As the growing demand for charcoal and firewood hastens the decline of shea trees in Ghana, communities living on the fringes of the country’s Mole National Park are planting fast-growing trees of other species as a buffer. The logic of the effort is for communities to instead cut down the fast-growing tree species for their energy needs, leaving the native shea species behind for sustainable harvesting of key commodities for trade, like shea nuts and butter. So far, the trees have many benefits over shea species, like growing faster and being more resistant to fires, but shea trees also produce more efficient charcoal. Around 300 community members in the towns of Mognori and Yazori are engaged in the effort by planting the seedlings of two species, the Gum Arabic tree (Vachellia nilotica) and Paperback Thorn (Vachellia sieberiana) (both formally known as acacia) and occasionally selling the firewood. The majority, about 60%, are women, who typically take dominant roles in the country’s shea harvesting and trade. They have so far planted 53,434 seedlings on 158.11 hectares (390 acres) of land as part of a forest landscape restoration and sustainable wood energy project by the IUCN and A Rocha Ghana. As the seedlings grow into trees, women told Mongabay they are one of the best firewood substitutes for indigenous tree species of shea. Taking part in this effort, they said, helps protect their livelihoods and makes them travel shorter distances for firewood. “Women can now depend on acacia trees [former name] for…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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