Generating income + community involvement
Some
protected areas in Africa are enormous in size compared to European standards, but the pressure on
the eco systems
and wildlife is much greater due to the poverty of the people living in rural areas.
If one takes away their additional income from hunting, poaching or illegal cutting of trees, naturally the people will oppose efforts to implement conservation and protection measures. If, due to the improved protection of wildlife like elephants, this very elephants destroy the fields of farmers in the vicinity of such protected area, which may cause the people to starve because they loose a years harvest, no support of conservation projects can be expected.
In comparison the famous bear Bruno in the German Alps was shot immediately after he had killed a few sheep. But there was non of the farmers in danger to go hungry for the rest of the year!
Therefore it is our foremost goal in any conservation effort to provide employment and solutions for income generating activities to improve the livelihood of the people affected by conservation efforts by the Wildlife Action Group International.
The Thuma and Dedza-Salima Forest Reserve Ecosystem conservation projects have over years and will in future provide jobs for many people like in building and construction, road maintenance and construction.
Traditionally people produce handicrafts and
artefacts from local available material like wood, bamboo and
other plants. But efforts are needed to improve the quality and diversity of the articles produced to open better
markets locally and internationally.
The Wildlife Action Group International is planning to initiate a program whereby such artisans and artists are trained to achieve high quality standards, implement a quality control system and find marketing possibilities local as well as overseas.
Another
possibility of generating income for the rural people
would be to collect dry locally found plants, seeds, seed
pots and other decoration material, which is much thought
in the western world. On the right you can see sample of
dried decorative plants and to the left samples of
handicraft of rural artists.
Please contact us, if you have any questions or if you are interested in marketing such artefacts.
WILDLIFE ACTION GROUP INTERNATIONAL
