Eco-NaRM Profile Draft

Eco --Natural Resources Management Consultancy Company

“Practicing Sustainable Nature Management for a Better Tomorrow!”

1. BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNICAL GROUP

The Eastern and Central region of Africa has long been recognized for its wealth of diverse natural resources, forests, wildlife and high eco/tourism potentials (Turton, 1987; Jacobs and Schloeder, 2001). Forests and other natural resources play a major role in the social and economic development of virtually every nation in the region from means of sustenance to millions of the rural poor -to- providing substantial earnings to private investors and national GDPs. They provide valuable timber, fuelwood, construction materials, food, traditional medicine, game animal, tourism, recreation, gum and numerous other products and services. Moreover, they harbor valuable genetic materials for many future agricultural and forestry improvements as well as maintaining favorable environmental conditions.

However, these precious forest, wildlife, biodiversity and other natural resources of the region are facing complex and multidimensional problems that are increasingly reducing their capacity to provide the badly needed benefits to their nations. The resources are being degraded and the biodiversity is being lost rapidly. Existent problems of deforestation, over-utilization, resource conflicts, high climatic variability and poverty are all pervasive. Most of all, the critical problem of lack of locally adaptive and effective management approaches, rehabilitation and restoration techniques, efficient utilization, marketing and development strategies and skills has led to poor management, continued degradation and reckless utilization of the resources.

Thus any effort to effectively manage, sustainable utilize, enhance the conservation, development and productivity of our forest, wildlife and other natural resources certainly necessitates a dynamic, adaptive, effective and sustainable management approaches. It is from this deep-rooted impulse of responsibility and commitment that Eco Natural Resources Management Consultancy Co. Ltd (here after EcoNaRM) is established.

EcoNaRM is a forest and natural resource management consulting firm devoted to providing a range of specialized technical and managerial services to governmental and non-governmental organizations in Eastern and Central Africa for improved management and sustainable utilization of our natural resources. Our major areas of focus include full-fledged and convenient consulting in forest management and planning, natural resources management, watershed management, wildlife and habitat management, Protected area planning and development, ecotourism development and marketing, resource survey and mapping, capacity-building and training in environmental protection, forestry and natural resources management. Our management programs and philosophies follow proven forestry, wildlife and natural resources management approaches and practices for most efficient, sustainable and economically sound management, utilization and conservation of natural resources while maintaining the inherent value and ecological integrity of the resources.

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2.  MISSION STATEMENT

“EcoNaRM”, a forestry & natural resource management consulting firm, is dedicated to providing high-quality yet handy and locally adaptive forestry, wildlife and natural resources management practical solutions for improved and sustainable management, utilization, conservation and development of natural resources entrusted to its care.”

3. SERVICES WE PROVIDE

EcoNaRM has high-calibered, internationally trained and experienced professionals in forestry, natural resources management, wildlife and protected area management, natural resources economics, GIS and remote sensing and environmental management allowing it to offer wide-ranging specialized services. The fact that most of the experts in EcoNaRM have sufficient prior working experience and understanding of the natural resources and socio-economic settings as well as the critical forest and natural resources management challenges in the region uniquely equips EcoNaRM to tackle the most complex problems and provide dependable outcomes as your trusted strategic advisor.

The services EcoNaRM provide include:

1. Forest Nursery Establishment, Plantation Development and Silviculture

With its adequately experienced staffs in the field of forestry, EcoNaRM provides the best technical advice and practical guides for a successful establishement and silviculture of both a new plantation or an existing natura forest. Besides, the collabration between EcoNaRM and PODOCARPUS, an east african seed supplying technical firm of extensive experience and knowledge of african seed technology, will enable us provide quality services in:

Species selection based on suitability of the tree to the biophysical enevironment, socio-eceonomic importance and ecological values

Seed collection, handling, processing and quality and adaptation testing Tree nursery establishement, seeding and seedling management Site selection, preparation, planting, recruitment and follow up Silvicultural operations and management of Plantations and natural forests Thinning, pruning and coppice management in plantation forests Enrichment planting and improving regeneration of natural forests Silvicultural stand analysis

2. Forest Management Planning and Harvest Technologies

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A forest management plan is a systematic framework that shows all activities to be undertaken in forest or part of it during a period of at least 5 years for a sustainable management of forests. The objective of a forest management planning is to enable the owner(s) of a forest undertake the responsibility of managing the forest effectively, to suggest the kind of organization set up and resources required running the forest and acting as a basis for the preparation of plan of operation (work plan) for a sustainable management of a particular forest.Services we provide in the field include:

