Algae Agricultural TVET College

Forest development and utilization Level II

Learning Guide

Unit of Competence: Rehabilitate and Restore

Degraded Areas
Module Title: Rehabilitating and Restoring
Degraded Areas
LG Code: NRC FDU2 M09 L0911
TTLM Code: NRC FDU2TTLM 0911v1

Instruction sheet

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This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the
following learning outcomes;–

-Prepare for rehabilitation of the area

- Demarcate area to be rehabilitated

- Implement rehabilitation and restoration

This guide will also assist you to attain the content coverage and topics. Specifically, upon
completion of this Learning Guide, you will be able to know the;

 Baseline information
 OHS hazards and assessing risks
 natural area restoration and pre-operational and safety checks tools, equipment
machinery for use
 suitable safety and personal protective equipment
 organizational occupational health and safety procedures, practices, policies, and
precautions
 soil and existing vegetation
 area demarcation activity and closing the site
 Sample soil for Seed bank.
 existing species to restore the degraded area
 potential species to enrich the degraded area
 community participation to implement the rehabilitation activity
 rehabilitation activity progress

Learning Activities:

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1. Read the specific objectives of this Learning Guide.

2. Read the information written in the “Information Sheets.

3. Accomplish the “Self-check” in pages 14, 18 &26.

4. If you earned a satisfactory evaluation proceed to “Information Sheet 3”. However, if your
rating is unsatisfactory, see your teacher for further instructions or go back to Learning Activities
#1.

5. Submit your accomplished Self-check. This will form part of your training portfolio (if
necessary)

6. If you earned a satisfactory evaluation proceed to “Operation Sheet” in page 24. However, if
your rating is unsatisfactory, see your teacher for further instructions.

Information Sheet-1

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 prepare for rehabilitation of the area

1. PREPARE FOR REHABILITATION OF THE AREA

1.1. Identifying OHS hazards and assessing risks

Hazard: Is the potential to cause harm, including ill health, physical injury, and damage to plant
equipment, property or the environment.

Risk: The likelihood that a specific undesired event will occur due to the realization of a hazard
by or during activities, or by products and services created by work activities.

Occupational Health & Safety Legislation requires anyone in control of the workplace to identify
the potential hazards of the proposed work, assess the risks involved and develop controls to
eliminate or minimize the risk.

 Hazard Identification

A hazard can be defined as something or situation with the potential to cause injury or illness to
people, damage to property or disruption to productivity. Hazard identification is the process of
recognizing that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics.

Hazards are the prime identifiable cause of OHS problems and their prevention offers the best
opportunity for reducing workplace injury or illnesses. The process involves identifying all
hazardous items, activities, situations, plant, equipment, products, services and processes that
could give rise to injury or illness.

Hazards can be identified in a number of ways. Some common methods are:

• Direct observation • completion of checklists • workplace inspections

• Incident/accident reporting and investigation • monitoring of work areas

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• Consultation with staff or external organizations

• Feedback from other people • injury and illness records

 risk assessment

A risk assessment involves careful examination of the hazards in a workplace and the factors
involved. This may include the type of hazard, equipment, training provided, and number of
operations and existing systems in place to control the hazards. Risk assessment is the process
termini the level of risk created by the hazard and the likelihood of injury or illness occurring.

1.2. gathering baseline information

Rehabilitation is seen as the most viable way of mitigating the effects of land degradation.

The purpose of rehabilitating degraded areas is one of the following;

I. Some approaches attempt “complete” ecological restoration;

II. Others have the goal of production gains (socio-economic circumstances) together
with improvements in biodiversity and ecosystem function (e.g. watershed
protection, reductions in salinity) that lead to more sustainable forms of production.

The time it takes to achieve the objectives at a particular site using these various methods will
vary; some are likely to be relatively quick while others may last beyond a human lifetime.

