Among the plentiful natural resources in southern Sudan are extensive
forest resources including mahogany, teak, and tree products such as
shea nuts. Although these resources have never been managed in a sustainable
fashion, the decrease in trade resulting from the civil war has meant
that many of these resources have been left untouched. As economic activity
expands in many areas, however, these resources are under threat of
being inefficiently managed and exploited. For this reason, the southern
Sudanese technical experts in the Forestry and Wild Foods Working Group
(part of the STAR/SACB activity) have been aggressive in their efforts
to assess these resources and to train southern Sudanese foresters in
forest management standards and planning. In addition, the group has
supported the further development of lucrative shea nut processing by
women's groups. With USAID assistance, workshops for shea processing
groups have been held, initial investigations into the potential external
and internal markets for shea oil and butter have been made, and the
skills and capacity of the members of the recently formed New Sudan
Shea/Lulu Network (NSLN) have increased.
Taking Steps towards Sustainable Management of Southern Sudan's Abundant Forest Resources