Forest measurement and stand volume estimation, biomass estimation Timber growth and yield data measurement and analysis for investment decisions Forestry timber sale planning and administration Prescribed burns planning and implementation Fuelwood, construction wood, timber etc harvesting and harvest scheduling Forest road construction and maintenance Planning, scheduling, and projecting timber revenue returns Forest management planning and feasibility studies

3. Ecosystem Rehabilitation, Reforestation and Degraded Land Reclamation

Severe natural resources degradation; particularly relentless deforestation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and wetland depletion, is probably the most critical environmental calamity developing countries are facing today in light of the new threat, climate change. Thus, an integrated and successive effort of restoration and rehabilitation of degraded natural resources is an inevitable responsibility for abating soil and water degradation, promoting a sound management of soil, vegetation and water resource for improved productivity of our ecosystems.

Services we provide in the field include:

Planning reforestation and afforestaion of degraded forest lands

Reclamation and rehabilitation of eroded landscapes Suitability assessment of sites for restoring and reclamation

Woodland and wetland restoration through area closure

Restoring wildlife and endangered species management

Soil erosion control and restoration of soil fertility

Identifying and managing risks from invasive species

4. Agroforestry Establishment and Management

Agroforestry, a systematic and purposive combination and management of annual food crops with perennial tree crops and/ or livestock in the same unit of land, alternately or at the same time, has proven to be a successful alternative farming system to combat

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poverty and food-insecurity especially in rural Africa where land-holding of households is small. Agroforestry enables land-holders to make a more efficient use of land by integrating trees with other farming systems components and enable farmers increase and diversify their yields, enhance soil fertility, increase wood/fuel and fodder, prevent land degradation and boost biodiversity. With its staffs of over 20 years experience in agroforestry systems, technologies and practices; our technical group provides practical advices including:

Selection of suitable tree and crop species for specific agroforestry practice

Agroforestry practices selection and establishment

Fruit trees, vegetables and other non-timber production and marketing

Gum, resin and products processing and marketing

Analyze livelihood strategies of farmers and assess risks and uncertainties related to AF schemes vis-à-vis alternatives

Devise adaptive strategies, at farm and landscape level to changing climate

Small-scale agroforestry related business project and self-employment

5. Integrated Natural Resources Management and Development

The conservation and wise management of our limited natural resources drives many of the social, economic, and land use decisions that we face in today’s world. EcoNaRM passionately searches for solutions to the competing demands for these resources that are environmentally and economically sustainable. We integrate best available science across multiple disciplines to develop feasible and cost-effective holistic approaches of managing our precious natural resources in the long term.

Identify, evaluate and develop climate change resilient dryland agricultural crops, fruit trees and production systems through participatory crop trial and testing

Improve dryland fodder crops & pastoral systems through integrated participatory fodder crops trial and testing

Assess critical natural resource degradations and develop adaptive & sustainable NRM approaches based on local settings

Identify, develop and integrate indigenous NRM practices with contemporary scientific NRM and agricultural production systems for improving the livelihood of local people while maintaining & developing the natural resources sustainablly.

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6. Sustainable Use and Conservation of Wetlands and Fresh Water Resources

Regrettably, most of the wetlands of the East and Central African region are currently facing significant conservation threats. For the last successive decades, wetlands of the region have been adversely affected by uncontrolled hunting and poaching, pollution, mounting pressure from development plans, infrastructure projects such as oilfields, dams and water engineering projects, roads, housing schemes, conversion for agriculture and settlement, as well as resource over-exploitation by a growing population (UNEP, 2008). This all points to the necessity of developing strategic action plans and building national capacity aimed at the wise use of wetlands.

To that effect, we provide the following important services in the field:

Detailed assessment and diagnosis of key problems facing wetlands

Developing strategic action plans for sustainable use of wetlands

Developing and technically empowering fishery cooperatives

Developing strategic action plans for sustainable water resources management

Capacity building on the wise use, conservation and management of wetlands.

Capacity building on sustainable use and management of water resources.

7. Landuse and Watershed Management Planning

A watershed is a hydrological unit that catches, stores and releases water through networks of streams into the main rivers, which finally end in their estuaries by the sea. A Watershed is composed of a mosaic of diverse biophysical, socio-economic and cultural resources. It is this interrelationship of so many resources in a watershed that made watersheds an effective and convenient method of managing land resources. Watershed management is a comprehensive development of landuse and watersheds (basin) so as to make productive use of all its natural resources and conserve them on sustained basis.