In the case of ecological restoration, several preconditions must be met before recovery is
possible, irrespective of the method used. Only then may it be feasible to attempt restoration. A
key issue is deciding how much intervention is needed beyond simply protecting the site from
further disturbances; that is, how many species must be deliberately brought to the site and how
many can be relied upon to colonize unaided?

These biophysical changes have both social and economic impacts, with the most immediate
effects being felt by communities that depend on forests for part or all of their livelihood. Forest
resources provide food, medicines and firewood, resources that now have to be obtained from
more distant forests. And as forest areas are reduced pressure on the remaining forests increases
even more.

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 Any work should be undertaken with a full understanding of how the treated area will be
integrated within the broader regional landscape, especially in terms of those components of the
landscape that may affect the long-term functioning of the restored site.

• Baseline studies are fundamental tools for measuring success or failure (for monitoring flora
and fauna changes over time and the impact of rehabilitation on the livelihoods of people).
Therefore, ensuring the collection of baseline data on the biophysical and socioeconomically
conditions is necessary to rehabilitate the degraded area.

1.3. Pre-operational and safety checks on tools, equipment and

machinery

No plan of action can be put into place before a risk assessment has been performed. The
risk assessment provides a baseline to protect assets, these include the tools, equipments and
machinery required to rehabilitate and restore the degraded areas, against various threats.
There are three basic questions one needs to ask in order to improve the safety of the work:

 What assets within the organization need protection?

 What are the risks to each of these assets?
 How much time, effort, and money is the organization willing to expend to upgrade or
obtain new adequate protection against these threats?

You cannot protect your assets if you do not know what to protect against. In simple terms, a
risk is realized when a threat takes advantage of a vulnerability to cause harm to your system.

After you know your risks, you can then create policies and plans to reduce those risks.

There are many ways to go about identifying all the risks to your assets. One way is to gather
personnel from within your organization and have a brainstorming session where you list the
various assets and then, the risks to those assets. This will also help to increase security
awareness within your organization.

Risks can come from three sources: natural disaster risks, intentional risks, and unintentional
risks.

The risk assessment step can be divided further into the following steps.

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 1. Identify the assets you want to protect and the value of these assets.
2. Identify the risks to each asset.
3. Determine the category of the cause of the risk (natural disaster risk, intentional risk, or
unintentional risk).
4. Identify the methods, tools, or techniques the threats use.

Once these steps have been completed, it is possible to plan security/safety policies and controls
to minimize the realization of risks.

 Update your risk assessment periodically.

Another way of determining the risk to assets is performing an information asset inventory
by identifies the various items you need to protect within your organization.

1.4. Degraded area restoration tools, equipment and machinery

1.4.1 Tools or techniques for rehabilitation of degraded lands

The choice of tools for rehabilitating specific degraded areas depends first on the priorities and
management objectives of stakeholders followed by the costs and benefits associated with
available rehabilitation techniques and the economic, social, and environmental values of the
land resources in their current and desired future states. This section reviews rehabilitation
techniques which are being used in the agricultural and forest sectors. These techniques are:

 Natural Regeneration

Natural regeneration involves deliberately protecting degraded land to enhance and accelerate
the natural processes of forest succession in order to re-establish a healthy and resilient
productive – generally a forest – ecosystem. Where land is suited to direct human use and has not
been stripped of topsoil, substantial recovery may be achieved in as few as 3 to 5 years but more
typically may take 20 years. For example in Shinyanga, Tanzania, a sub-humid area, recovery of
an Acacia nilotica ecosystem took less than 10 years whilst in the more diverse humid
ecosystems of West Africa, it takes between 15 to 20 years depending on the intensity of
degradation and the tree species used. This technique is simple and cheap, though it may be
difficult to implement because of pressure from other land uses especially in highly populated

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areas. Uncontrolled grazing can have a major influence. When land has been degraded for a long
period, natural processes are often disturbed and barriers are formed which block the natural
pathways of forest succession. These barriers include: low availability of native seeds and other
propagates on-site, seed and seedling predation, seasonal drought, root competition, and poor soil
conditions. These factors need to be ameliorated before successful restoration can be attempted.
Natural regeneration can be used in all ecological zones. However, as earlier mentioned, the
degree of success depends on the ecological characteristics of each specific site.

