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Equator Initiative
The Equator Initiative is designed to reduce poverty through the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial
belt by fostering, supporting and strengthening community partnerships.
The world's greatest concentration of biological wealth is found
in tropical developing countries that are beset by acute poverty.
In these regions, the loss of biodiversity is accelerating as poverty
is increasing.
There are many ingenious and effective ways through which indigenous
and other local communities are rising to these challenges. Unfortunately,
their innovations remain largely unknown. Whether for food, medicine,
or income generation, these groups are using their biological resources
in a sustainable way to improve livelihoods.
The Equator Initiative seeks to promote a worldwide movement to
reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity through the recognition
of local achievements, the fostering of South-South capacity building,
and by contributing to the generation and sharing of knowledge for
policy impact through publications, radio, television and the Internet.
The Equator Prize 2002 Jury selected the following seven outstanding
community initiatives to receive the Equator
Prize 2002:
2002 Winners
Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, Kenya
Before the early 1990's the Laikipia Plateau in the Rift Valley
Province, Kenya, remained undeveloped with little economic activity
except for subsistence pastoralism. Although there was some wildlife
in the area, elephant poaching remained a major problem.
Il Ngwesi Group Ranch is a collectively owned initiative of 499
local households that incorporates an exclusive eco-tourism lodge
and a locally led committee responsible for land and resource management.
A major priority of the initiative is the planning of seasonal livestock
grazing patterns in a way that will ensure an increase in ground
cover vegetation and a reduction in the present erosion. 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 neighbouring reserves. Poverty
at Il Ngwesi has been tackled through the redirection of tourism
revenues back to the local community. With the revenue from the
lodge, the Il Ngwesi community has paid for many social developments,
such as the provision of school bursaries and the construction of
a primary school and three nursery schools. Funds have also been
directed into water maintenance and health schemes. Training and
awareness workshops have become an important component of the initiative
as they deal in wildlife conservation project management and the
further development of sustainable resources. 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.
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Suledo Forest Community, Tanzania
The Miombo woodlands of southern Africa provide a large variety
of inputs to the livelihoods of rural people. Due to the heavy dependence
of the local community on these forests, there has been growing
interest in reorienting Miombo management practices, from the conventional
approach based on state control and professional management by the
forest service, to community forest management.
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.
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Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area Network
The Fiji Islands is an independent nation consisting of an archipelago
surrounding the Koro Sea in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago
consists of some 332 islands scattered over about 3,000,000 square
kilometers. Of the 330 islands, about 100 are inhabited with a population
of around 800,000 people made up of indigenous Fijians (50%), Indians
(47%) with Europeans, Chinese and South Pacific Islanders making
up the remaining 3%.
Since its inception in 1999, the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area
Network has grown to include communities in six districts and covers
10% of the inshore marine area of Fiji. With emphasis on involvement
of community members, extensive awareness campaigns were carried
out through village meetings and workshops. 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. The community members
involved in the initiative have acquired new skills in planning,
monitoring, analysis and communication as their experiences are
shared with other villages. Community cohesion has also increased
and communities are more enthusiastic to work together in other
development issues following the success of the marine protection
initiative.
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.
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Uma Bawang Resident's Association (UBRA), MALAYSIA
Sarawak is the largest state in the federation of Malaysia with
an area of approximately 124,449 square kilometers, which accounts
for about 37.5% of area of Malaysia. Sarawak's forests are the state's
most important resource and asset, producing timber and a multitude
of forest products. The rainforest is home to an incredible variety
of more than 8,000 species of flowering plants and over 20,000 animal
species, the majority of which are insects.
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 income 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.
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Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE),
BELIZE
Toledo, the southernmost district of Belize, is 1,669 square miles
of rainforest, mountains, rivers, and Maya Villages. The Toledo
area offers a wealth of attractions for the ecotourist. Five distinct
cultural groups are represented here: Maya, Creole, Garifuna, East
Indian and even some descendants of American Confederates who fled
the United States after the Civil War. TIDE's ecotourism venture
offers an authentic approach to accommodation and experience.
TIDE was founded in 1997 in response to urgent conservation needs.
This local conservation organization is dedicated to protecting
the resources of the Toledo District of southern Belize through
sustainable development. Ecotourism has been a principle focus of
its conservation and development efforts. 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, TIDE
Tours. TIDE Tours 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.
As a result TIDE has instituted an ecotourism enterprise that directly
benefits both the ecosystems and associated communities by furnishing
alternative employment opportunities and funds for ongoing conservation
programs. Its ecotourism program is recognized as being environmentally
sound, culturally sensitive and dedicated to keeping the revenues
within local communities.
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Green Life Association of Amazônia (AVIVE), BRAZIL
The municipality of Silves is located 300 km from Manaus, down the
Amazon River in an area surrounded by lakes of different sizes and
shapes. AVIVE was founded in 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.
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Talamanca Initiative, COSTA RICA
While more than 10% of the country has been designated as "protected
areas", paradoxically Costa Rica has one of the highest deforestation
rates in the world. Turmoil and poverty in the neighboring countries
of Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador have turned this
nation into a magnet for poor landless peasants. Talamanca, located
in the southeast corner of the country is the poorest of Costa Rica's
regions in socio-economic terms but the richest in terms of biodiversity
and remaining tropical forest ecosystems. The 3,000 square kilometers
that form Talamanca contain a staggering two- percent of the world's
biodiversity, 30 to 40% of which is found nowhere else on Earth.
