SDG15 and Togo
Préserver et restaurer les écosystèmes terrestres, en veillant à les exploiter de façon durable, gérer durablement les forêts, lutter la désertification, enrayer et inverser le processus de dégradation des sols et mettre fin à l’appauvrissement de la biodiversité, tel se décline l’ODD 15, Vie terrestre.
As a coastal country in West Africa, Togo, like other countries in the world, is facing challenges related to land preservation with increasingly harmful consequences on the population.
Given the international commitments made in the field of environment, the Republic of Togo has made many efforts to integrate the SDGs into the national planning instruments, particularly through the finalization of the National Development Plan covering the period 2018-2022. Thus, the implementation of the SDGs is done within the framework of this new plan, which has the overall objective of “structurally transforming the economy for strong, C, resilient, inclusive growth, creating decent jobs and improving social welfare.
As part of Togo’s efforts to achieve SDG 15, in the area of sustainable forest management, particularly in the area of reforestation, 6,064 hectares of new state-owned plantations have been created, in addition to the restoration of 7,364 hectares of forest and the reforestation of 1,060 hectares of new community plantations. Similarly, Togo has a forest resource coverage rate of 24.24%.
Among the governmental actions to reach the SDG15, in terms of plantation protection, a total of 45,047 hectares of plantations have been protected against vegetation fires. As part of the implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), Togo has launched a vast process of delimitation and securing of its protected areas with a consensual re-delineation with the local populations of these protected areas, which has allowed the securing of 7.4% of the territory.
In addition to government initiatives it is also worth mentioning the initiative of the Consortium Femmes REDD+Togo, a coordination platform that brings together women’s organizations involved in forest resource management. This platform initiated in 2018 “an awareness tour” in 60 localities Togo for the promotion of gestures respectful of forest protection and the reduction of charcoal.