 Assisted Natural Regeneration

An alternative approach to the restoration of degraded lands is to accelerate regeneration by

assisting the natural processes of succession. Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) involves:
cutting or pressing down the weeds around existing naturally established seedlings, protecting
the area from fire and inter planting with desired species if necessary. ANR differs from 'natural
regeneration', as it allows some human intervention but generally precludes tree planting. For
example, in the Maradi region of central Niger, the Maradi Integrated Development Project has
been encouraging farmers to deliberately protect regenerating bushes and shrubs in their millet
fields whilst in Wukro Woreda, in north eastern Ethiopia, enclosures have been used as a tool
for rehabilitating degraded lands.

As with natural regeneration, ANR is also simple and cheap to implement. However, it is
important to know what specific factors limit the rate of regeneration of trees in deforested areas,
so that minimum input strategies may be devised to overcome them.

 Enrichment Planting

Enrichment planting is defined as the introduction of valuable species to degraded forests

without the elimination of valuable individuals already present. The technique includes: line-,
strip-, gap- and under- planting. Enrichment planting practice is intermediate in intensity
between natural regeneration and plantations. This technique has been suggested for restoration
of over-exploited primary and secondary forests as it can increase total tree volume and the
economic value of forests. In addition, there are biological, environmental and economic
arguments in favor of enrichment planting.

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When compared to other artificial regeneration systems, enrichment planting has the advantages
of mimicking natural gap dynamics and protecting the soil by maintaining vegetative cover on
site. Although enrichment planting is mainly used in the humid zone for production of timber, it
has potential for application in other ecological zones.

The main constraints for the application of this technique include: difficulty in selection of
appropriate species and/or a lack of adherence to sound planting and tending practices. Others
include: insufficient over storey opening prior to planting, insufficient follow-up tending, pest
attacks, labor demand and high costs of establishment and maintenance of planting in the initial
years.

 Plantations

This technique involves planting trees and/or shrubs as single or mixed species on degraded
lands. The main benefit of plantations is to catalyze forest succession in the under stories,
particularly where silvicultural management has been neglected, on sites where persistent
ecological barriers to succession would otherwise preclude recolonisation by native forest
species. The catalytic effect of plantations is due to changes in understory microclimatic
conditions, increased vegetation structural complexity, and development of litter and humus
layers that occur during the early years of plantation growth. These changes lead to increased
seed inputs from neighboring native forests (and sometimes also from nearby exotic or weedy
species) by seed dispersing agents, suppression of grasses or other light-demanding species that
normally prevent tree seed germination or seedling survival, and improved light, temperature and
moisture conditions for seedling growth.

There is increasing evidence that mixed-species plantations are more effective for rehabilitation
than the use of single-species plantations due to their high potential for biomass production and
attraction to animal seed dispersers as well as increased soil fertility and soil microbiological
activity (Van clay 1994, Parrott 1999). The inclusion of promising indigenous tree species along
with exotic species would further improve the ecological stability and sustainability of forest
plantations (Yirdaw 2002). Mixed forest plantations, therefore, should be given serious
consideration in the planning and establishment of rehabilitation programmers.

Major considerations in the use of plantations for rehabilitation include:

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• Careful and accurate species/site matching.

• Choice of complementary species in case of mixed species plantations.

• Critical timing of forest management interventions.

• Provision of adequate protection against fire and grazing especially in the savannah and dry
lands.

 Land Rehabilitation Using Agro forestry

Reclamation agro forestry involves two stages. In the first stage, tree and/or shrub species are
introduced on to degraded forestland together with any necessary mycorrhizal or rhizobial
symbionts, with the objective of checking erosion and restoring soil organic matter and fertility
status.