This tiny region is also home to 35,000 people, including Costa
Rica's largest concentration of Native Americans.
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.
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2004 Winners
Proyecto Nasa - Colombia
This project takes its roots in a vigorous community of
Colombia's indigenous Paez people. Together, they sustainably manage
a territory of 49,000 hectares, partially located within the Nevada
del Huila Biosphere Reserve on the Colombia-Ecuador border. Since
1980 they have courageously worked to incorporate holistic strategies
for natural and cultural preservation into daily life - while
in the midst of civil strife and violence from conflicts in their
region. To achieve these goals, the project has launched a wide
range of programmes designed to promote the overall health of the
community and their natural environment. These activities include
environmental education and the promotion of traditional medicinal
and agroforestry techniques. The project's activities, while reaping
rewards for both human and environmental health, are funded creatively
through the sale of environmentally friendly products, such as juices
and objects crafted from artisanal marble. "Nasa", a Paez
word meaning 'living being', also describes the language of the
people.
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Comunidad Indigena de Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro -
Mexico
This innovative Mexican community of indigenous peoples collectively
owns 11,000 hectares of forest in the richly biodiverse state of
Michoacán. For over twenty years, the community has maintained
a wide range of successful eco-enterprises based on sustainable
forestry, the creation of eco-friendly timber products (including
production of furniture and resins), ecotourism, agroforestry and
wildlife management.
These enterprises have provided a boost to local incomes while
ensuring that the resource base upon which the community depends
is sustained for future generations. Reassuringly, the community's
successes have spread well beyond their origins as these novel conservation
and business practices have been widely adopted by other indigenous
communities in Mexico.
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Genetic Resource, Energy, Ecology and Nutrition (GREEN)
Foundation- India
Over its eleven-year history, GREEN Foundation has harnessed traditional
knowledge of agricultural practices and seed diversity to create
highly successful seed and gene banks throughout the state of Karnataka.
Working primarily with a network of women's farming groups called
sanghas, GREEN Foundation has improved food security through the
creation of a farmer-based community seed supply system and through
establishment of home gardens. In doing so, the foundation has forged
a number of valuable partnerships between farmers and scientists.
To date, GREEN Foundation has helped establish 31 community seed
banks and, as a result, the number of farmers in Karnataka conserving
indigenous seeds has grown from 10 to over 1,500.
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Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB)
and Bunaken Concerned Citizen's Forum (FMPTNB)- Indonesia
The Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB) is
responsible for co-management and conservation of a globally significant
marine protected area in North Sulawesi. Through its innovative
approach to decision-making, zoning, enforcement and fee-collection,
the Board has maintained the Park's rich biodiversity while responding
to the needs of the 30,000 people who live in the Park. A key feature
of the Board's success is the participation of the Bunaken Concerned
Citizen's Forum (FMPTNB) which holds 5 of the 15 Board seats. The
Forum's active and prominent involvement on the Board has helped
ensure that the villagers' wide experience and knowledge inform
all aspects of park management. Critically, 30% of all entrance
fee proceeds go to local communities through a highly successful
small grants programme.
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Rufiji Environment Management Project (REMP-MUMARU) - Tanzania
Since 1998, this project has made headway in its goal of promoting
long term conservation through wise use of the lower Rufiji forests,
woodlands and wetlands. Several of the villages with which the group
works are adjacent to the Selous Game Reserve - a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. REMP seeks to ensure biodiversity is conserved, critical
ecological functions are maintained, renewable resources are used
sustainably and the livelihoods of the area’s inhabitants
are secure and enhanced. Working closely with district authorities,
communities and other stakeholders, REMP has taken important steps
in developing an environmental management plan at district and village
levels. This activity supports and furthers efforts to raise awareness
and train communities in sustainable fisheries and beekeeping and
in tree propagation and planting. Encouraged by the cooperation
of government authorities and the enthusiasm of local communities,
REMP is actively working towards a more sustainable future for Rufiji.
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Torra Conservancy - Namibia
Torra Conservancy covers 352,000 hectares of land in the Kunene
region of northwest Namibia. This successful community-based conservancy
was formed following passage of Namibia's unique conservancy legislation
in 1996. Since then, Torra has established sustainable hunting and
ecotourism activities that have earned significant profits for the
entire community. Together with the private sector, they have also
founded Damaraland Camp, a luxury tented lodge that has received
accolades as an outstanding ecotourism destination. Damaraland Camp
is fully managed and staffed by conservancy residents and has injected
1.6 million Namibian dollars into the community economy. As members
of the Management Committee, community members monitor wildlife
and human activity and ensure that policies for land and wildlife
management are locally informed and, ultimately, successful.
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Sociedade Civil Mamirauá - Brazil
Among other successes, this innovative NGO has pioneered the creation
of Sustainable Development Reserves (SDRs) in Brazil. Through application
of this novel approach to the management of protected areas, Sociedade
Civil Mamirauá has achieved tangible outcomes in the areas
of biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. In order to
protect local biodiversity, the group serves as manager of two SDRs
located within the Central Amazon Conservation Complex - a richly
biodiverse UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1992 they have worked
in this capacity with communities, scientists, and state governments
to ensure a sustainable future for both local livelihoods and the
living resources of the Amazon rainforest upon which communities
so vitally depend.
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The full records from which these briefs are extracted as well
as many other practices are available at: http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative
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