sierra Leone Red Cross has been implementing the "Tree Planting and Care (TPC): Community-Based Forest Landscape Restoration for Environmental Sustainability" project for the past two years. This initiative aims to restore degraded vegetation and landscapes in 52 communities across Sierra Leone. It is a holistic project targeting impoverished communities in areas affected by deforestation. Participants are provided with seeds and training on proper planting and care techniques, with the commitment to grow and nurture the plants over the long term. These plants, chosen for their practical benefits, also support soil restoration efforts. Successful participants can sell their harvests, reclaim lost forestland, and enhance their financial stability. The project is supported by the Icelandic Red Cross, the Finnish Red Cross, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The goal of the two-day course was to strengthen the connection between tree planting and other land restoration practices, fostering sustainable community resilience. It was specifically tailored for the staff and volunteers involved in the Red Cross project. The training focused on sustainable land management, ecosystem functioning, and forest landscape restoration, addressing issues like land degradation. Participants learned skills in restoration planning and ecosystem restoration to enhance environmental sustainability. The training was designed and facilitated by two GRÓ LRT experts, Dr. Bryndís Marteinsdóttir and Dr. Þórunn W. Pétursdóttir, both of whom are experienced lecturers in the GRÓ LRT six-month training program and have served on the GRÓ LRT Academic Committee.