|
|
EspaËol FranŽais Português |
|
|
|
Equator
Prize 2002 EQUATOR PRIZE 2002 - FINALISTS AFRICA CAMEROON CACID, a Cameroonian environmental NGO, has dedicated itself to comprehensively addressing the environmental and developmental challenges facing the nation's Waza-Logone floodplain. Home to a 170,000 hectare UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a rich diversity of plant and animal species, the floodplain was nearly destroyed by construction of a large hydroelectric dam in 1979. To restore the wetland and the livelihoods of its inhabitants, CACID formed a collaborative management committee composed of park management and community representatives to co-manage the natural resources of the region. CACID has also led local efforts to restore the water balance of the plain. Since 1992, CACID has rallied stakeholders to promote re-emergence of the wetlands through sound natural resource management and small-scale eco-development that has not only succeeded in restoring the ecological fabric of the floodplain, but has also brought opportunities for sustainable income generation. Home to a rich variety of plant and animal species, including the dugong and the Livingstone fruit bat, the Comorien island of Mohéli is a treasure trove of biodiversity. To protect this natural legacy, 10 villages in southern Mohéli began in 1995 to advocate for designation of their offshore waters as a marine park. Guided by the principle of participatory co-management of natural resources, these villages and the Comorien government worked for six years towards establishment of Mohéli Marine Park. Through extensive consultations, agreements for co-management were signed between the government and each of the 10 villages. As a result of the dedication of community residents and the collaborative Park Management Committee, Mohéli has now seen a doubling of revenues for local fisher folk, protection of 45 green turtle breeding beaches, and a halt to destructive reef fishing practices.
Based on a vision of environmentally sustainable income generation, Honey Care Africa works in a mutually beneficial relationship with rural beekeepers to reduce poverty and promote biodiversity conservation in Kenya. By encouraging sustainable income generation, Honey Care Africa helps protect species-rich natural areas in Kenya from overuse and encroachment. Honey Care Africa also helps reduce poverty by guaranteeing to purchase all the honey produced by participating households at a competitive price through direct cash payments. As a result, close to 2,000 rural Kenyan households are now able to rely on beekeeping for supplementary income. In total, these households care for 10,000 individual hives and produce 60-96 metric tons of honey for sale annually. Most importantly, these households are able to earn US$200-250 per year - an amount that is often enough to make the difference between living above or below the poverty line. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
The Il Ngwesi Group Ranch on Kenya's Laikipia Plateau has had great success in reducing local poverty and conserving biodiversity through promotion of ecotourism and establishment of a community owned trust responsible for local land management. The ranch itself is a collectively owned initiative of 499 local households that incorporates an exclusive ecotourism lodge and a locally-led committee responsible for land and resource management. By limiting poaching through community patrols and leading efforts to sustainably manage local resources, the trust has helped to secure a more certain future for wildlife on Il Ngwesi and neighboring reserves. Poverty at Il Ngwesi has been tackled through the redirection of tourism revenues back to the local community. By adopting a collaborative approach to resource management, Il Ngwesi has achieved remarkable success in promoting local livelihoods without compromising the integrity of the natural environment. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
MADAGASCAR In Madagascar, a global hotspot of biodiversity, the Association of Manambolo Natives (FITEMA) has looked to an indigenous land use system, called Dina, to creatively re-establish control over their resources and help preserve the species-rich forests and swamps of the Manambolo Valley. Using the Dina system, FITEMA is working to reverse destructive forest practices, provide food security, and protect biological diversity. By negotiating with government agencies for local control over natural resource management and establishing resident monitors and community guards to protect local forests, FITEMA has been able to virtually eliminate deforestation in the valley. Importantly, this work has linked existing reserves to form the longest unbroken chain of intact forest in Madagascar. Poverty is also being alleviated, through improved food and livelihood security, co-operative management of resources, a reduction in conflict, and an improved relationship with government.
TANZANIA In Tanzania, the HASHI project has had broad success in reversing land degradation through a rebirth of traditional forms of conservation. Through the project's work, people have been able to re-establish their traditional Ngitili system of land management with huge dividends both for the natural environment and the livelihoods of communities. Through the Ngitili system of enclosures, farmers prolong the availability of fodder during dry periods to better ensure the survival of their cattle. Restored areas now support production of more food products, including fruits, meat, and milk. As well, more tree varieties have been planted, soil conditions have improved, wells have been restored, and households now spend less time away from their farms searching for food and water. Biodiversity benefits have arisen from the restoration of ecosystems, regrowth of tree species and medicinal plants and the return of species to the arid region, including bird and butterfly species.
