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The monthly newsletter of the Poverty and Conservation Learning Group (PCLG)
July 2015
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PCLG International and National Group News
Uganda PCLG organised a successful series of three radio talk shows around the issue of 'Can conservation and poverty balance?'. A new IIED blog, Broadcasting to Bwindi, discusses this experience. You can also listen to the radio talk shows and read more about them on the PCLG website.
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The mountain gorilla is among the endangered species at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Photo: Dilys Roe/IIED).
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Member news
An infographic by Blue Ventures Conservation shows how local communities are reaping dividends from managing octopus fisheries.
An article [PDF] from Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH)’s founder and CEO, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, which appeared in the May 2015 edition “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”, discusses how deforestation and wildlife exploitation can lead to outbreaks of Ebola and other diseases.
The Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs) aspirational, wide-reaching agenda for change is brought to life in a new animation, commissioned by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
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Poverty and Conservation News Stories
The United States is committed to supporting African countries’ efforts to improve governance, support civil society, advance gender equality, protect human rights and promote wildlife conservation. Read how in this White House press release.
The EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) flagship initiative is designed to help the poorest countries protect ecosystems, combat wildlife crime and develop green economies. B4Life aims to do so by fully integrating biodiversity and ecosystem conservation with socioeconomic development and poverty eradication. Read more in this article by EuropeAid's Roberto Ridolfi.
In May 2014 the UK International Development (Gender Equality) Act was introduced, making gender a specific objective of UK's Department for International Development (DFID) funding. The latest edition of the Darwin Newsletter [PDF] discusses how Darwin projects are contributing to: gender, biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has launched 'Tourism Supporting Biodiversity: A Manual on applying the CBD Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development.' [PDF]. The manual aims to support the integration of biodiversity conservation and management into sustainable tourism development, and to support the implementation of the CBD Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have released a report, titled 'Connecting Global Priorities - Biodiversity and Human Health,' which reviews current knowledge on the linkages between biodiversity and human health, and the impact of a decline in biodiversity and ecosystem services on health.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has released the report: ‘Payments for Environmental Services: A promising tool for natural resources management in Africa.'[PDF]. This is the first report in the AfDB-Climate Investment Funds (CIF) knowledge series that will gather and share initial lessons in implementing and financing green and inclusive growth projects in Africa.
The 2015 winners of the Environmental Award KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis were Emmanuel de Merode - for his outstanding commitment to protect endangered mountain gorillas and the unique biodiversity in Virunga National Park - and Pavan Sukhdev - for his contribution to the study "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity" (TEEB), which offers a ground-breaking approach to evaluate biodiversity. Read more.
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Featured story
In 2014, the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga exposed the threat to gorillas in Congo. In neighbouring Uganda the Batwa – who have shared forests with mountain gorillas for generations – also face a struggle for survival. The creation of national parks has seen tourism boom which has meant benefits for many people. But for the Batwa it has meant eviction from their land. Now, charities are calling for community tourism projects to help the Batwa benefit from the money being made in what used to be their home.
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Featured Publications
Tourism-related employment of local people around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
This study, from Uganda PCLG’s Agrippinah Namara, presents employment and salary data from the tourist facilities around the park, and discusses the perceptions of tourism employers and the constraints they face in employing people from frontline parishes, frontline villages or different ethnic groups. It concludes by suggesting a number of strategies that lodge managers could employ to increase the number of local people employed.
The Trade in Wildlife - A framework to improve biodiversity and livelihood outcomes
Amid global concern about biodiversity loss and the surge in illegal trade of threatened species, international policy has turned its attention to trade restrictions, enforcement measures and demand-reduction strategies. This analytical framework recommends that policy decisions regarding illegal wildlife trade should balance factors related to the species and its habitat; governance and institutional settings; supply-chain structure; and markets.
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Other media
Blog: Outrage over the death of Cecil the lion has led to calls for a ban on trophy hunting, but would this have the desired results? Read what IUCN’s Rosie Cooney thinks in this blog.
