Proposed Project Information

The questions asked in this section of the Expression of Interest (EOI) allow us to understand the basics of your tree-growing project. We compare the metrics outlined in this section with your historical work to see if the proposed project is attainable, but we also look at the proposed project's impact.

Projects will only be selected if they fall within our three landscapes: Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.

In this article, we highlight each of the questions we ask in the Expression of Interest, explain why we ask it, address any common concerns around each question and provide you with resources/examples as needed.

If you have any further questions, you add them below as a comment or submit them here, and our support team will try to address them. 

 

Q: What is the name of your proposed project?

Why we ask this question:
We would like to have a descriptive name with which we can identify your proposed project.

Examples of good project names: 

Good project names include:
  1. A unique name
  2. Some reference to the local village or a local ecosystem/geographical landmark
  3. The type of restoration or intended impact
Good project names (examples):
  • "Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad catchment restoration for improved environmental resilience and community livelihoods"
  • "Forest and landscape restoration for enhanced ecological functionality and livelihood improvement at Chaka Zone in Southwest Malawi"
  • "Aruban-Maben Community Forest Restoration Initiative through Sustainable agricultural practices, Re-afforestation and a Water Catchment Management"
Bad project names (examples):
  • "Restoring for the Future – A community-led restoration project"
  • "Restoring globally important wetlands"
  • "Sustainable Forestry, Agroforestry And Adaptation Solutions Challenge"

 

Q: What are the objectives of your proposed project?

Why we ask this question:
We want to know how your project will impact the local community and ecosystem.

How do I describe my project's objectives? You are expected to describe the objective of your proposed restoration project in as clear detail as possible. Please provide details about your project's goals, how you intend to work with communities, how you intend to maintain and monitor your trees, and what your expected impact will be. The more detailed you are, using precise figures, the more accurately our team can review your application.

 

Q: In what country will your project operate?

Why we ask this question:
For TerraFund for AFR100 Landscapes 2023, we are only funding projects in the following countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda.

What if my country is not part of TerraFund for AFR100 Landscapes? While this round of TerraFund is focused on certain landscapes, we intend to open multiple funding opportunities and will inform the general public as they launch. We also open calls for capacity-building programs, like the Land Accelerator Africa. You can also join our mailing list by creating an account on www.terramatch.org. 

 

Q: In which subnational jurisdictions would you carry out this project?

Why we ask this question:
We are only funding projects that are in three key landscapes: Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt. By asking the subnational jurisdictions of the proposed projects, we can see if the project would be within the right area.

How do I know if my project is in an eligible area? You can find more information about our definitions and access our interactive maps here. 

 

Q: What interventions do you intend to use to restore land?

Why we ask this question:
In order to assess your financials, hectares and trees restored goals, we need to know the type of restoration you are planning to use to restore the land. If you intend to use multiple different restoration interventions, please select all that apply.

How do we define the eligible restoration interventions? In this application, we use the following definitions for intervention types:

  • Agroforestry: The intentional mixing and cultivation of woody perennial species (trees, shrubs, bamboo) alongside agricultural crops in a way that improves the agricultural productivity and ecological function of a site.
  • Applied Nucleation: A form of enrichment planting where trees are planted in groups, clusters, or even rows, dispersed throughout an area, to encourage natural regeneration in the matrix between the non-planted areas.
  • Assisted Natural Regeneration: The exclusion of threats (i.e. grazing, fire, invasive plants) that had previously prevented the natural regrowth of a forested area from seeds already present in the soil, or from natural seed dispersal from nearby trees. This does not include any active tree planting.
  • Direct Seeding: The active dispersal of seeds (preferably ecologically diverse, native seed mixes) that will allow for natural regeneration to occur, provided the area is protected from disturbances. This may be done by humans or drones- implies active collection and dispersal, not natural dispersal by natural seed dispersers that are part of natural regeneration processes.
  • Enrichment Planting: The strategic re-establishment of key tree species in a forest that is ecologically degraded due to a lack of certain species, without which the forest is unable to naturally sustain itself.
  • Mangrove Restoration: Specific interventions in the hydrological flows and/or vegetative cover to create or enhance the ecological function of a degraded mangrove tree site
  • Reforestation: The planting of seedlings over an area with little or no forest canopy to meet specific goals.
  • Riparian Restoration: Specific interventions in the hydrological flows and vegetative cover to improve the ecological function of a degraded wetland or riparian area.
  • Silvopasture: The intentional mixing and cultivation of woody perennial species (trees, shrubs, bamboo) on pastureland where tree cover was absent in a way that improves the agricultural productivity and ecological function of a site for continued use as pasture.

