Indigenous Trees for Life explodes in Durban

“Last year we were able to collect the trees in one day, and now it has taken us three days to collect all the trees from the “tree-preneurs”.”  Project manager Paul Makhanya is reflecting on the massive growth of the KwaMashu Indigenous Trees for Life programme run by the Wildlands Conservation Trust.

Tree-preneurs are individuals from township and rural communities that are taught how to grow trees from seed and how to care for them until they reach a certain height. The trees are then traded back to Wildlands in exchange for goods such as food, clothes, school fees and uniforms, and the trees are planted back into the community or into Wildlands’ forest restoration projects. Wildlands has more than twenty such projects across KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and the KwaMashu project  which started in September 2008, had tree-preneurs trading 9000 trees last year, and already in January 2010 a massive 17 383 trees were collected.

What is especially encouraging about the growth of this project, is the fact that the tree-preneurs are now nurturing their trees from seedlings into larger plants. They begin by growing seedlings in trays, but they are encouraged to transplant the trees into larger containers such as yoghurt tubs and 2 litre plastic bottles, in order for the trees to grow to a larger size. The larger the tree, the greater the value the tree has when being traded for credit.

Sibongile Mkhize’s enthusiasm for trees is contagious. As a facilitator with the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme in KwaMashu, she teaches tree-preneurs to grow and care for trees, visiting door-to-door in the community. “It’s helped the people of KwaMashu a lot. Because of the high unemployment people are living on government grants and pension. Some of the people were applying for these government grants but not getting it. [It] reduces the poverty in the lives of the people in KwaMashu. With this project the matriculants have hope to further [their] studies if they plant indigenous trees. It helps people pay school fees and buy school uniform for their kids.”

Unilever South Africa has partnered with the Wildlands Conservation Fund in the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme. Louise Duys of Unilever South Africa said “The success of the KwaMashu project has given us the opportunity to partner with our other existing projects, like our Thokomala Homes. This in turn amplifies the overall impact of Unilever’s presence in this community – and as they’re on our doorstep, provides our employees with wonderful volunteer opportunities. ”

Sibongile comments on the growth of the programme in KwaMashu “[It is]running like a train in a way that I did not even imagine. I have people stopping me on the side of the road asking me that they want to be part of the programme. What is even better is that we have school kids that also want to be part of this change.”

Twelve year old Simphiwe Xulu has paid his own school fees this year by growing trees.

Twelve year old Simphiwe Xulu has paid his own school fees this year by growing trees. He is in grade seven at Ntabeni Primary School in Richards Bay and is a “tree-preneur” in the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme run by the conservation NGO the Wildlands Conservation Trust. Tree-preneurs are individuals from township and rural communities in need, who are taught to grow indigenous trees from seed and care for them until they grow to a certain height. The trees are then traded back to Wildlands for goods such as food, clothes, school and university fees and the trees are then planted back into the community or planted out into forest restoration projects.

Simphiwe’s mother Sindisiwe Mpanza said of the programme, “I am a single parent. I didn’t have money to pay for the school fees. The trees helped me a lot to make that payment. I got help with the food and the uniforms.” Simphiwe used twenty trees to pay for his school fees. He has also “spent” his trees buying his school uniform and books. He was very excited when he grew enough trees to be taken on an environmental education expedition to False Bay in September last year. Day trips and overnight stays in nature reserves are arranged by Wildlands to reward tree-preneurs that grow a certain number of trees, and they are taught about the environment. “I saw the animals I only see on TV,” said Simphiwe.

Mrs Magubane, the Principal at Ntabeni Primary school, has noticed the change in the children who are growing trees. “Most of the tree-preneurs are orphans. The tree project pulls off lots of weight from the guardians, and the children become confident at school knowing they have paid their school fees.”

There are now over five hundred tree-preneurs spread across six projects in the Richards Bay area. BHP Billiton and Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) seed funded the projects and have supported them for the last five years. December Matenjwa, Project Manager for Indigenous Trees for Life in Richards Bay said, “We are teaching the tree-preneurs to be aware of their environment. The child that pays for school fees with trees is taking responsibility for their education as well as learning entrepreneurial skills and caring for the environment.”

Picture caption:
Simphiwe Xulu, aged twelve, is in grade seven at Ntabeni Primary school in Richard’s Bay and has paid for his 2010 school fees with trees and bought school uniform and books.

Wildlands partners with tourism company Umfulana to help offset travel related carbon emissions.

A tourism company is providing its clients with the opportunity to offset some of their carbon emissions from their long-haul flights, by including the option to “buy a tree” in the itinerary of their tours. Over R 400 000 has been raised by Umfulana tours already and they have partnered with local conservation NGO the Wildlands Conservation Trust to implement the planting and care of these trees. Trees act as a carbon sink by trapping carbon dioxide and creating oxygen, and while it is better to try and limit your carbon emissions, choosing to offset if you do travel overseas can make a difference.

Merwin Rabe of Umfulana Tours said they started the carbon offset programme in mid 2007. “Due to the fact that most of our clients fly long-haul, our company felt it was important to offer them this option to offset some of the emissions produced by flying to Southern Africa and other destinations abroad.” Trees are planted at the Mkuze Riverine Forest Carbon Sink initiative in the KwaJobe area of northern Zululand, on the north eastern boundaries of to the Mkuze Game Reserve.

Graeme Farley, Wildlands Conservation Trust Project Manager, said that the 10 000 trees planted and looked after as a result of the Umfulana donation “helps the community by putting money into their pockets but also, importantly, educates them about the environment and the vital importance of trees.”
Said Rabe “We are a tour company and not a tree planting company. Wildlands is a specialist in conservation and just the partner we needed to fulfil our promise to our clients to really do something to counter the effect their travel has on the environment.”

Thulani Mafuleka is a Wildlands Conservation Trust facilitator, whose job it is to liaise with the landowners in this 30km stretch of land next to the Mkuze River. Landowners are paid R2 per tree they plant on their land, and Thulani takes note of the number of trees planted and visits regularly to ensure the trees are nurtured and maintained in order to pay the landowner the quarterly fee of R 1 for keeping the tree alive and well.

“Before I did this work, I was cutting trees, I did not know I was destroying an important thing, but Wildlands has opened my eyes and now I am showing the people that trees give shade. Trees are useful to fight against the carbon dioxide that forms above the clouds”

Caption: Mrs Philisiwe Mhlongo standing next to an indigenous tree she planted as part of the Mkuze Riverine Forest Carbon Sink initiative.