Re-greening project in Nugaal, PL

[novanova]

https://x.com/ayubawmaki/status/1913816991976005918?s=46

 

[Farah717]

I hope they repopulate lost wildlife gazelles, zebras etc.

 

[Basra]

Inshalaaah may the half moon program be successful

 

[NidarNidar]

https://x.com/ayubawmaki/status/1913816991976005918?s=46

Mashallah, we were just talking about these half-shaped crescents a few months ago, and was historically used in semi arid climates to slow down water and to allow vegation to absorb it, it's very useful in slowing down soil degradation aswell, while also allowing water to be absorb by the soil.

 

[GaradMusa]

https://x.com/ayubawmaki/status/1913816991976005918?s=46

Alhamdulillah, good development and it will be interesting to see if this practice is taken up all across Soomaaliweyn.

However, it is a far better practice to share the TikTok account (@Jamawadani1) that this video at least partially stems from. It can be found here:



The Twitter handle you shared (@ayubawmaki) consistently engages with accounts that are Qabil-driven and whose content often consists of buffoonery or divisive takes. In contrast, this TikTok account primarily focuses on agriculture. It is wise not to give the former account types any form of engagement.

 

[Idilinaa]

All of Nugaal should look like this green and thriving. But in reality, only certain areas look like this, while others have become degraded and desertified. You can even see from the footage that vegetation is shrinking. And this was already visible back in 2021.


I really hope similar re-greening efforts are carried out across the degraded hills and mountains in the northeast. Many of these mountain ranges like Galgala, Murcaanyo, and Golis used to look like Daalo and Cal Madow, covered in dense forests, diverse plant life, springs, and waterfalls. Now, large parts have been left bare.

China has done incredible reforestation work in its mountain and hill regions. That should be a big source of inspiration for us to replicate the same.

Watch this short 3-minute clipit explains how heavy land use, agriculture, and overgrazing degraded China's environment and disrupted the entire ecosystem:

 

[Idilinaa]

All of Nugaal should look like this green and thriving. But in reality, only certain areas look like this, while others have become degraded and desertified. You can even see from the footage that vegetation is shrinking. And this was already visible back in 2021.


I really hope similar re-greening efforts are carried out across the degraded hills and mountains in the northeast. Many of these mountain ranges like Galgala, Murcaanyo, and Golis used to look like Daalo and Cal Madow, covered in dense forests, diverse plant life, springs, and waterfalls. Now, large parts have been left bare.

China has done incredible reforestation work in its mountain and hill regions. That should be a big source of inspiration for us to replicate the same.
View attachment 359688
View attachment 359690

View attachment 359691
View attachment 359692

Watch this short 3-minute clipit explains how heavy land use, agriculture, and overgrazing degraded China's environment and disrupted the entire ecosystem:

@Internet Nomad @Zak12 @𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈 @Shimbiris

 

[World]

All of Nugaal should look like this green and thriving. But in reality, only certain areas look like this, while others have become degraded and desertified. You can even see from the footage that vegetation is shrinking. And this was already visible back in 2021.


I really hope similar re-greening efforts are carried out across the degraded hills and mountains in the northeast. Many of these mountain ranges like Galgala, Murcaanyo, and Golis used to look like Daalo and Cal Madow, covered in dense forests, diverse plant life, springs, and waterfalls. Now, large parts have been left bare.

China has done incredible reforestation work in its mountain and hill regions. That should be a big source of inspiration for us to replicate the same.
View attachment 359688
View attachment 359690

View attachment 359691
View attachment 359692

Watch this short 3-minute clipit explains how heavy land use, agriculture, and overgrazing degraded China's environment and disrupted the entire ecosystem:

You just need effective range management and it will look like that year round, but since the civil war that no longer exists.

In terms of diversity and species richness, the state of Somaliland today is a contrast to the past. At the turn of the 20th century, Drake-Brochmann described the mountain range south of Berbera as “park-like,” with abundant trees and grass teeming with wildlife.15 This is the main mountain range (Golis) in central Somaliland that runs parallel with the Gulf of Aden and reaches 1,373 to 2,134 m (4,500 to 7,000 feet) above sea level.16 A decade prior, Major Swayne described the extent of vegetation between the Shebelle River in eastern Ethiopia and Adadlay at the southern foothills of the Golis Mountain Range. In one sentence, he succinctly recounts the country passed over “as one continuous sea of dense bush, dotted over with red ant-hills, of the spires being twenty-five feet high.”17

Extreme violence and sociopolitical stability plagued this area between 1899 and 1921, having a detrimental impact on both the environment and the populace.18 Rangelands experienced overgrazing as the seasonal migrations of herders and stocks were interrupted by the effects of instability.

The British Administration in Somaliland Protectorate, which served until independence on 26 June 1960, first introduced range management early in the 1950s through a system of forest and grazing reserves (including famine reserves) by using a deferred grazing system.19 For example, Heemstra20 reported that on Tuyo Seasonal Reserve, which was established in the 1950s, grazing was not allowed during the rainy season (i.e., twice per year for about 3 months) but was allowed during the dry season.

In his comprehensive report, the “General Survey of Somaliland Protectorate 1944–1950,” John A. Hunt proposed the distribution of grazing stock to relieve grazing burden from areas near permanent watering points.21 The reorganization of the pastoral grazing movements in 1951 included a major intervention in water development whereby the administration built 30 ballehs (i.e., surface reservoirs) to capture runoff water. These were built about 16 km (10 miles) apart, along the waterless area 483 km (300 miles) long, north of the Ethiopian border.22 Range improvement activities took place, including the provision of an adequate water supply in consideration of the land capability and runoff water spreading and being diverted by using cross-slope bunds directed to where they could be more productive.

