Duration: 2024-2027
Background
SSNCO is a grant recipient of the GEF-7 Imatong Landscape project through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) on promoting sustainable approaches to ecosystem conservation in the Imatong region for a period of four (4) years running from 2024-2027 to a tune of 3.5 million. The project will contribute towards the achievement of a number of biodiversity and land degradation targets by addressing the rate of loss of all natural habitats in the Imatong Mountains Landscape, including forests, and degradation and fragmentation, significantly reduced; promoting sustainable management of areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry, ensuring conservation of biodiversity; contributing to effective and equitable conservation of the ecologically representative protected areas and other effective area based conservation measures in the Imatong Mountain Landscape; through restoration of ecosystems that provide essential services, including livelihoods and wellbeing while taking into account the needs of women, indigenous people and other local communities, and the poor and vulnerable; through enhancement of ecosystem resilience and contribution of biodiversity conservation and carbon stocks through conservation and restoration of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Programming Directions
Biodiversity Focal Area: Address direct drivers to protect habitats and species and improve financial sustainability, effective management, and ecosystem coverage of the global protected area estate.
Land degradation Focal Area: Reduce pressures on natural resources from competing land uses and increase resilience in the wider landscape.
Objectives
To promote sustainable approaches to ecosystem conservation in the Imatong landscape of South Sudan for effective natural resource management and improved livelihoods
Specific objectives
- Forestry Protected Management frameworks and governance reflect the diversity of needs and interests of key stakeholders and encourage horizontal and vertical co-ordination and co-operation mechanisms
- Forest Management plan developed, and National and PA management staff have the capacities that support PAME achieving biodiversity conservation objectives
- Reduced pressure on the Imatong Central Forest Reserve from sustainable practices in the surrounding landscape
- Sector Agencies and relevant institutions applying and scaling up sustainable biodiversity conservation in policy and practice
Key achievements to outline include the following:
- SSNCO participated in the project inception workshop and launch of the GEF-7-Imatong landscape in Eastern Equatoria State
- Multi-disciplinary stakeholder mapping and identification exercise of the grassroot beneficiaries of the project.
- Participatory community engagement at state-level
- Awareness creation
- Education and training through sensitization programs on radio platforms and school environment clubs
- Restoration efforts through tree-planting initiatives
Implementing partners/ Network members
| Implementing partner | Abbreviation |
| Ministry of wildlife conservation and tourism | MWCT |
| Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security | MAFS |
| University of Juba | UoJ |
| BASenet | |
| South Sudan Nature Conservation Organization | SSNCO |
| Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society | SECS |