IOM is working with vulnerable communities in South Darfur, particularly those experiencing large numbers of returning internally displaced persons, to help them tackle environmental insecurity, support sustainable livelihoods and promote community-led development. In the villages of Baba, Fia Jeow and Halouf, which are located around Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, some 4,000 residents are learning to manage tree nurseries to support on-going reforestation efforts. With a combined capacity of 200,000 seedlings per year, the nurseries also provide an ideal training ground for villagers to learn more about tree planting and maintenance. Farmers in Baba and Fia Jeow were trained to use more productive and sustainable agricultural techniques, including water harvesting for better water management, ecological pest control and intensive vegetable gardening to improve livelihoods and food security while rehabilitating fallow farmlands. Additionally, more than 300 women were trained to make and use improved, fuel-efficient stoves using local materials to reduce deforestation and provide useful new livelihood options. These projects are part of a Government of Japan-funded Environment and Livelihoods Vulnerability Mapping programme, which seeks to measure the availability of water and forest and other resources through the analysis of satellite imagery.  The data collected is then verified using the latest information from IOM's Village Assessments and shared with all humanitarian actors to help them set up environmental planning projects. The ongoing violence in Darfur has resulted in serious environmental damage, as families and communities affected by conflict turn to unsustainable livelihoods such as firewood and charcoal production, causing soil erosion and groundwater depletion. This in turn worsens the cycle of conflict and displacement, as people struggle to survive on declining land and become ever more vulnerable to hunger and displacement. "Although the current insecurity in Darfur and consequent lack of access have prevented IOM from fully implementing all environmental activities as originally planned, we hope this pilot project will pave the way for similar programmes in other parts of Sudan," says Jill Helke, IOM's Chief of Mission in Sudan. For more information, please contact: Paul Rushton IOM Sudan Tel: +249 183 570 801 E-mail: "mailto:prushton@iom.int">prushton@iom.int