Project Report
| Jun 22, 2021
What's been happening in Katanino Forest Reserve?
By Vienna Leigh | Communications Manager at WeForest
![Mateshi vegetation]()
Mateshi vegetation
The unique 'mateshi' vegetation of the miombo woodland
While most of the Katanino Forest Reserve is made up of miombo woodland, mateshi is dry evergreen vegetation that covers about 358 ha (8%) of it. The few remaining patches of mateshi are made up of miombo along with epiphytes, mosses, fungi and climbers that make this forest type tangled and almost inaccessible. Mateshi provides a great habitat for birds and mammals such as hornbills, common duikers and monkeys.
The Katanino community receives training in Joint Forest Management
Our project here aims to make sure that the local community feels pride in and responsibility for the forest reserve. To foster this, the WeForest Katanino team held sessions in March and April to train the local people and build their skills and knowledge about sustainable management of the forest. Even the village leaders took part in these popular and well-attended sessions.
Thank you for making this possible!
![Forest management training]()
Forest management training
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Feb 24, 2021
Livelihoods activities are reaping benefits
By Vienna Leigh | Communications Manager at WeForest
![Harvesting the honey]()
Harvesting the honey
Katanino’s first honey harvest!
Participating farmers in the Katanino project each receive up to five beehives to hang in their assisted natural regeneration plots. In December 40% of the beehives were harvested, delivering 2142 kg of honey. A December harvest is always the lowest, but despite this, the earnings from the honey represented around 10% of the annual cash income of households in this region. While there are other hives occupied and containing honey, the decision to select only 396 hives was based on advice from the experienced team in our sister project in Luanshya; the best results would come from beehives that had been occupied since April. A second harvest from the remaining plots will take place in July 2021.
Starting out in conservation agriculture
Promoting sustainable farming in Katanino enhances livelihoods and relieving pressure on forests. 2020 saw the start of the conservation agriculture programme; nine ‘lead’ farmers were trained, and will support their friends and neighbours in making the transition too. Five have already set up demonstration plots with maize and soybeans. Others planned for 2021 will increase soil fertility (they fix nitrogen in the soil) and include cowpeas, pigeon peas, sunhemp and Gliricidium sepium.
![The nine lead farmers in conservation agriculture]()
The nine lead farmers in conservation agriculture
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Oct 27, 2020
Stories from the dry season
By Vienna Leigh | Communications Manager at WeForest
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Graduation Day
The Katanino Forest Rangers’ graduation ceremony took place in September. Some of the new rangers could hardly control their delight and pride on receiving their certificates. After some serious patrolling, there was time left over for some acrobatics and dancing!
Forest fire management
Being a rural community, Katanino has been spared from high COVID infection rates. Nevertheless, to prepare the communities for fire management activities in April, headmen were involved at an early stage so they could then hold small meetings in their respective villages rather than one big briefing session. After receiving training in forest fire management from WeForest Zambia and the Forest Department of the Republic of Zambia, Katanino community members are now actively participating in the management of wildfires that can destroy forests if they're not controlled.
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