World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007 - (Page 33)

■ WWF staff visited one Malagasy community after a cyclone wiped out their rice field. We found only women and children because all of the men had left to forage in the forest so the community would have something to eat. population is growing rapidly through natural growth, and is expected to double in the next 25 years, accelerating pressure on land and natural resources. Over 70 percent of the people in the Spiny Forest live below the poverty threshold. Many people are on the move within the forest seeking a better life: Some are attracted by opportunities for farming, mining and temporary employment in areas with good access to markets, sometimes driven by cultural pressures to acquire cattle; others are driven to escape areas with extended droughts, shortage of arable land, environmental degradation, poor access to markets, limited economic opportunities, and invasions of locusts. “First, we studied migration patterns and mapped them along with population growth and areas of high biodiversity value. From this basis we moved to interventions that help mitigate the pressures on both the environment and the people themselves,” says Judy Oglethorpe, WWF’s director of community conservation. In the areas people are leaving we worked with partners to encourage people to stay by improving living conditions – through restoring degraded forests, developing alternative agriculture and promoting improved health and access to family planning. In places where there is great pressure on fuelwood we and our partners have taught people how to make fuel-efficient stoves from local clay. The result: Consumption of fuel wood from the forest has been reduced and environmental degradation slowed – and the women in the villages spend less time gathering fuelwood and more time taking care of their families’ health and livelihoods. We have promoted girls’ education and women’s empowerment; our partners use solar-powered radios to deliver information in the local language to help people learn about new practices. We are also supporting the transfer of forest rights from the state to local communities including indigenous groups so they can manage their own forests. With these rights, the communities benefit more directly from the forest resources and they have the tools to prevent outsiders from moving into areas where the forest can support no additional human consumption. Returning the power to the people is fundamental to the success of community conservation projects like our work in the Spiny Forest of Madagascar. ■ “In collaboration with partners, we’re working with hundreds of villages to promote improved livelihoods, better forest management and alternative agriculture, as well as health and family planning in some pilot areas.” Judy Oglethorpe WWF Director, Community Conservation worldwildlife.org 33 http://worldwildlife.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

WWF - Annual Report 2007 Contents The Landscapes of People's Lives The President’s Report Africa, Land of the Soul Building Prosperity from Africa’s Natural Wealth A Namibian Odyssey Natural Capital: Putting a Price on Nature Investing in Fish and Fishermen Wildlife in the Balance Africans on the Move WWF Results Across the Globe A Different Kind of Fieldwork A River Dammed Pooling Efforts in the World’s Aquarium More Than Just the Daily Catch All Along the Equator A Partnership for Freshwater Funding and Financial Overview Statement of Activities Ways to Give Staff National Council Board of Directors

World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

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