With the establishment of the National Range Agency (NRA) in 1972, during Siad Barre's rule, the authorities carried out a range of activities aimed at mitigating the ongoing range degradation. According to Musse,23 these included, establishing seasonal range reserves, each 400 km2 (154 square miles), protected by local guards from pastoral associations and opened for grazing during the dry seasons. As of 1987, there were 110 reserves all over Somalia. The NRA also established famine reserves, each 600 km2 (232 sq. miles), which served as fodder banks for livestock feeding during times of stress caused by prolonged drought and were changed every 4 to 5 years to reduce the influence of bush invasion.

Musse23 documents how the NRA formed range and livestock associations that used rotational grazing schemes. The seasonal range reserves owned by the range and livestock associations were each split into 8 or 12 blocks. The aim was to give 1.5 years (i.e., three consecutive growing seasons) of rest to about 25% (i.e., two to three blocks) of the association's land at a time. After 1.5 years, the rested blocks were available for grazing, and another set of blocks was closed to grazing. Musse23 argues that the intention was for the vegetation to become sufficiently vigorous after four consecutive rest periods (16 years) to allow for a shorter rest period. Community participation was an essential element in the design, implementation, and maintenance of these grazing schemes. The association committees, which also included representatives from pastoralists, were involved in site selection, promotion of community acceptance of the concept, and providing guards.

During the civil war period (1988–1991) and the political instability that followed, all national legislation on rangeland conservation, protection, and enforcement ceased. The gains achieved over the previous years in range improvement were reversed. The hostilities also affected the seasonal mobility of pastoralists with their stock, causing heavy concentration in areas where they tried to be out of harm's way.24 As range productivity declined, rangeland resource competition began. Spontaneous range enclosures proliferated, some overlapping with and/or encroaching on, former government reserves. This also resulted from the weakening of the traditional community-based pasture governance systems, known as Xeer, which were compounded by weak environmental governance.25 The cumulative effect of these changes brought about irreversible changes to range ecosystems and to pastoral livelihoods"

 

[World]

You just need effective range management and it will look like that year round, but since the civil war that no longer exists.

One thing Siad Barre done great in was environmentalism. There was over 2000 government employees who worked for the National Range Agency. It was actually the second best funded government agency after the military.

 

[Idilinaa]

One thing Siad Barre done great in was environmentalism. There was over 2000 government employees who worked for the National Range Agency. It was actually the second best funded government agency after the military.

This is a paper that was published at the end of last year. I had no idea that Siad Barre's environmental policies were that far reaching.

Some of the stuff said in it , is what @Shimbiris explained about rotational grazing, regenerative grazing and range reserves which are essentially "ranches" in the western context.

Musse23 documents how the NRA formed range and livestock associations that used rotational grazing schemes. The seasonal range reserves owned by the range and livestock associations were each split into 8 or 12 blocks.

It was also local community driven as well, not just a top down scheme by the NRA.

Community participation was an essential element in the design, implementation, and maintenance of these grazing schemes. The association committees, which also included representatives from pastoralists, were involved in site selection, promotion of community acceptance of the concept, and providing guards.

Some really eye opening stuff.

You just need effective range management and it will look like that year round, but since the civil war that no longer exists.

It really is a shame. All the gains they made in during the 70s/80s through environment protection and graze control measures were reversed after the collapse of 91.

 

[Idilinaa]

@Shimbiris @World @novanova @NidarNidar @GaradMusa @Farah717

 

[Chaseyourdreamzz]

@Shimbiris @World @novanova @NidarNidar @GaradMusa @Farah717

Reminds me of the shalanbood project during the kacaan era

 

[Idilinaa]

Said Shidad in 2017 found that Northern Somalia lost 80% of vegetation in the last 30 years.

Northern Somali regions lost 80 per cent of vegetation in 30 years, say local researchers

An environmental study carried out by Somali researchers has found that vegetation in parts of the arid northern regions have

radioergo.org

The survey, carried out from April to November, found that trees in highland areas have declined by a third.

According to the researchers, a population surge, lack of investment in rural areas, over grazing, deforestation, soil erosion, and changes in climatic patterns have all contributed to the devastating droughts experienced in recent years.

Him and Awale Ibrahim has done an immense job shifting the culture in the area to engage people investing sustainable practices to rehabilitate and recover the land. So things are starting to change now for the better.

All of Nugaal should look like this green and thriving. But in reality, only certain areas look like this, while others have become degraded and desertified. You can even see from the footage that vegetation is shrinking. And this was already visible back in 2021.

Parts of Qardho don't look too bad either. It goes to show how much range-land management and forestry conservation can benefit areas.


I don't think I've ever seen a camel chase a horse before what a sight.

 

[Idilinaa]

Reminds me of the shalanbood project during the kacaan era

You are right it's similar to the land-reclamation campaign they did outside Marka.

 

[LacagChaser]

Hopefully they are not introducing invasive species, some trees they brought over from South America is wrecking havoc in Kenya.

 

[Idilinaa]

Hopefully they are not introducing invasive species, some trees they brought over from South America is wrecking havoc in Kenya.

I actually learned how bad this can get by looking at what happened in Australia , they introduced camels, toads, and other non-native species that completely wrecked the environment and ended up overpopulating.

Luckily, the NFD (Northern Frontier District) is home to a lot of wildlife that’s the exact same species as those in Somalia and already adapted to the ecosystem. So instead of bringing in new or invasive animals, we could develop a program to gradually reintroduce those native species back into the Somali environment.