In the second stage, the cover may be selectively removed and agricultural production
introduced. However, time is needed to build-up the enlarged plant-litter-soil nutrient cycle, a
period during which exploitation of the vegetative biomass should be kept low with necessary
protection from grazing etc. The initial tree removal can be along contour aligned strips, with
belts of trees remaining in between, leading by stages towards hedgerow intercropping (Young,
1989, 1995). Other options include fodder incorporation along strips or multi-storey systems
(Young, 1989, 1995). Agro forestry can be practiced in any of the ecological zones. It can be
a way to reduce deforestation or land clearing and to increase crop yields (of food, fodder, fibers
etc) and the diversity of products grown, but an additional benefit is the creation of a C sink that
removes CO2 from the atmosphere, or the maintenance of C in existing vegetation and,
therefore, has implications for climatic change . Agro forestry, being one of several approaches
for improving land use, is also frequently invoked as an answer to shortages of fuel wood, cash
income, animal fodder and building materials. Rehabilitation agro forestry being a new
technique for land rehabilitation, constraints are now gradually emerging and they may be site
specific.

 Soil and Water Conservation

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Soil and water conservation techniques entail creating structures which improve the retention of
water for plant growth. The structures are generally micro-catchments of different types
including: square, Vshape, W-shape, line barriers and tie-ridging. These techniques are more
suitable for the dry sub-humid and dry land areas, which experience severe moisture deficits.
The techniques are, however, generally labor-intensive.

 Prescribed burns

Prescribed or controlled burns are important management tools in natural area restoration.
Lightning-caused fire was a regular natural feature in woods, savannas, and prairies even
before the land was settled by humans. Early in the 20th century intentionally set fires
became discouraged by foresters and government agencies, and by the 1950s were no longer
carried out. As a result, natural areas became overrun with invasive shrubs, to their great
detriment.

The demonstration of fire’s utility led to a gradual increase in the use of prescribed burns
throughout the region. In Wisconsin, prescribed fire is now a critical management tool for
organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. Many private landowners also use fire on a
regular basis.

What is a prescribed burn? The term “prescribed burn” refers to a fire that has been
determined to be critical for the management of a specific natural area. All fire is potentially
dangerous, and those conducting a prescribed burn have the responsibility for insuring that
the fire is under control at all times.

The burn is done according to a written and approved plan, the prescription. The plan describes
the objectives of the burn and the expected results. The burn plan specifies, either in words or by
a map, the parcel of land to be burned, the landowner(s), and owners of adjacent land not
included in the burn. Any considerations of smoke management will be identified. The burn plan
specifies the required governmental permits, and lists those who must be notified on the day the
burn is to take place. The locations and characteristics of all fire breaks are given, as well as
strategies for containment of fire within the burn unit. Any preparations of the burn unit needed
before the burn can take place should be indicated, including a list of fire sensitive elements

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within or near the burn unit that must be protected. The burn plan should state the personnel
needed, as well as their qualifications and duties. The burn plan also lists the equipment needed
to conduct the burn. Smoke management is another factor that must be clearly spelled out in the
written burn plan. The expected progress of the burn should be stated, and a contingency plan
identified for a burn not proceeding as expected. Requirements for containment of the site after
the burn is completed (mop-up) should be listed. After the burn is completed, a written
evaluation of the burn should be made and included as part of the final documentation for each
prescribed burn.

Equipment for prescribed burns: A reliable supply of water is essential, with proper
equipment for spraying water on fires. The simplest equipment is the backpack sprayer with
hand pump, which can be used to spray water directly on a fire. Rakes, shovels, and flappers can
also be used to put out small fires. Even a foot can be used to stamp out a tiny fire, but for a fire
of any significant size, water is essential.

High-pressure spraying equipment mounted on four-wheel drive pickup trucks or all-terrain

vehicles is usually used when large areas are being burned. These spray units are equipped with
high-pressure pumps.

