With population growth and the need for more food and fuel, the land is cropped and grazed more intensively. Trees disappear from the landscape, even sacred areas around monasteries, and erosion degrades the soils. Fuelwood has become a scarce resource with an increasing cash value. Women and children must often travel long distances to collect what little remains. As a result crop residues and dung are being used for fuel rather than for soil improvement, leading to a cycle of land degradation.

This project will improve the lives of poor families by helping them to restore the environment they depend upon. Working with 3 Peasant Associations and 2 monasteries in the Basona Werana district, the project will replace lost tree cover, conserve soils