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After an extensive process of evaluation, the Equator
Initiative's Technical Advisory Committee has selected an exceptional
subset of 25 finalist initiatives, from a total pool of 310 nominations
from 70 nations.
Association Songtaab-Yalgré
Burkina Faso
Burkina
Faso’s rural women’s association,
Songtaab-Yalgré,
has been working to produce organic shea butter for export internationally
for 12 years. The association now works with 11 villages and over 3,000
women, distributing income equally amongst members of the collective.
As a result of this initiative, the income of 1140 rural women has tripled
and nearly 20,000 shea nut trees are protected and managed without pesticides.
The association devotes a portion of its resources to HIV/AIDS education
and literacy training for women and youth.
www.songtaaba.net
Pole Pole Foundation/Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Democratice Republic of the Congo
Amidst political turmoil and regional unrest, the Pole Pole Foundation
has provided sanctuary for Kahuzi-Biega National Park’s native
animals and plants. Based in the park, the foundation has been a driving
force in the local conservation movement since its inception in 1992.
This progressive initiative works closely with local communities through
its carving programs ‘poachers to artisans’, environmental
education, reintegration of displaced indigenous families, and reforestation
efforts. A tree nursery provides seedlings for the reforestation project
that has planted 426,000 trees since 1997 and supplies timber and firewood,
as well as raw materials for traditional crafts.
Kipsaina Crane and Wetland Conservation Group
Kenya
The Kipsaina Crane and Wetlands Conservation Group (KCWCG) formed in
1990 as a partnership of local communities to conserve and restore the
Saiwa Swamp National Park in Kenya. Through protecting and restoring
wetland areas, this initiative has ensured that neighbouring communities
have access to a reliable and clean source of water year round. As a
result of the conservation group’s efforts, community members are
now engaged in new types of business such as beekeeping, eco-tourism,
and agro-forestry. These efforts have resulted in a fivefold increase
in the grey crowned crane population as well as increased income from
honey, fish, and produce sales.
Shompole Community Trust
Kenya
Since 1979, the Shompole Ranch, spanning over 62,000 hectares
of Kenya’s grasslands and savannahs, has preserved and restored
the local environment. Re-emerging and thriving wetlands have attracted
an increasing number of tourists. Revenue from ecotourism has been invested
through the Shompole Community Trust in protecting and restoring the
environment, as well as in funding healthcare services, education, water
supply, and school fees. The trust, a legally recognized corporation,
is owned by the Maasai people and addresses issues of socio-economic
development on behalf of the community.
http://www.shompole.com
Local Ecotourism Company
Received Global Recognition (Kenya
Times, 18 August 2007) [PDF]
Kenyan Group Ranch
Scoops Top UN Award (The
Standard, 18 August 2007) [PDF]
Shompole Wins UNDP
Equator Prize (UNDP
Kenya, 18 September 2007)
Ecotourism in Kenya
honoured (Nairoby Star, 19 September 2007) [PDF]
The Village of Andavadoaka
Madagascar
Economic and environmental factors in Madagascar’s village
of Andavadoaka were threatening the local octopus population, putting
a major strain on the village’s traditional source of livelihood.
In response, village leaders teamed up with marine conservationists to
stabilize the species. Combining traditional knowledge with modern science,
the two parties formulated a plan involving seasonal bans on octopus
fishing. As a result of this project, the average octopus size and catch
has increased steadily. The project is being used as a model in the development
of a marine protected area network that incorporates twelve nearby villages.