Conducting the burn; Before the burn is started, a weather check is made to determine wind
speed and direction, temperature, and relative humidity. Assuming conditions are favorable, a
small test fire is first done to determine how the fuel burns. Lighting is done with a drip torch.
This is a hand-held device consisting of a fuel reservoir, a burner arm, and an igniter, and is used
for dripping burning liquid fuel onto materials to be burned. Each fire line has at least one drip
torch. The fire is always started at a good fire break on the downwind side of the burn unit.

Caution Although the prescribed burn is one of the most useful tools in ecological restoration, it
must be carried out by trained personnel, and based on a precisely written burn plan. Fire should
not be used casually or without proper thought and direction.

1.5. Personal protective equipments;

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PPE - Provides a barrier between the worker and the hazard. This should be the last control
measure when other controls are not practical or where one control measure on its own is not
enough to protect a worker. These include;

o A glove, aprons, non-slip shoes, eye and ear protection eg.safety glasses or goggles to
prevent dirties entering the eye.

It may be necessary to use a combination of controls, including PPE, to provide adequate

protection from hazards at work.

Self-Check - 1 Written Test

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 Name: _________________________ Date: _______________
Directions: Answer all the questions listed below.
1. What is the difference b/n hazard and risk? (5 pts)

2. Describe some equipments used for prescribe burns? (2pts)

3. What is a prescribed burn? (5pts)

4. What are the major considerations in the use of plantations for rehabilitation? (6pts)

Note: Satisfactory rating - 15 points and above

Unsatisfactory - below 15 points
You can ask your teacher for the copy of the correct answer

Information Sheet-2

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 demarcate area to be rehabilitated

2. DEMARCATE AREA TO BE REHABILITATED

2.1 organizational OHS procedures
Where possible, the provider’s existing health and safety procedures should be used. However,
service-specific safe work procedures may need to be developed on the basis of particular
hazards and identified when undertaking the risk assessment. . Some of the Safe work practices
and procedures;

_ Details of how workplace health and safety inspections will be undertaken during the contract,
considering:

– Checklists to be used – frequency of inspections

– team members, and – auctioning of inspection findings

_details of hazard reporting procedures for the contract, including hazard report forms, and

_details of specific activities or areas targeted for inspection eg. plant, hazardous materials or
electrical safety.

2.2. Soil and existing vegetation in the demarcated area

Develop techniques for the restoration of degraded woodlands, soils and soil moisture regime;

Soil fertility is improved based on the principle of organic farming (tree/crop residues, farm yard
manure or promotion of short term fallows). Soils at the site must also remain reasonably intact.
If severe erosion has taken place or if fertility has been depleted the soils may no longer be
suitable for the original species and a new community, possibly exotic species able to tolerate the
changed environment, may take over.

Natural vegetation was originally woodland and bush land. However, due to severe
deforestation, many areas turned treeless except for a few species.

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 Due to over-exploitation of woodlands and especially overgrazing, charcoal production and
firewood collection, recovery of vegetation becomes difficult and slow. Monitoring of recovery
of woodlands was possible after an area had been excluded from grazing for a period of as short
as one to two years. Seedlings of Commiphora, Terminalia and Acacia species regenerate
immediately an area is excluded from animal grazing and since these are not browsed, the open
areas are fast covered. The success of vegetation recovery after grazing exclusion is an initially
quick re-establishment by a dense shrubby layer.

The root system of plants used in this strategy provides the protective function to the soil. For
erosion control, the choice of vegetation is relatively wide. Generally, all plants are capable of
providing some degree of protection, whether they are trees, shrubs or herbs: Shrubs and herbs,
grasses and creepers are plant forms for immediate cover while trees provide the best long-term
protection against soil erosion and landslide. A variety of perennial species are being utilized as
hedgerows to stabilize slopes and prevent soil for further transport downhill.

Indigenous or other selected species is used in the demarcated area to rehabilitate degraded
woodlands and provide alternative sources of fuel wood and income for the communities.

