Environmental policy and administrative management

The proposed project site is located in Mokhotlong district, in the highlands of Lesotho, where predominately the current land use is rangeland. Most of the farmers in the district are largely dependent on livestock (i.e. small and large stock), as the major driving economic force for community livelihood. The identified project site is located in Mokhotlong sheep stud, and covers approximately 10 hectares of land. The area became degraded because of overstocking and soil erosion on the slopes due to poor vegetative cover. Overstocking was caused by increased number of livestock from adjacent villages which encroached into the area without proper control and management, and that resulted into decreased plant cover and land degradation. The other cause for decreased vegetative cover is drought. The main focus of the proposed intervention is enhancement of sustainable range management systems through: Rehabilitation of rangeland resources as part of sustainable land management; promotion of sustainable land husbandry practices in livestock and crop farming; and education and training of communities in sustainable management of natural resources. This intervention is in line with the GEF-SGP objective of conservation and improvement of carbon stocks through improved and sustainable land use and management.

Lesotho