COMOROS
>> UNDP Equator Prize Finalists and Winners
Selected GEF biodiversity projects:
>> Island biodiversity and participatory conservation in the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros:
This project aims to implement the biodiversity components of the Comoros National Environment Policy and Environmental Action Plan. The project's main objective is to develop capacity at all levels in order to establish the essential technical skills and legal, financial, institutional and operational frameworks that are needed for the collaborative management and sustainable use of biodiversity. Key outputs of the project include establishing a model national park managed under a collaborative agreement, implementing at least two species recovery plans, and establishing a sustainable funding mechanism, such as a biodiversity trust fund, to cover recurrent protected area and species conservation costs.>> National Biodiversity Strategy, Action Plan and Country Report to the CBD:
The principal objective of this enabling activity is to assist Comoros in preparing a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. This will also enable Comoros to meet its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity by preparing its first national report to the Conference of the Parties (COP).>> Back to top
UNDP Equator Prize Finalists and Winners:
>> Moheli Marine Park (Equator Prize 2002 Finalist)
The island nations of the Equatorial Belt are a microcosm for some of the most critical environmental and human challenges facing developing nations. At the same time, these countries, often rich in biodiversity and struggling with poverty, have revealed themselves as a proving ground for the types of community-driven partnerships that can tackle poverty while at the same time promoting environmental sustainability.
Ecotourists enjoying the Moheli Marine ParkAs a prime example, residents of Moheli, the smallest of the four islands of the Comoros Archipelago, have begun to counter a 20-year cycle of population growth, resource overexploitation, and impoverishment by adopting a collaborative and community-based approach for management of the marine resources upon which their livelihoods depend. Home to a rich variety of plant and animal species, including the endangered Dugong and the Livingstone fruit bat, Moheli and its marine environment are a treasure trove of biodiversity. To protect this natural legacy, 10 villages in southern Moheli began in 1995 to advocate for the designation of their offshore waters as a marine park.
Operating under a guiding principle of participatory co-management of natural resources, these villages and the Comorien government worked for six years towards the establishment of Moheli Marine Park in 2001. Through extensive consultations with villagers, community groups, and resource users, agreements for co-management were signed between the government and each of the villages that lie within the protected zone. To oversee this process, a Park Management Committee – composed of village and government representatives – was convened as a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas.
Due to the involvement of community residents and the dedication of the Park Management Committee, significant improvements in the economic and environmental situation in local villages have taken place over a very short time. Since 1998, there has been a doubling of revenues for the 250 fishers working in the newly formed park as well as substantial local ecotourism benefits, especially for women, from the sale of handicrafts. Biodiversity benefits include the protection of 45 green turtle breeding beaches, cessation of destructive reef fishing practices, and increased respect for large marine mammals.
Together, these accomplishments represent a critical step towards ending Moheli's destructive spiral of environmental degradation and impoverishment and, even more importantly, serve as a reminder of the importance of local innovation and collaboration to the successful management of common property resources worldwide.
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