II.3. Area demarcation activity

As part of their fight against land degradation, communities have started establishing enclosures,
with the hope of preventing further degradation and promoting their re-vegetation. The main
objective of establishing such enclosures is to improve the overall ecological conditions of
degraded areas so that they can provide better socio-economic benefits and environmental
services to the local communities. In this regard, it has become a common phenomenon to
observe increase of plant as well as animal biodiversity with time after the establishment of
enclosures. In areas where they have been established, particularly in the northern parts of the
country, enclosures are among the green spots with considerable species diversity.

Establishing enclosures is considered advantageous since it is a cheap and lenient method for
the rehabilitation of degraded lands .Despite the fact that enclosure have proved instrumental in
the re-vegetation and rehabilitation of degraded lands, knowledge on the diversity, sources of

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propagules and status of regeneration of the developing flora as well as the actual and potential
socioeconomic benefits that can be derived from such enclosures is lacking. Hence before a
nationwide action plan use of enclosures as a tool of rehabilitation of dry areas was adopted,
investigation on their viabilities and potential was urged.

The difference between the enclosure and open area in terms of their number of species and
ground cover could be attributed to the high level of interference both by humans and animals in
the open area. The open area is used to collect wood and non-wood products for household
consumption, to dig out stone for construction and for grazing by domestic animals. There was a
higher proportion of shrubs in the enclosure than in the open area, which was rather dominated
by trees, suggesting that there is also an active succession taking place in the enclosure, i.e., high
woody plant recruitment.

Identification and delineation of areas for establishing enclosures together with their subsequent
management, conservation and sustainable utilization; formulation, development and
implementation of bylaws should be undertaken in close consultation and active participation of
the communities concerned.

Self-Check - 2 Written Test

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Directions: Answer all the questions listed below.

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 1. What considers the details of how workplace health and safety inspections will be
undertaken during the contract,? (3 pts)

2. What is risk assessment mean? (2pts)

3. Why we establish enclosures? (4pts)

4. What is the d/ce b/n enclosure and open area? (3pts)

Note: Satisfactory rating - 10 points and above

Unsatisfactory - below 10 points
You can ask your teacher for the copy of the correct answers

Information Sheet-3 implement rehabilitation and restoration

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3. IMPLEMENT REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION
3.1. Analyzing sample soil
The first consideration for any information involving environmental analytical data is whether
the samples adequately represent the site being investigated. The purpose of environmental
sampling and analysis is to obtain a small but informative portion of the sampling site media
being investigated. Seldom is the entire site collected for analysis. There are almost infinite soil
samples that could be taken in most situations. Therefore, soil samples that are intended to be
“representative” of a site are analyzed and conclusions about that entire site are made based on
the data obtained from them. It is now clear that most of the important and large costs involving
decisions are based on the sampling data, making it essential that these data accurately
characterize the conditions of the actual site.

The primary aim of representative soil sampling is to get accurate data about the soil quality of a
specific site but the ultimate objective is to know the soil characteristics of the area and
implement rehabilitation and restoration.

3.2. Selection of species to restore the degraded area

Biological intervention refers to the use of versatile plant species (Single/combination of

species) such that it can overcome many if not most of the problems confronting the restoration
of degraded areas. The species must have the following characteristics:

(a) Ability to survive, adapt and grow normally under harsh condition;

(b) Ability to grow at extremely low/high pH levels;

(c) Potential to grow fast/ increase its biomass;

(d) Tolerate drought and fire;

(e) nitrogen-fixing and/or mycorrhizal associations (bioremediation potential);

(f) Resistance to pests and diseases;

(g) Potential to reproduce even under adverse environment;

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(h) Ability to phytoremediate (remove toxic heavy metals from the mine waste areas).

The species should also possess other environmental functions. The so-called bio-engineering
strategy combines vegetative and engineering schemes i.e. planting of certain species or mix of
different plant forms in a methodical manner to provide structural cover for erosion control,
slope stabilization and enhanced drainage system.