www.andavadoaka.com
Pole
des actions d’integration des droits humaines en
Afrique (PACINDHA)
African Center for the Integration of Human Rights
Mali
In the Malian community of Ouelessebougou, the
Detarium Microcarpum plant provides fuel wood, oil, and medicines,
as well as being an important source of nutrition and income. In 2004,
PACINDHA, in partnership with the community and local authorities,
set out to restore the plant population, which had been endangered
by overuse and bush fires. Community protection committees in 10 villages
have since protected and restored 200 hectares of degraded Detarium
Microcarpum. Sustainable harvests have provided income for women’s cooperatives, children’s
school fees, agricultural tools and livestock
Collectif des Groupements
d’Interets Economiques des Femmes
pour la Protection de la Nature (COPRONAT)
Women’s collective for the advancement of economic
well-being and the protection of nature
Senegal
Since 1988, COPRONAT, a partnership between
local communities and the Senegalese government, has protected the
Popenguine Natural Reserve. This collective of women’s groups
in nine villages is responsible for managing mangrove nurseries, reforestation,
waste management, and environmental education. The group has made significant
contributions towards restoring the mangrove ecosystem and preserving
the biodiversity of the reserve and surrounding areas, affecting a
total of 100 square kilometers. Their success has seen the progressive
return of threatened jackal, mongoose, civet, gray duiker, patas monkey
and bushbuck. Collective members benefit from access to micro-credit
for income generating activities and butane gas as an alternative to
fuel wood.
Amani Nature Reserve
Tanzania
The Amani Nature Reserve was founded in 1997
in the submontane forest ecosystem of the East Usambara Mountains. Communities
resident in the reserve have worked with park officials to establish
an ecotourism venture and encourage sustainable fish, butterfly, dairy,
and land farming practices which have lead to substantially higher production
and income. Training on bio-intensive gardening, soil erosion, and sustainable
forestry practices has also spread throughout the communities that live
in the reserve. As stakeholders in the reserve’s productive capacity,
the communities earn a fifth of the revenue from the ecotourism venture
and the Amani ecosystem remains stable and healthy.
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha
Bangladesh
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha uses Bangladesh’s extensive river
network to spread environmental education. Boats have been outfitted
to travel from farm to farm bringing new technologies, information, strategies,
and tools. Villagers have learned and implemented ways to avoid problems
such as soil erosion, ground and water contamination, over-fishing, and
habitat destruction. Access to this information has resulted in higher
income which has enabled residents to pay their children’s education
expenses, gain access to better healthcare, and improve living conditions.
The Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha reaches an estimated 87,000 families
each year.
www.shidhulai.org
Aharam
(TCPC) Traditional Crops Producers’ Company*
India
Aharam TCPC is an agro-biodiversity enterprise
that works with marginal farmers and landless laborers to encourage the
conservation of traditional crop diversity in Tamilnadu, India. Aharam’s
activities include the collection and cultivation of over 50 seed varieties
for 15 species of traditional crops, the sustainable collection of 45
species of medicinal herbs and the provision of training in organic farming
to local farmers. By facilitating access to new markets and marketing
locally-produced and collected crops, Aharam has generated increased
income for 150 farmer, artisan and self-help groups. This initiative
has also contributed to the response to the 2004 tsunami by assisting
survivors to produce high value goods and develop practices to reduce
vulnerability to future disasters.
Nam Ha Ecoguide Service
Lao PDR
The Nam Ha National Protected Area hires and trains local residents
as ecoguides and operators of village-based lodges and forest camps.
Nam Ha guides and service providers monitor threats to biodiversity in
the protected area and advise on appropriate levels and means to harvest
forest-based resources. The members of the Ecoguide Service also prevent
the sale of wildlife, as well as manage animal and plant sanctuaries
in their villages. Additional income earned through the Ecoguide Service
has been invested in medical services and rice supplies to fill seasonal
shortages. The Ecoguide Service has also supported a Village Development
Fund which has put in place clean water systems, footbridges, reservoirs
and access roads.
Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative (SWMI)
Papua New Guinea
Fire-related environmental degradation and unsustainable harvesting
practices in the wetlands of the upper Sepik River in Papau New Guinea
threatened the crocodile population, a valuable resource to local communities.
In response, the communities partnered with the government, NGOs, and
businesses to find a solution. SWMI established guidelines for the sustainable
harvest of crocodile eggs, and oversees protective measures for nesting
crocodiles and their habitat. These activities have led to a reassuring
rise in the crocodile population as revenue from the sustainable harvest
of crocodile skins and eggs provides valued income to the stakeholder
communities.
