For years, Sebapala bore the scars of erosion, overgrazing and recurring veld fires. Each rainy season carried away fertile soil, streams ran weaker and pasture for livestock became increasingly scarce.
Some residents believed reversing the damage would require government intervention and outside funding.
Instead, the greatest transformation began with people willing to work for nothing more than the hope of leaving their land better than they had found it.
Government officials, development partners and community members recently gathered to mark the official closure of the Sebapala Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) Project, a four-year initiative that has quietly reshaped both the landscape and the mindset of communities living in the Lower Senqu Basin.
Implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project invested about US$5.7 million (M95.8 million) in restoring degraded rangelands, strengthening watershed management and improving livelihoods across the Sebapala sub-catchment.
But beyond the figures, those closest to the project say its biggest achievement cannot be measured in dollars or hectares restored. It is measured in people who discovered that protecting their environment also meant protecting their future.
Project Manager Ratšele Ratšele said nearly 1,000 volunteers from 123 villages chose to participate despite receiving no financial incentives.
Winning their trust, however, was far from easy, he said, adding the project was introduced at a time when other government programmes were paying people to participate in public works, including labour-intensive community employment initiatives. Sebapala, by contrast, depended entirely on volunteers willing to give their time because they believed in restoring the land.
“This was not an easy journey because the project came at a time when there were paying government programmes, while Sebapala was purely voluntary,” Ratšele said.
“It required people who understood that protecting the environment is not just about today, but about the future of their children, their livestock and their communities.”
He said slowly, that message began to take root. Across villages surrounding the catchment, residents organised themselves into environmental committees, drafted community by-laws to regulate the use of natural resources and underwent training on sustainable land management.
Existing community associations with similar environmental mandates were strengthened, creating structures that community members say will outlive the project itself, Ratšele added.
The project also introduced practical support that enabled households to improve their livelihoods.
Although the project achieved many of its objectives, Ratšele acknowledged that implementation was not without obstacles.
The financing model sometimes delayed operations because project funds had to pass through government systems before activities could be carried out. In one instance, a vehicle purchased for the project in 2023 only became operational in July 2024 after a lengthy registration process, slowing implementation during a critical period.
Recruiting volunteers also proved difficult in communities where many residents understandably prioritised programmes that offered immediate financial returns.
Despite those setbacks, Ratšele believes the commitment shown by volunteers demonstrated that environmental stewardship cannot rely on funding alone.
He urged communities not to abandon the work now that the project has officially ended.
Protecting watersheds and restoring degraded rangelands, he said, remains essential for conserving water sources, reducing soil erosion, improving biodiversity, strengthening resilience against climate change and securing sustainable livelihoods for future generations.
Communities received shade nets, tree seedlings, pesticides, poultry houses, chickens, animal fodder seedlings and firefighting equipment, including helmets and protective gear to help respond to veld fires that regularly threaten grazing lands.
For many residents, however, the greatest benefit was knowledge.
Community Watershed Team and Land Rehabilitation volunteer Setofolo Letsema of Tosing said the project fundamentally changed the way residents viewed both development and their own responsibility.
“Before the project, we were not aware that doing things for ourselves is better than waiting for government to do them for us,” he noted.
He indicated that the community has worked together to restore grazing areas and protect rangelands, efforts that are already producing visible results.
“We have improved and protected our pasturelands and rangelands and we are already seeing improvements in our livestock products, including wool,” Letsema pointed out.
For livestock-dependent families, healthier rangelands mean more nutritious grazing, stronger animals, improved wool and mohair production, reduced feed shortages during dry periods and ultimately better household incomes.
Letsema believes the greatest lesson the project leaves behind is that lasting development begins with collective action.
“Unity is important, and registering organisations is even more important than working individually,” he said.
“Let us not become tired. We must continue the good work because the benefits will continue to come.”
Another community representative, Sello Sekoati, echoed those sentiments, saying the project demonstrated that environmental restoration and economic improvement can go hand in hand.
He said support provided through the project has strengthened both individuals and community groups, enabling them to diversify livelihoods while caring for the environment that sustains them.
Launched in 2022, the Sebapala project forms part of Lesotho’s broader efforts to rehabilitate degraded catchments across the Lower Senqu Basin by mainstreaming sustainable rangeland management into land-use planning.
For the volunteers who spent years planting trees, rehabilitating grazing lands, fighting veld fires and encouraging neighbours to work together, Tuesday’s ceremony was less an ending than a reminder that the real work belongs to the communities themselves.
The project may have officially closed, but across the hills of Sebapala, its most enduring legacy lives on in people who now understand that restoring the land begins with restoring a sense of shared responsibility.
Minister of Environment and Forestry, Thabo Mofosi urged communities in the Sebapala sub-catchment not to abandon environmental conservation efforts following the closure of the Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) Project.
He said restoring degraded land is a long-term undertaking that cannot be completed within the lifespan of a single project.
“The end of the project does not mean the end of the work. Environmental restoration requires commitment, perseverance and continued cooperation from communities,” he said.
The knowledge, skills and structures established through the project should continue to guide environmental management in the area, with government ministries providing ongoing technical support.
He stated that sustainable development begins with organised communities that have clear development plans and well-trained local committees capable of driving environmental initiatives long after donor funding has ended.
Mofosi also called on residents to protect the achievements made under the project for the benefit of future generations, saying communities should view the project’s closure as the beginning of greater local ownership rather than the end of development efforts.
He further announced that responsibility for the project’s remaining activities has now been handed over to the Quthing District Administration and Tosing Community Council.
Among the outstanding tasks are the implementation of the Integrated Watershed Master Plan and Community Action Plans, the renewal of community watershed committees, the gazetting of environmental by-laws, continued training of community committees and residents, and the continuation of soil and land degradation control activities.