TANZANIA Harnessing their knowledge of the species-rich Miombo forests of Tanzania's Arusha region, the Suledo Forest Community has established an effective system of village-based forest management that meets the diverse needs of local people. After being spurred into action in 1993 by government plans for use of local forests, communities have regained control over land management and have devised a system of unique forest planning zones. To add weight to community anti-poaching rules, area villages have passed supportive by-laws and members of local communities now patrol each forest zone to ensure enforcement. As a result of these interventions, villagers have access to a greater range of forest products, including sustainable timber and products such as fruits, nuts, mushrooms and medicines. Water supply has also been improved, sustainable tree nurseries, vegetable gardens and orchards have been introduced, and maize production has increased from 15 to 25 bags per hectare.
ASIA AND PACIFIC FIJI Since its inception in 1999, the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area Network has grown to include communities in six districts and cover 10% of the inshore marine area of Fiji. The involvement of communities in the network has led to increases in the number and size of clams, crabs, and other species harvested adjacent to tabu areas, where fishing is prohibited. As a result, household incomes have increased 35% over three years and catches have tripled. Much of the success of the network can be attributed to its participatory and collaborative focus, which has ensured that local people are at the center of the network's operations. As a testament to the success of the network in protecting marine biodiversity and alleviating poverty in fishing communities, the government of Fiji has recently incorporated many of its approaches into national policies designed to protect the coastal resources of Fiji for future generations. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film
INDIA By recognizing the strength of the link between plant resources and the livelihoods of rural people, the Medicinal Plant Conservation Centre (MPCC) in Pune, India has achieved great success in advancing the cause of medicinal plant conservation while also lifting rural people out of poverty. In con-junction with local communities, MPCC encourages economic development opportunities through cultivation of medicinal plants, a decentralized system of nurseries raising 50,000 plants of 50 different species, and a network of herbal production centers. By promoting cultivation of medicinal herbs, MPCC relieves much of the pressure on dwindling natural supplies of these plants. As well, through collaborative botanical inventories, villagers and MPCC have laid a sound foundation for conservation work in the state. Perhaps most importantly, the work of MPCC allows tribal communities, previously excluded from conservation work, the opportunity to actively participate in efforts to protect their botanical heritage.
INDIA Often, indigenous people hold the only detailed knowledge of the curative properties of rare plant species. This was the case with the Argyapacha plant (Trichopus zeylanicus) of India, which was eaten by the Kani people to combat fatigue and reduce stress. In a model of benefit sharing, however, the Kanis agreed with Kerala's Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), that they would reveal its properties in exchange for an equal share of the benefits of commercialization. In 1997, the resulting product was licensed and the Kani Trust was founded to represent Kani communities and promote local development. So far, the Trust has supported poor members of the community, provided insurance for pregnant women, and assisted in cases of accidental death. Representing over 700 families, the Trust now provides a critical source of employment to tribal people as cultivators and processors of the plant, ensures that harvesting techniques are sustainable, and empowers communities to become involved in conservation and development to their own benefit and that of the wider world.
INDIA In the Jeypore Tract, Orissa, introduction of new crop varieties and forest degradation have led to a dramatic decline in the number of native plant varieties. For instance, native rice varieties have fallen from 1750 to 150 in number and are increasingly under threat. To counter this decline and to ensure the security of their food supply, tribal communities have initiated a programme to enable sustainable livelihoods and promote agro-biodiversity conservation, community gene management, and environmental protection. Local farmers are now involved in participatory plant breeding and the compilation of community biodiversity registers, which have been combined with the development of community seed and grain banks. Through these initiatives, remaining varieties of rice are being conserved and over-exploited medicinal plants are being cultivated in community gardens instead of being harvested from the region's fragile forests. Critically, market linkages have been created that allow communities to benefit financially from their conservation activities.
