TBA alumnus Patrick Armel Mbosso (TBA field course Segera 2013) — a pioneer of the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site based Assessment (TESSA) in Africa — has been awarded a 2014 Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation. The grant will fund a project to design and implement sustainable management options for the COPAL Community Forest in Kenya.
In a context where local livelihoods are directly linked to forest resources, Patrick’s work aims to preserve and enhance the ecological and socio-economic value of the forest.
The project — ‘Assessment of High Conservation Values in the COPAL Community Forest for Sustainable Adaptive Management’ — builds on work Patrick did as part of a TBA training workshop on Ecosystem Services and the TESSA toolkit in Kenya in 2013-14.
He will identify and delimit cultural, spiritual and non-timber forest product zones as well as zones of special interest for fauna. This will be the basis for designing and implementing appropriate management options, including a sustainable resource use plan that takes into consideration the various stakeholders within the forest zone.
“Many thanks to TBA for your valuable training and pragmatic support! The skills I gained in assessment and valuation of ecosystem services at site level will help me identify and delineate zones of interest to ensure rational and sustainable forest use ”