Vegetative measures are first choice because they are rather cheap materials, i.e. more or less
four times cheaper engineering structures.

The basic considerations in the selection of tree species as bio-engineering measure against soil
erosion and landslides are as follows:

a. Plants must grow quickly to establish ground cover, have dense rooting systems and canopies.

b. Roots and aboveground parts should grow rapidly in order to provide the required protection
as soon as possible (rapid lateral growth of stems leaves and roots for erosion control)

c. Plant should possess deep and wide root system for good anchorage in the subsoil. A dense
shallow root system can also be used because of the matting effect

d. Rapid and dense growth of roots vertically for shallow-seated slope stabilization

e. High root tensile strength and surface roughness for soil reinforcement

f. Plant should produce a large volume of litter to improve the site. Legumes, in particular, can
add considerable amount of nitrogen to the soil through symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria

g. Prevent or minimize further transport of eroding materials

h. Plant should form dense and wide spreading crowns or interlocking canopy as early as
possible.

i. Ability to be propagated vegetatively/asexually as large section cuttings as used in brush

layering and as large diameter live poles.

When using a species as live poles for slope stabilization, they must also have the following
features:

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• Ability to resist impacts imparted by driving

• Ability to grow long straight branches needed for ease in installation

• Ability to withstand burial and impact by moving slope debris

• Ability to propagate from large section hardwood cutting

• Ability to grow rapidly and well when thickly or closely planted

• Ability to root at depth;

• Ability to grow in water logged condition

• Has relative tolerance to insects & diseases

• Grows into a tree it left unattended

3.3. Potential key plant species for restoration or rehabilitation and their
Purposes

• Native species - to enhance biodiversity

• Species attractive to frugivores - to encourage seed dispersal

• Species forming mutuality - to foster wildlife population’s relationships with animals

• Poorly dispersed species - to facilitate their colonization (e.g. large fruit)

• Rare or threatened species - to increase their populations

• Fast-growing species - to occupy site and exclude weeds

• Species tolerant of poor soils - to facilitate rehabilitation

• Nitrogen-fixing species - to improve soil fertility

• Economically or socially - to provide economic “goods” beneficial plants

• fire tolerant trees - to use in fire-prone landscapes, create new forests or form

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 buffers around a restored forests

Some situations might require a two-stage approach, with stage one using tolerant, exotic species
to modify the site, facilitating the re colonization of native species in stage two. For example, the
site fertility might be enhanced using a short-lived, exotic, nitrogen fixer that eventually enables
native species to be re-introduced.

Or a saline water table might be lowered using a salt-tolerant exotic species able to transpire
large amounts of water. Once the adverse site conditions were ameliorated, native species could
be replanted. These more complex approaches invariably require more physical and financial
resources as well as a detailed understanding of the ecological processes involved.

3.4 community participation to implement the rehabilitation

• Participation is given highest priority at all levels and involving all stakeholders in planning,
implementation and benefit-sharing of rehabilitation. Forest rehabilitation projects should be
participatory designed, with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and experienced experts
in degraded land rehabilitation.

• Participatory planning is essential to successful project implementation. Participatory

processes should be adopted in project planning and implementation to ensure increased local
support and project sustainability;

• Community participation and empowerment through training and awareness creation in

adoption of sound land use practices and capacity building.

The communities formulate local rules and regulations based on traditional norms and values to
manage the demarcated areas. The rules and regulations encompassed access to land, rights and
responsibilities, bushfire management, harvesting of trees, species protection and unauthorized
encroachment and as a result the vegetation in the forest has increased.

• Empowerment of local communities for effective participation in rehabilitation requires the

fulfillment of several conditions, including:

a. A functional institutional framework at village level to oversee planning, implementation

and monitoring;

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 b. Capacity building of communities to enable them implement projects; and
c. Equitable sharing of costs and benefits within communities and between them and
government to give the communities a sense of ownership

3.5. Rehabilitation activities of degraded areas

Rehabilitation activities are preceded by stakeholder consultation to enhance awareness of the
causes and consequences of land degradation and of the available techniques for rehabilitation
and their benefits.

