The Trees and Bees project is focused on community-led riverbank restoration, leading to social gains through honey harvesting from beekeeping, and access to indigenous species for non-timber forest products such as materials for craft making and tamarind fruit.

The funding provided has helped the Bubugo Conservation Trust to plant over 4,800 calliandra and grevillea trees along a 2km section of the Nile Riverbank from Bubugo to Itanda, and to germinate and care for 372 tamarind seedlings that are currently in the BCT tree nursery, and to support BCT in their other conservation efforts. BCT have identified the community groups to work with; identified illegal cultivators who have been engaged with been integrated into community groups; conducted a survey of member’s needs, worked with community groups to generate ideas around the riverbank protection; established a village savings and loan scheme; conducted a baseline vegetation survey; installed an initial batch of 20 beehives; and developed a riverbank benefit strategy.

The Foundation hopes that these steps will turn the area into a self-regenerating indigenous forest full of biodiversity that is protected by the local communities who will ultimately benefit from multiple economic streams.