Blog: CIFOR’s Mark Foss reflects on the ‘familiar story of Indonesian environmental issues: the battle between economic development reliant on natural resource extraction and fears about sustainable use of those resources.'
Blog: Read about human-orangutan conflict in Borneo in this blog by CIFOR’s Jack Hewson.
Commentary: To accelerate conservation progress in Africa, improve support to African civil society organisations, say Fred Nelson and Emily Wilson in this piece for Mongabay's Researcher Perspectives Series.
Blog: The Darwin Initiative’s latest blog addresses the difficulties of evaluating the impacts of conservation interventions on human wellbeing.
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Forthcoming Events
Register now for the SEED Africa Symposium 2015 – a unique forum for businesses, policymakers, civil society representatives and support institutions to share their knowledge and experience, explore partnerships, and develop solutions to stimulate the growth of social and eco-entrepreneurship. The 2015 SEED International Awards Ceremony will form the centerpiece of the event, when the 2015 SEED Awards Winners will receive their certificates.
Register for the XIV World Forestry Congress to be hosted from the 11th – 17th of September 2015, South Africa. Take advantage of Early Bird registration by 30 June 2015.
Register for the 17th Annual BIOECON Conference ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability’ on the 13th – 15th of September 2015, Kings College, Cambridge, UK.
Register for the First Annual International Conference on Biodiversity – Biodiversity 2015, to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 5 – 6 November, 2015.
The First Annual FLARE Network Conference will be held in Paris from 27-30 November 2015. The conference will advance cutting edge knowledge on forest-based livelihoods. Registration opens August 11.
Register for the ESPA (Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme) 2015 Annual Science Conference, which will take place in London, UK, on 25th-26th of November 2015.
Register for the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum, to be held in Paris from the 5th-6th December 2015.
Register for Pathways Kenya 2016, ‘Integrating Human Dimensions into Fish and Wildlife Management’, to be held from the 10th – 13th of January 2016, at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Call for papers for the 7th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism that will be held in Valéncia, Spain from 18 - 20 May, 2016.
Call for Contributions for the next IUCN World Conservation Congress, which will take place in Hawaii, USA, from 1 to 10 September 2016. The call invites you to propose events for the Forum and will remain open until 15 October 2015.
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Other Opportunities
Vacancy Announcement
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is looking for a highly qualified Senior Ecologist who has sound understanding of mountain ecosystems, ecological analytical tools, approaches, methods, and experience in integrating ecological dimensions into social, economic and development research. Deadline for applications is 15 August.
Funding & Awards
The Christensen Fund will be accepting pre-proposals between the 1st- 30th of September 2015. The fund makes grants to indigenous-led and community-based organisations for projects that combine biodiversity with cultural diversity. More information.
The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge has launched an open competition that aims to reward innovative solutions to the escalating problem of wildlife trafficking. The Challenge will select numerous winners from the Prize Application pool to receive a Prize of $10,000 - as well as promotional and networking opportunities and technical assistance to scale or accelerate their solutions. Prize winners will also have an opportunity to further compete for one of up to four Grand Prizes worth between $100,000 and $500,000. More information.
Open-ended call from the Ecosystems Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Regional Opportunities Fund Small Grants Scheme, aimed at enhancing the impact and research uptake of ESPA funded projects and the ESPA programme as a whole. Open ended call until 1st June 2016. More information.
Training & Further Education
The Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) funds short-term training in selected development topics for participants from developing countries. The application deadline for the course in strategic environmental assessment is 30 September 2015. More information.
The UN World Tourism Organisation is looking for two PhD candidates for its 2015 edition. The 2015 intake is focusing on 2 thematic priorities: a) Global processes on sustainable development and tourism, and; b) Resilient tourism. More information.[PDF]
10-month professional Master of International Forestry (MIF) degree offered at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Apply now for September 2015 academic year; applications for 2016 academic year open mid-October 2015. More information.
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