Services we provide include:

Developing and planning effective soil, water and vegetation management activities at farm and watershed levels

Management actions to restore degraded watersheds to enhance ground water Rural water supply improvement and flood control through restoring riparian and

wetland areas

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Land use and land cover change analysis and mapping Land suitability and capability studies Development of effective framework for harmonizing watershed protection and

economic use Integrated soil, water and biodiversity conservation

8. Biodiversity Assessment, Conservation and Management

Biodiversity resources play critical role to the functioning and continuity of the Earth’s life-support systems. They contribute, directly and indirectly, to the welfare of mankind (Costanza et al., 1997). As a result, the issue of biodiversity conservation has become a crucial agenda in many research and development forums around the world, especially after the 1992 Rio convention. Biodiversity assessment is an essential tool for any biodiversity conservation and management endeavor.

With its highly qualified biodiversity assessment, conservation and management experts, EcoNaRM provides services including:

Identification and characterization of biodiversity resources

Identification and documentation of local use of biodiversity resources

Assessment of diversity, abundance, distribution and composition of species

Determining the conservation status and threat level of species

In-situ and Ex-situ biodiversity conservation strategies planning

9. Forest and Natural Resources Survey and Mapping

Unquestionably, resources assessment and survey is perhaps the first and most important step for the successful management of any natural resources. We offer a full range of natural resources assessment and surveys tailored to suit our client’s needs, from simple vegetation surveys to species specific and detailed surveys. The main types of survey we undertake include:

Habitat survey: basic and standardized survey of all habitats

Vegetation Survey:  a detailed survey of all plant communities.

Mammal and avian survey and identification Reptile and amphibian survey

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Botanical and horticultural survey and identification GIS and Mapping Total Site and specific habitat management planning

10. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Strategic Environmental Assessment (SIA)

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED 1992), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD 2002), set the stage, laid a solid foundation and reiterated commitment at the highest level, to integrating environment and development issues and achieving sustainable development. The institutionalization of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as an instrument for integrating environment and development issues at all levels and for achieving sustainable development is an integral part of agreements and commitments at these global conferences. The integration of economic, social and environmental concerns in the development process in a balanced way is key to the attainment of sustainable development.

In this regard, we provide international standard services in:

Evaluate potential direct and indirect effects of a proposed development action on the physical, biological, cultural and socio- economic attributes of an area

Develop proactive approaches to integrating environmental considerations into the higher levels of decision making

Environmental impact identification, monitoring and evaluation Impact mitigation, auditing and decision-making advice Strategic Environmental Assessment and policy-formulation

11. Wildlife Management, Inventory and Database Establishment

Wildlife management is the art and science of manipulating wild animal populations and their habitats for specific human goals (Bailey, 1998). Practically speaking, Wildlife management is a complex process whereby a wildlife manager conducts habitat and wildlife population inventories and evaluations; and determines what people desire from the wildlife resource and directs management efforts to meet this goal. Our experienced wildlife managers in east Africa are ready to provide services including:

Inventory of wildlife species and their habitats; Establishment and management of wildlife databases Wildlife capture, immobilization and translocation techniques

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Monitoring and Evaluation of wildlife management activities/projects Preparation of sound wildlife management plan. Capacity building in basic techniques of wildlife inventory and monitoring

12. Wildlife Habitat Management and Restoration

Management of habitat is critical to the success of wildlife management and EcoNaRM has some of the best and most experienced professionals in the field. Successful habitat management and restoration interventions significantly benefit wildlife through improving wildlife food sources, water availability, feeding areas, breeding sites etc. We organize and implement practical habitat management, creation and restoration. Our expertise extends to all types of management whether it be tree felling, hedge planting or vegetation enrichment and invasive species control in greater wildlife areas.

Native vegetation enhancement Improvement of habitat water availability, wildlife shelter, wildlife cooridors Development of hunting areas/rigs Development of wildlife travel and feeding areas Wildlife food plot design, installation, planting and management Invasive species and weed control Habitat management planning

13. City-Parks, Recreational Areas and Eco-lodges Establishment and Management

One special approach of environmental protection, while optimally and efficiently utilizing nature, is the development of recreational areas, gardens, green areas and eco-lodges. Such interventions not only provide lucrative business options for owners through tourism but also provide valuable ecological services to both people and wildlife.

