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The Equator Prize 2006 Jury has
selected the following five outstanding community initiatives for recognition
with the Equator Prize 2006. These communities will receive recognition
on 22 May 2007 on International Day for Biological Diversity and international
recognition at an Awards
Ceremony in Berlin, Germany on World Environment Day. Drawn
from a pool of over 310 total nominations and 25 remarkable finalists,
these communities represent outstanding achievement in the reduction
of poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
In recognition of outstanding community efforts for poverty reduction
and biodiversity conservation:
In recognition of an outstanding community-driven biodiversity-based
business:
In recognition of an outstanding community initiative associated with
a World Heritage Site:
AFRICA
 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. In addition to managing the marine protected area,
the community is working to expand eco-tourism activities in
order to offer sustainable alternatives to the traditional Andavadoakan
livelihood.
http://www.blueventures.org/research_andavadoaka.htm
 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]
ASIA & THE PACIFIC
 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.
http://www.shidhulai.org/
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
 Alimentos Nutri-Naturales,Guatemala
The Maya nut 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 Maya nut is not only an important source of nutrition for
humans but 85% of endemic wildlife also rely on the Maya nut forests
for food, shelter, and general habitat. 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 malnutrition, rural poverty and
dependence on imported foodstuffs by marketing Maya-nut-based school
lunches to local school districts. Through
a partnership with the local government, Maya nut snacks will be distributed
in schools as a healthy alternative to cookies at lunch time.
http://www.theequilibriumfund.org/
 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. This small-scale business is decreasing pressure
on the already overexploited fishery by focusing on added value rather
than scale in its production of smoked fish delicacies.
http://www.geocities.com/pescadoazul_isa
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