OUR PROJECTS
Ecorewire Centre is a people- and eco-centered non-governmental organization established on January 17, 2022. It has the principal mandate of fostering “rehabilitation of endangered taxa, restoration of degraded ecosystems and enhancement of livelihood systems of biomass/forest dependent populace, particularly the poor and vulnerable groups”. Its Model Project, which predates the NGO, is located on Latitude 06° 17´ 45´´ N; and Longitude 006° 34´ 44´´E and situate in a 50-hectare degraded agricultural landscape at Udakpa, Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria.
Our organization relishes and uses the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach which combines adaptive management, participatory techniques and state-of-the-art indigenous and empirical technologies to regenerate, nurture, and conserve forests/trees and related resources; and restore degraded landscapes. To this end, the Centre deploys the ‘double filter’ approach, which underscores rewilding endangered species; rewiring disconnected ecological – composition, function and structure – landscapes; and reenacting the livelihood systems and well-being of the people and/or communities that depend and reside in that landscape.
Year of Establishment of Model Project - 2019
At the time our Model Project was established in 2019, a handful of subsistence farmers who depend on hand tools and climate-driven, slash and burn shifting cultivation practices had arable crops at the site while a larger portion, which was dominated by grasses and a mixture dry deciduous forest and savanna trees, was under short fallow/regrowth.
However, when species rehabilitation (planting-out of introduced taxa) and ecosystem restoration activities began in earnest on June 29, 2019 with demarcation, accompanied by land preparation, lining, peg collection and pegging, more arable farmers were given ample opportunities to be part of the team. The first batch of 2500 seedlings of endangered and vulnerable timber tree species, namely Terminalia ivorensis, Nauclea diderrichii, Mansonia altissima, Khaya grandifoliola, Pericopsis elata, Bombax buonopozense, Triplochyton scleroxylon, etc. was transported from our main nursery in Benin City to Udakpa on June 27, 2019 (Figure 3).
Out-planting of nursed seedlings was preceded by pegging and dibbling along alleys in two ridged portions prepared by farmers for the cultivation of tomatoes and cocoyam. The first batch of seedlings was planted on Saturday June 29, 2019 (Figures 2 & 3).
As at the time planting and beating up were completed in August, four arable farmers were conveniently accommodated in the one hectare degraded land earmarked for restoration/regeneration in 2019.
Year Two (2) – 2020
The size of the Model Project site was increased to two (2) hectares during land preparation in 2020. Planting commenced in June and terminated in August, 2020. However, inventory of species introduced in 2019 was carried out side by side planting in 2020. The results of seedling enumeration revealed low mortality and regeneration success rate of over 75% among seedlings planted in 2019.
Majority of the seedlings out-planted in June 2020 had successfully established by September and attained 30 cm height growth (Figure 4). Besides, more than 50% of the seedlings grew one metre and above (height) while most of them were in healthy competition with the cassava crop which initially provided shelter for the young seedlings, particularly during the preceding dry season (Figure 5).
Year Three (3) - 2021
In 2021, another batch of 2000 seedlings of assorted tree species was moved to site for planting new areas and beating-up of failed portions across the two hectare portion earmarked for regeneration/ restoration. In September 2021, our project supported five subsistence farmers who grow arable crops with improved cassava variety (enriched with Vitamin A) (Figure 5).
Year Four (4) - 2022
Five hectares were planted with assorted seedlings of endangered and vulnerable taxa of endemic rainforest tree species. About 10,000 seedlings of different species were raised at Ecorewire Centre nursery located in Benin City in 2022. The relic seedlings were given out to needy organizations and individuals after planting 5555 seedlings at project site, Udakpa – Ubiaja,