Pederasyon
sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug Nagpasig-uli
sa Kinaiyahan Inc. (PENAGMANNAK)
The Federation of United Farmers People’s Organization
Philippines
PENAGMANNAK, a federation of 17 community organizations, works to protect
the Mt. Talinis - Twin Lakes Biodiversity Conservation Area. Through
a comprehensive set of conservation initiatives, the local farmers are
engaged in soil and water management while others community members help
monitor and evaluate biodiversity in the surrounding forests. The establishment
of a community-based wildlife sanctuary, home to thousands of endemic
flying foxes, has been a notable success. A growing ecotourism industry
has raised enough revenue to allow most of the local children to attend
school.
Center for Empowerment and Resource Development (CERD)
Philippines
In 1996, the Center for Empowerment and Resource Development (CERD)
entered into partnership with the local village leaders in Hinatuan Bay
to catalyze environmental conservation and economic development. The
initiative has included the creation of seven fish sanctuaries, restoration
of 117 hectares of mangroves, and successful lobbying for reform of local
fishing law. As a result, the fish population has increased by nearly
a third while average fish catches have increased by 50%. With these
improvements to the fishery, the average income within the community
has doubled.
http://cerd.ph/
Crab Bay Community Resource Management Initiative
Vanuatu
The Malekula Island community launched the Crab
Bay Community Resource Management Initiative in 2000 to halt the decline
of the local marine ecosystem. With the closure of six hundred hectares
of fishing area and the provision of village-based education in sustainable
resource management, the initiative has successfully replenished the
local land crab population. With over 90% of the community involved in
the project, the number of crab burrows has increased eightfold and the
number of Trochi (seashells) has grown fivefold in only two years. The
revitalized local fishery supplies the community with food and the sale
of surpluses has led to increased income which has gone largely towards
children’s school fees, and
basic health services.
Phu My Lepironia Wetland Conservation Project
Viet Nam
The lepironia grasses that grow near Phu My
Village are customarily woven into a variety of traditional handicrafts.
These grasses comprise the last extensive remnant of lepironia grassland
ecosystem of the Mekong river delta. To save the species as well as the
community’s most valuable
resource, the Phu My Lepironia Wetland Conservation Project was born. Villagers
have been enforcing a new model of lepironia harvesting, such that harvesting
only the desirable grasses has replaced mass and indiscriminant cutting.
Invasive weeds have also been targeted and eradicated. As a result of these
new practices, the lepironia crop has grown significantly and the average
income amongst the villagers has tripled.
FrutaSã, Industria e Comércio Exportação
Ltda.
FrutaSã, Industry and Trade Export Ltd.
Brazil
FrutaSã is a joint conservation-business partnership venture
owned by a local indigenous association and an NGO. FrutaSã is
creating income for indigenous populations and small farmers through
the sustainable extraction, marketing, and sales of native fruit pulps
from the threatened Cerrado region of Brazil. The sustainable use of
native fruits is helping stop the Cerrado from being completely converted
to pasture and soy plantations. In addition to generating income
for over 300 families in the region, FrutaSa has supervised the creation
of a 160,000 hectare national park, and routinely lobbies the government
for environmental public policies and rights for the local community.
CoopeTárcoles R.L. – Cooperativa de Pescadores
Artesanales de Tárcoles
Artisan Fishing Cooperative of Tárcoles
Costa Rica
The first fishing cooperative in Central
America to develop a Code of Responsible Fishing, CoopeTárcoles R.L. works to preserve local
fishery customs in order to ensure the sustainability of fishing and
conservation of sea life. Since 90% of the population in Tárcoles
makes their living off the fishery, it is of utmost importance to maintain
the viability of this resource. CoopeTárcoles provides a conservation
education database for local fishermen to keep track of catches and monitor
endangered species. They also work with various institutions to gain
national recognition, and partner with hotels to provide guided tours
of the fishing cooperative to promote a better understanding of local
fishing practices.
Asociación de Mujeres de Isabela “Pescado
Azul”
Isabela Women’s Association “Blue Fish”
Ecuador
This women’s cooperative on the Island of Isabela in the Galápagos
Islands is providing jobs for unemployed women and sustainable economic
alternatives for fishermen. Traditionally, the fishermen have relied
on declining coastal sea cucumber, lobster, and shark populations for
their livelihood. The Mujeres de Isabela association provides an alternative
by creating a market for tuna, a migratory species, which is processed,
smoked and sold to tourists. The project also contributes to the conservation
of the Galapagos by using guava wood, a destructive invasive species,
to smoke the fish.