MALAYSIA In the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the Uma Bawang Resident's Association (UBRA) represents a community of less than 100 people that has successfully used blockades, and now innovative mapping efforts, to defend customary land rights and access to forest lands. Critically, since UBRA's first mapping workshop in 1995, this technique has been increasingly used by other communities to legally defend their borders and secure recognition of traditional lands. UBRA also helps communities learn a wide variety of skills that provide cash income, including communal rice farming and milling, pig-rearing, handicrafts marketing, growing pepper and fruit trees, and developing sustainable teakwood plantations. Projects supported by UBRA provide incomes without endangering forest resources and are complemented by work in reforestation and restoration of damaged forest lands. Since 1992, UBRA has planted 4,000 tree seedlings in degraded areas, with an average of 200 fruit trees planted per family, and is leading a new reforestation initiative focused on native species
THAILAND For many years, residents of Sub Tai village, Thailand were forced to supplement their incomes by poaching in nearby Khao Yai National Park, a repository of rare species and Thailand's oldest national park. This all began to change in 1985 when the Population and Community Development Association of Bangkok launched CBIRD Center in Sub Tai to deal with issues of economic indebtedness and poaching. In this participatory project, villagers signed a commitment not to cut trees or hunt in the park in return for low-cost loans. To ensure that the rich biodiversity of Khao Yai National Park is protected, loans are disbursed for ecological income generating activities such as tree-planting and trekking services. As a result, income in Sub Tai has nearly doubled and many community members are free from debt. Through greater community involvement in park management, illegal logging in the park has fallen by 75% and the many rare species of Khao Yai National Park, including the Asian elephant and tiger, now have a more secure future.
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN BELIZE The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment
(TIDE) works in some of the poorest areas of Belize and, through the Maya
Mountain Marine Sustainable Livelihoods Initiative, collaborates with
local communities to promote sustainable income generation and conservation.
TIDE has focused much of its poverty reduction efforts on certification
programs and training, including an on-going program to train and certify
flyfishing guides and an "ECO-OK" certification project for sustainably
produced local timber. The project also supports microenterprise and ecotourism
training through a tourism arm, TIDETours. TIDETours subcontracts with
small community-based businesses trained by TIDE to return income to communities
and promote local enterprise. Through promotion of participatory co-management
of natural resources and development of community monitoring, the project
has also reduced poaching of endangered manatees, the practice of gillnetting,
and illegal hunting and logging. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
BRAZIL AVIVE was founded in the Brazilian city of Silves to defend and preserve the local environment and culture while also working to improve the quality of life of local people, especially women. Since being launched in 1999, much of AVIVE's work has focused on developing techniques for sustainable extraction of the Aniba plant, also known as pau-rosa, as well as other medicinal and aromatic native plant species. The project also promotes the home production of natural medicines and cosmetics as an economic alternative for the women of Silves. These products are now sold in stores, catering to local consumers and tourists, and are marketed abroad to generate income for local women. The organization also leads an important environmental education program and produces seeds for the replanting and recovery of regional forests, where extractive activities threaten biodiversity. To protect the endangered pau-rosa and other rare plant species, AVIVE highlights the importance of sustainable extraction and is actively involved in the creation of a Sustainable Development Reserve where these species can be cultivated in ways that do not imperil their existence. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
Founded in 1998 by Brazilian NGOs, the Federal University of Para, and international donors, in partnership with private sector companies such as DaimlerChrysler, Bolsa Amazonia is a regional organization dedicated to developing sustainable enterprises in rural forest communities of Amazonia. With a focus on sustainable agriculture and agro-industrialization, Bolsa Amazónia assesses market demand for locally produced sustainable products and supports development of related goods, including coconut fiber gardening items, banana flour, frozen fruit pulp, honey, oils, and hand-made paper and handicrafts. Building from its local successes, Bolsa Amazónia now has representative offices in all Amazonian countries and assists thousands of families with opportunities for employment. By investing in the future of communities and promoting the sustainable use of resources, Bolsa Amazónia is a model for the successful interaction of private enterprise and communities for the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of poverty. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
BRAZIL The Cananéia Oyster Producers Cooperative is a community based organization centered on the Mandira Neighborhood Extractive Reserve. Launched in 1994, and expanded in 1997 to cover the entire Cananéia estuary, the cooperative was established to reconcile oyster harvesting with conservation of the region's highly biodiverse mangrove forests. To ensure that harvesting activities are within the law, and that destructive techniques are abolished, the cooperative has launched intense efforts to promote community enforcement of regulations. As well, they have worked to establish their own oyster brand. By skipping middlemen and building a reputation for a quality product, they have tripled the price received for their catch. As well, the installation of nurseries in all communities now allows harvesting even when the natural harvesting season is closed. Through increased incomes and an improved framework for conservation, the work of the Cananéia Oyster Producers Cooperative demonstrates the power of community-driven efforts to conserve biodiversity and provide for sustainable economic development.
