Restoring the environment in Rhino Camp through community-led woodlot establishment, mass tree planting, and fuel-efficient Lorena stove construction — reducing pressure on natural resources, lowering household energy costs, and building long-term environmental resilience.
Deforestation is one of the most visible and serious consequences of large-scale displacement. When tens of thousands of people arrive in an area and need fuel for cooking, shelter materials for construction, and land for cultivation, the surrounding forests absorb the pressure. In Rhino Camp, years of high population density have significantly degraded the natural resource base — reducing tree cover, depleting soil fertility, drying up water sources, and creating a landscape increasingly vulnerable to erosion and climate shocks.
The UNHCR/DCA Environment Project addresses this degradation through a community-led restoration approach. Funded by UNHCR through DCA (Dan Church Aid), YSAT established 137 hectares of woodlots and planted 52,000 seedlings across Rhino Camp. These woodlots serve multiple functions simultaneously — they restore tree cover, provide a managed source of fuelwood that reduces pressure on natural forests, improve soil quality, and create community assets that households can benefit from over time.
Alongside the woodlot programme, 1,500 fuel-efficient Lorena stoves were constructed and distributed to households. The Lorena stove design significantly reduces the amount of firewood needed for cooking compared to open fires — cutting fuel costs, reducing the time women and girls spend collecting wood, improving indoor air quality, and directly reducing pressure on the surrounding forest. Together, the woodlot and stove components form a coherent environmental strategy: increase supply through restoration while reducing demand through efficiency.
137 hectares of woodlots were established across Rhino Camp through community-led land preparation, planting, and maintenance activities. Woodlots provide a structured, managed source of fuelwood that meets household energy needs without putting uncontrolled pressure on natural forest areas. Each woodlot is maintained by the community it serves, creating a sense of ownership and long-term stewardship over the resource base that supports household livelihoods.
52,000 seedlings were planted across Rhino Camp as part of a mass tree planting campaign, restoring tree cover that had been lost to years of displacement-driven pressure. Species were selected for their suitability to the local environment, their value as fuel and building materials, and their ecological function in improving soil health, preventing erosion, and supporting water retention. Community members were mobilised as the primary planters, building awareness and ownership alongside the physical results.
1,500 fuel-efficient Lorena stoves were constructed and provided to households across Rhino Camp. The Lorena design uses significantly less firewood than open cooking fires — directly reducing each household's fuel demand, cutting cooking time, and improving indoor air quality by reducing smoke exposure. The reduction in firewood consumption translates directly into less pressure on the surrounding forests and woodlots, and into more time and money for women who would otherwise spend hours collecting fuel.
Tree nurseries were established to produce the seedlings planted across the settlement, creating a local supply chain for environmental restoration materials. Nursery management built practical skills among community members in seedling propagation, care, and preparation for transplanting. Beyond this project cycle, established nurseries create a sustainable local capacity for ongoing tree planting and environmental rehabilitation activities that continue independently of direct project support.
Environmental restoration requires community buy-in to be sustainable. YSAT mobilised community members across Rhino Camp to participate in planting, woodlot maintenance, and stove adoption — building environmental awareness alongside practical skills. Community-led stewardship of woodlots and planted areas ensures that the investments made through this project continue to grow and deliver value long after the project cycle ends, creating a lasting legacy of environmental improvement in the settlement.
Hectares of woodlots established across Rhino Camp
Seedlings planted restoring tree cover across the settlement
Fuel-efficient Lorena stoves constructed and distributed to households
Complementary strategies — increase supply through woodlots, reduce demand through stoves