Federación Plurinacional de Turismo
Comunitario del Ecuador (FEPTCE)
Federation for Ecuadorian Community Tourism
Ecuador
A partnership of sixty community-based initiatives
composed of indigenous peoples, afro-Ecuadorians, and farmers, FEPTCE
focuses on encouraging eco-friendly tourism. Since FEPTCE’s establishment in 2002, participating
communities have experienced an increased quality of life, gaining access
to health services and education, increased employment, and public interest
in biodiversity and agriculture. Communities have invested in reforestation
and the protection of native flora and fauna, successfully protecting
25,000 hectares in order to use the region’s biodiversity as a
marketing tool to promote tourism. Conserving biodiversity has permitted
the FEPTCE communities to diversify their economy, leading to added income
and an improved standard of living.
www.turismocomunitario.ec
Alimentos Nutri-Naturales,
SA
Guatemala
Maya Nut (Brosimum alicastrum) was once a staple food for the
ancient Mayans but is threatened with extinction due to the spread of
logging and conversion of land to agriculture. In the buffer zone of
the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala, 56 women own and manage a business
which employs over 650 community members to process Maya Nut to
feed their families and earn income. The project has resulted in the
conservation of 90,000 hectares of maya nut forests and the planting
of 150,000 new trees across Guatemala. Alimentos Nutri Naturales
has created a local initiative to resolve food security, malnutrition,
rural poverty and dependence on imported foodstuffs by marketing Maya
Nut-based school lunches to local school districts.
www.theequilibriumfund.org
Asociación para la Conservación de la Reserva
Indígena BIOITZA
The Association for the Protection of the Itzá Biosphere
Guatemala
The Association for the Protection of the
Itzá Biosphere (BIOITZA)
is a non-profit organization owned by the Maya Itza, indigenous inhabitants
of the forests of Petén, Guatemala. This indigenous association
of 66 families protects the biodiversity of the 3,600 hectare BIOITZA
reserve through income-generating activities such as the sustainable
production of shampoos and soaps, and the processing of traditional medicinal
plants. The organization also creates revenue by offering Spanish language
classes to tourists and guided tours through its medicinal garden and
surrounding areas of natural and cultural importance.
www.ecobioitza.org
Community
Tours Sian Ka’an (CTSK)
Mexico
Community Tours Sian Ka'an (CTSK), Mayan for “where the sky is
born,” is a community-based, ecologically-sustainable tourism alliance
of three Mayan cooperatives in the UNESCO Sian Ka’an Biosphere
Reserve. By regulating the influx of tourists and providing high quality
services, they have been able to raise their tour prices by 40% leading
to increased community income with the least amount of environmental
impact. CTSK is both financially and environmentally sustainable, estimating
that tourism in Sian Ka’an attracts over USD $5 million annually
and dedicating 5% of its income to conserve the local ecosystem.
www.siankaantours.org
Sociedad
Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera “Pescadores
de Vigía Chico y Cozumel”
Cooperative Fish Production Society “Fisherman of
Vigia Chico and Cozumel”
Mexico
Working together, these two fishing cooperatives
promote the sustainable management of lobster fishing within the Sian
Ka’an Biosphere Reserve,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. A
community trust fund, endowed by external donors, enables fishermen to
buy more expensive lobster traps made out of concrete. Replacing traditional
palm tree traps has helped conserve the endangered palm species. The
trust fund also provides security to local fishermen and their families
in times of financial difficulty and natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Strategically involving all members of the cooperatives in decision-making
has drastically decreased illegal and environmentally destructive fishing
practices.
Asociación para la Investigación
y el Desarrollo Integral (AIDER)
Association for the Integrated Development and Research
Peru
Working in partnership with 14 indigenous communities, AIDER has developed
a community-based forest management plan for the Ucayali region in the
Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The community-led conservation area covers
150,000 hectares of rainforest, a critical habitat for 21 species listed
as endangered by the Peruvian government due to illegal extraction, hunting,
and harmful commercial activities. Characterized by its participative,
intercultural, and gender-balanced approach, AIDER strengthens the capacity
of local communities to manage their natural heritage in a sustainable
manner.
www.aider.com.pe
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