The South Sudan National Ministry of Environment and Forestry on Wednesday launched a USD 15 million Global Environment Facility project in the Eastern Equatoria State capital, Torit.
The funds from the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be used for projects in Ikotos, Torit, and Magwi counties.
The four-year project is expected to promote sustainable approaches to ecosystem conservation in the Imotong landscape which human activities have degraded. Officials also warned citizens against land degradation, urging them to cut one and plant five trees.
Josephine Napwon, the National Minister of Environment and Forestry, said the project is a contribution from the Government of South Sudan Global Environment Facility and well-wishers.
“The GEF 7 project title is ‘Promoting sustainable approaches to ecosystem conservation in the Imatong landscape of South Sudan.’ The overall cost is USD 3.5 Million as a grant to be implemented for 4 years,” she explained. “There is an in-kind contribution from the Government of South Sudan and its partners in terms of staff, time contribution, infrastructures supporting the program, and the project was calculated at USD 15 Million based on GEF requirements.”
Minister Napwon added: “At this juncture, I want to declare that the GEF 7 Imotong Landscape Project is officially launched.”
For his part, David Batali Oliver, the GEF operational focal point in Eastern Equatoria, urged citizens to protect the available species and habitat and plant more trees in their households to fight climate change.
“This project was initiated by the ministry based on the status of Imotong following the degradation of the landscape because of multi-human activities that have taken place there. So, the goal of GEF 7 under the biological focal area strategy is to maintain globally significant biodiversity and landscape and seascapes,” he explained. To achieve this goal, Global Environment Investment will contribute by mainstreaming diversity across sectors as well as landscape and seascapes and then address direct drivers to protect habitat and species.”
Meanwhile, Joseph A. Bartel, the Undersecretary for Environment in the National Ministry of Environment and Forestry, appealed to state and local authorities to own the project.
“In our plan to fight climate change, we are supposed to plant 100 million trees in 10 years. I am so happy to hear that Eastern Equatoria State has now planted 3 million which is very impressive,” he said. “With this sustainable approach, let us now look into all this ecological zone and make use of it but you need to be innovative because with this project, we want sustainability. Let us work together, and own the project. We will be doing the needful in Juba and will be visiting you.”
Ochola Bosco Oringa, the Eastern Equatoria State Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry, thanked the national ministry for the project and committed to work for its success.
“You deserve credit for the hard work you have done with your team for bringing us this child (project) here today. We would like to assure you that we will work with you,” he pledged. “We would like also to inform you about the engagement of wildlife conservation and to make sure that within the Imotong ranges, all the forces will be deployed to carry out their activities effectively.”