The Amazon Life Project is a visionary alliance of three Brazilian rubber tapper associations, the Nawa Institute for the Development of Sustainable Extractivism, and the company Couro Vegetal da Amazónia S.A. The objective of the project, launched in 1991, is to make the rubber tapper's traditional handicraft competitive on the international market while also ensuring that Amazonian forests are preserved for future generations. By working to develop, produce, and commercialize the innovative Treetap vegetable leather product, the project contributes to improving the quality of life in rubber tapping communities. In addition to securing major fashion houses as clients, the project also ensures that production processes meet the international certification standards of the Forest Stewardship Council. By involving rubber tappers in sustainable production of Treetap, the project is reversing a cycle of unsustainable forest use and poverty and helping to directly protect over 900,000 hectares of wild forest from unsustainable exploitation.
COLOMBIA CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA, a major consortium of Colombian community and development organizations, works to protect the environment and reduce poverty in the River Cabuyal watershed. Composed of CIPASLA, a network of government, NGO and research organizations, and ASOBESURCA, an organization uniting communities in the watershed, the consortium coordinates efforts to address the environmental and developmental challenges facing local communities. As a result of CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA's work with the water board and producers' associations, holistic plans for watershed management have been developed that have improved social and economic conditions in communities. Communities are now able to retain larger shares of product value due to development of local agro-enterprises. Rising incomes have also helped reduce pressure on local forests. As well, under the leadership of CIPASLA-ASOBESURCA, reforestation and spring-restoration efforts are underway and local farmers are increasingly encouraged to adopt appropriate farming techniques for their steep-sloped lands.
CUBA Bayamo Whole Forest Company is a local enterprise that promotes rational and sustainable use of natural resources in the Cauto River Basin. The project, led by the provincial administration of the province of Granma, holistically addresses the challenges of the region to preserve species, protect the environment, and promote socio-economic advancement. Specifically, the project is working to reforest the Cauto River Basin, undertake hydrological cleaning through reforestation, provide job opportunities, and generally improve food and environmental security. The main tool that the project uses to meet these ends is the construction of "forestry farms". These farms provide environmental and economic benefits to families who enjoy use of 12 hectares of land for 30 years and are motivated through their "ownership" to protect the plant and animal species that also call these forests home. Through its comprehensive approach, the project has created 220 new jobs, helped control soil erosion, and protected vital habitat for riverine and forest species.
GUATEMALA The working partnership between OMYC, a grassroots community organization representing residents of Uaxactun, and WCS-Guatemala, the local arm of an international NGO, is a model for how organizational collaboration can be used as an effective tool to fight biodiversity loss and poverty. Recognizing that these challenges can not be addressed by a short-term project, OMYC and WCS work together to sustainably manage an 83,558 hectare forest concession in Uaxactun. Together, they help ensure that local livelihoods are sustainable and that plant and animal species are protected. These projects include important studies of wild turkey conservation and palm leaf harvesting sustainability. This work is critical from a biological standpoint as well as socio-economically since both local turkey and palm populations serve as important sources of income. The partnership has also launched efforts to develop an integrated vision for resource management in Uaxactun, diversify the local economy, and protect the natural resources upon which local people depend.
Café de la Selva is a chain of coffee shops that sells organic coffee grown by indigenous communities from Chiapas. The chain is the result of the collaboration of the Union de Ejidos de la Selva, a peasant organization, and the Vinculo y Dessarrollo civil association. Together these organizations have developed five successful coffee shops in Mexico City and have worked to develop the reputation of Café de la Selva among urban consumers. The origin of the coffee itself is what makes Café de la Selva so special. By controlling the entire vertical chain of coffee production, the Union de Ejidos de la Selva is able to improve indigenous farmer income and self-sufficiency. With over 20 years of experience, the Union collaborates with 1,250 families in 42 communities to ensure the adoption of better soil management and environmental practices. By using certified organic techniques, farmers are able to control erosion, limit pollution, create a healthier environment for other species, and produce coffee that meets the demands of the most discriminating consumers
NICARAGUA PCaC was founded in 1992 with the goal of controlling a rapidly expanding agricultural frontier, achieving food security, and restoring deforested areas in Nicaragua's Siuna municipality. To meet these goals, PCaC promotes the use of leguminous plants and green fertilizers as cover crops. This works to stabilize the soil and leads the way for crop diversification and improved land use planning. As a result of PCaC's work and its network of volunteer "promoters", corn yields in Siuna have more than doubled and bean production has more than tripled. Adopting improved agricultural practices has also halted the damaging practices that previously took a devastating toll on the nearby, species-rich Bosawas Biosphere Reserve. By helping peasant families develop a series of forestry activities that help to protect biodiversity, including reforestation projects that planted at least 1,000 trees, PCaC is actively conserving the species-rich forest lands of the region. Through its work, PCaC has helped to replace destructive agricultural practices with sustainable systems that ensure food security, increase family incomes, and protect local biodiversity.