 

Q: How many hectares of land do you intend to restore through this project?

Why we ask this question:
We want to know the impact of your project in terms of the total number of hectares that you will restore. This will number will vary depending on the location and interventions planned, but it gives us an idea of the scope of the project.

How do we define “hectares restored”? Does that mean hectares that have trees planted/grown on them? Hectares under restoration is the total land area measured in hectares with active restoration intervention, which includes agroforestry, silvopasture, riparian restoration, direct seeding, mangrove restoration, assisted natural regeneration, and reforestation. The land area under restoration does not exclusively mean areas with active tree planting. Some interventions may not have any active planting of trees and focus completely on enabling natural regeneration through improving the growing conditions for trees to thrive on the site or removing chemicals from sustainable production. These land areas would also count as "hectares under restoration."

Note also that "hectares under restoration" has a different meaning from "hectares restored." Projects will be required to report progress on hectares under restoration. Though not part of any reporting requirement, we understand the final "hectares restored" through a combination indicators, data points from project plans, remote sensing data and field checks to understand on how many hectares the  project's restoration goals and targets are met.

 

Q: How many trees do you intend to restore through this project?

Why we ask this question:
We want to know the number of trees that you will "restore," either through planting or natural regeneration. We also need to understand how many trees are growing per hectare of the project.

How does TerraFund define a "tree restored"? A tree is defined as a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to 5 meters or higher, bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground. TerraMatch counts "trees restored," not "planted." Only trees that survive to maturity after they are planted or naturally regenerated should be counted toward this total. Naturally regenerating trees must attain a verifiable age of over 1 year to be counted as "restored."

 

Q: What tree species do you intend to grow through this project?

Why we ask this question:
We want to know the species of trees you will plant as part of this project, as the type of tree restored has a critical impact on the sustainability and impact of the project. Native species are strongly encouraged.

We prefer that you list each species' scientific name, but we also accept common and local names.

Will you only fund native/indigenous tree species? Projects that grow non-native trees are eligible but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  In many landscapes, planting certain non-native trees can improve the livelihoods and sustainability of farming communities through practices like growing non-natives in mixed agroforestry and silvopasture systems. Fruit and fodder trees, many of which are not native to African landscapes, provide real benefits to local communities without harming the climate or biodiversity. In cases where non-native species are proposed, the extent of their use, the livelihood benefits, and the relationship of the project to the broader landscape will be carefully reviewed. Projects that grow invasive species will not be considered.

 

Q: What is your proposed project budget in USD?

Why we ask this question:
We want to know how much funding you would need in order to complete the targets you outline in your proposal. We will use the trees restored and hectares under restoration numbers, as well as the interventions you plan to use, to decide if the project is reasonably priced.

Why do we ask for the project budget in USD? As an international program operating across different countries, we use USD as a benchmark currency to evaluate all financial plans. We understand that some countries are experiencing rapid devaluation of their currency against the USD. In this scenario, submit additional documentation that explains the rate of exchange used to calculate the exchange rate between your local currency and the USD. If your project is selected for funding and a currency devaluation occurs between your application and budget discussions, you can revise this figure during the negotiation process.

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