EoNaRM provides very vital groundwork advices including:

Site selection and evaluation for city-green areas and eco-lodges establishment

Species selection, planting and management of urban trees

Designing and mapping of city parks and recreational areas

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Botanical, horticultural and ecological advice

Preparing site management plans

Advising on and undertaking monitoring work

14. Ecotourism Planning, Management and Marketing

Nature-based tourism (Ecotourism) is one of the fastest growing industries effectively linking nature conservation and sustainable economic development especially in developing countries. Notwithstanding its role for sustainable natural and cultural resources conservation, ecotourism is creating an alternative livelihood opportunities for millions of people all over the world. However, ecotourism has hardly been developed in most parts of the East and Central African region in spite of the rich wealth of unique geological formations, diverse natural resources, spectacular landscapes and pristine traditional and cultural assets of the region.

Thus, this technical group provides the following services to that end: Identification and documentation of potential eco/tourism attraction sites and

their goods and services of a certain region Sites selection and evaluation of potential eco-attractions and activities Evaluation of the ecological sustainability, carrying capacity, biodiversity health,

and threat abatement strategy Ecotourist surveys and stakeholders participation analysis Evaluation of the financial prognosis and foreseeable revenue from ecotourism Visitor management, access improvements, green and wildlife tourism Develop strategies for efficient delivery, marketing and development ecotourism Develop a comprehensive Ecotourism Plan and practical working plan for the

development of sustainable ecotourism in a geographical area15. Forestry and Wildlife-related Business Planning and Management

Advice on how to start and establish a new forestry and NRs-related business

Develop Business planning

Financial management and accounting of a business

Business Organization and human resources management

Evaluation of business alternatives and feasibility

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Entrepreneurship training and capacity building for clients

16. Capacity Building and Research in: Forestry, Wildlife Management and NRM

Virtually all the consulting staff at Apex forestry and natural resources management group are educated to masters degree level, if not PhD and are adequately experienced in their fields. Thus, one of the key focus area of the technical group is provide capacity building trainings and courses in wide ranging subjects of forestry, wildlife and protected area management, GIS and remote sensing, NRM and many other competences.

3. STAFF PROFILE: QUALIFICATION, EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE

1. Dr. Menfes Tadesse PhD in Natural Resources and Development specialization in Natural Resources

Management for Livelihood Improvement in Developing Countries

20 years of teaching and research experience in natural resources management, rural development, agroforestry, soil and water conservation

2. Dr. Shimelis Nigatu

PhD in Environmental management and Bio-energy development

16 years of experience in environmental management, environmental impact assessment, bio-energy technologies development

3. Yibeltal Tebikew

MSc. in Economics of Forest and Nature Resources specialization in Biodiversity conservation and management

8 years of teaching and research experience in biodiversity conservation, ecotourism development, Project management, Business planning and Entrepreneurship

4. Eyob Tadesse

MSc. in Ecology and Agricultural Entomology

12 years of development and research experience in forest protection, agricultural development and integrated pest management

5. Beyene Teklu

MSc. in Livestock production and range management

10 years of research experience in livestock production, pasture and range ecology and management, dryland fruit trees and animal feed management

6. Yred Mitiku

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MSc. in Hydro-geology and Watershed management

10 years of experience in planning and management of wetlands, watersheds & river basins; rural water supply and irrigation planning

7. Mathewos Alemu

Bsc. in Nature Resources Management specialization in Rehabilitation and Restoration of degraded lands

20 years of experience in reforestation, restoration and dryland management

8. Habtamu Asaye

MSc. in Forest Management and Silviculture specialization in Forest Plantation, Establishment, Management and Development

6 years of experience plantation and natural forest management, small-scale forestry and community-based forest management

9. Mathewos Ersado

MSc. in Wildlife and Protected Area Management

25 years of experience in Wildlife management, Protected area planning and management , natural resources assessment in East Africa

10. Ashenafi Burka

MSc. in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) & Remote Sensing

6 years of teaching and research experience in GIS, mapping, surveying, cartography and image interpretation

4. ADDRESS

Eco Natural Resources Management Consultancy Co. LtdForestry and Natural Resources Management Consultancy Technical GroupJuba REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN

Contact PersonMathewos Alemu Tell: +00249-956-022-618

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E-mail: [email protected]

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