PERU With the emergence of global environmental awareness, there has also been a surge of interest in sustainable tourism. In Peru, a partnership between a private enterprise, Rainforest Expeditions, and local indigenous people provides a model for how ecotourism can be used to solve problems of biodiversity loss and poverty in the developing world. Building on a commitment to conservation made 25 years ago by the local Ese'eja people, the partnership has constructed Posada Amazonas, a 30-bedroom lodge that serves as the base for responsible tourism and conservation activities. Since 1998, work has also been undertaken to protect species such as giant river otters, macaws and Harpy eagles. With a proportion of revenues invested in local conservation and development projects, the local environment also benefits from this collaboration. Critically, an annual profit of US$35,000 was paid to the community in 2001 and wages from employment have increased mean family income by 38% since 1998.
WORLD HERITAGE SITES COSTA
RICA A collaborative partnership of three community-focused
organizations - Associacion ANAI, APPTA, and CBTC - the Talamanca Initiative
has worked since 1983 to integrate biodiversity conservation and socio-economic
development in the Talamanca region of Costa Rica. The initiative's biodiversity
conservation efforts include establishment of Gandoca-Manzanillo National
Wildlife Refuge, a last sanctuary for the endangered Manatee, and development
of Central America's only permanent raptor migration monitoring program.
To encourage sustainable socio-economic development, the initiative has
promoted crop diversification and organic agriculture, with APPTA's processing
system becoming the largest volume producer and exporter of organic products
in Central America. Since 1991, the initiative has also run a Regional
Training Center and has helped establish 13 local ecotourism ventures.
As an example of the gains that have been made through the initiative's
work, income in villages has risen up to six-fold and communities have
been able to engage in sustainable income generating pursuits that also
work to protect their natural environment. Visit Website - See TVE/BBC Film - Read More
GUATEMALA ACOFOP is an organization of community-based groups covering 30 rural villages in the buffer zone of the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, a 2.1 million hectare region of international biological importance. The most innovative aspect of this initiative is that, through ACOFOP, these communities have assumed responsibility for sustainable management of resources within the biosphere reserve. Currently, the communities have 437,597 hectares of forests under management plans, of which 241,448 hectares are internationally certified by the Forest Stewardship Council - the world's largest certified forest area under community management. As well, the critical work of ACOFOP helps to limit uncontrolled migration and reduces conflict over natural resources. ACOFOP also provides badly needed jobs in local communities and vocational and skills training in the region. Ultimately, the work of ACOFOP has reduced local poverty, limited deforestation, and replaced a regime of unsustainable exploitation of biodiversity with an era of sustainable use.
HONDURAS Representing several thousand Miskito, Garifuna, and Mistizo inhabitants of the Honduran Mosquitia, MOPAWI works to protect habitats ranging from coastal beaches to pine savanna and primary rainforest. A key outcome of MOPAWI's work has been the recognition of community land rights, including a 40 year agreement on 68,000 hectares of broadleaf and pine forest. MOPAWI has also been able to protect some 230,000 hectares of Tawahka ancestral territories through declaration of the Tawahka Biosphere Reserve. The project also promotes sustainable income generating activities that allow communities to emerge from poverty without imperiling the species with which they coexist, including production of organic cacao, eco-tourism development, and responsible forest management. A similarly varied approach has been applied to conserving biodiversity, with projects to protect leatherback and loggerhead turtles and the rare green iguana. Importantly, the work of MOPAWI has raised the awareness of communities to the importance of protecting biological diversity and has encouraged communities to prevent construction of a dam in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
|
|||