Rehabilitation efforts must be preceded by the collection of baseline data on biophysical and
socioeconomic conditions, followed by monitoring of these aspects during the rehabilitation
process.

The Environmental Rehabilitation process should form an integral part of site and construction
activities. The Rehabilitation Specialist should therefore be appointed, and on-site at the project
construction inception. The Rehabilitation Specialist would form an integral part of the project
team, attending regular project site meetings, receiving Project Meeting Minutes and being kept
fully updated regarding the Construction Programmed timeframes and Construction Works sites.

The following descriptions outline the various stages and processes of the Rehabilitation
Programmed:

1. Identification and Protection of Environmentally Sensitive Areas ;

Areas that have been highlighted as environmentally sensitive in the Biodiversity Assessment
must be identified and the necessary fencing and protection of these areas initiated.

2. Comprehensive Photographic Record

In order for practical and attainable rehabilitation goals to be defined, it is recommended that a
comprehensive photographic record of the entire pipeline length be created. Video footage may
also be useful in compiling this pre-construction record. This pre-construction photographic
information would provide an accurate representation of the entire existing site and it would
become a very valuable tool for the Rehabilitation Works, as it would serve as the basis for
rehabilitation requirements, informing decisions on drainage, soil shaping, levels, plant choices
and rehabilitation in general.

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 3. Search and Rescue Activities

Search and Rescue activities would be initiated as the first stage in the Rehabilitation process.
In line with the project Construction Works Programmers, the Rehabilitation Specialist would
identify areas for Search and Rescue activities for viable transplantable plant material.

Plant material that is to be “rescued” must be potted up into bags utilizing local soil. Adequate
root systems per plant material type must be carefully excavated and retained in order for plant
material to remain viable. Search and Rescue activities would include the removal of grass
clumps, smaller transplantable shrubs and trees, truncheons and cuttings for larger plant material
and seed harvesting.

This process would include subsurface plant material such as bulbs, tubers, root systems etc.
Search and Rescue material must eventually be re-planted as close to the area of source as
possible.

4. Cleared Indigenous Plant Material

This refers to the necessary clearing for construction activities to commence in a specific area.
The indigenous plant material from the construction footprint area could be collected and bagged
to be used as mulch during rehabilitation.

5. Nursery Facilities

The nursery facilities will need to facilitate the effective maintenance of recovered material for
the duration of the contract. Standard horticultural practice would include among others,
fertilization, irrigation and pest control.

One of these nurseries would require a shade close structure for propagation purposes. In the
event that nursery set up were not possible, then an existing nursery or horticultural facility in
close proximity to the study area could be utilized for space rental, plant maintenance and the
temporary storage of the plant material, until such a time as the plant material is required to be
taken back to the source area (Study Area) for re-planting.

6. Irrigation of Plant Material

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The temporary nurseries would require one water point each, and the Rehabilitation Works as a
whole would also require regular watering. This might necessitate the use of water carts, or
another option might be the extraction of water from streams in the area.

7. Topsoil and Stockpiles

The manner in which topsoil and stockpile are created and maintained is important with regards
to the implementation of a successful rehabilitation process. Depending on the depth of the
topsoil, a recommendation is made to remove between 100 and 200 mm of topsoil and stockpile
it in small mounds. Stockpiling should occur for the shortest possible time in order to minimize
propagule death.

Self-Check - 3 Written Test

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Directions: Answer all the questions listed below.
1. What are the stages and processes of the Rehabilitation Programmers? (3 pts)

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 2. What requires the empowerment of local communities for effective participation in
rehabilitation? (5pts)

3 list down the Potential key plant species for restoration or rehabilitation? (6pts)

Note: Satisfactory rating - 10 points and above

Unsatisfactory - below 10 points
You can ask your teacher for the copy of the correct answers.

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