What's at stake?
Mountaer their local fish stocks in a sustainable way. Local fishers are now responsible for confiscating fishing equipment that damages the environment and collecting fees for fishing licenses—providing them with an extra income while conserving their livelihoods in the long-term.
Namibia: elephants, cheetahs and other wildlife have made an amazing comeback in the last couple of decades. With strong government backing, we've helped local communities to set up and run “conservancies”, which allow them to manage and benefit from their own natural resources. Read more about our successes in Namibia.
Philippines: We've helped eco-tourism to flourish in Donsol, where visitors now flock to see schools of endangered whale sharks, the world's largest fish, bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy. Communities benefit—and so do the fish and other marine species, as local people recognize the need to conserve their largest asset.
India: Arunachal Pradesh is one of the only regions in India where indigenous people control their own forest regions. We've been working with them to create Community Conserved Areas, special areas where development is carefully managed and conservation regulations are strictly enforced. It's helping people preserve their way of life, and benefiting species like red pandas that live in the forest.
Brazil: We're helping local people in the state of Acre to make a better living by protecting the Amazon rainforest than by clearing it for logging or farming. We worked with the state government to introduce a new law that recognizes the huge value of the environmental services—such as storing carbon—that the rainforest provides, and offers people incentives to conserve it.
These include payments to local people who look after their land, money for community projects, and technical help with sustainable agriculture and forestry. We're helping people develop sustainable livelihoods, such as rubber tapping and selling forest products like brazil nuts.
Did you know?
Mountain gorillas weren't discovered until 1902, and there were fears they would not survive into the 21st century. They're the largest type of gorilla—adult males weigh 220kg and have an arm span of over 2m.
Facts and stats
26 percent—increase in the mountain gorilla population in the Virunga volcanoes since 2003, up from 380 to 480
US$678,000—money local communities in Uganda earn each year from tourists who come to see mountain gorillas
US$1 million—annual value to the Ugandan economy of each of its gorillas
120,000 sq km—area of wildlife habitat sustainably managed by communities in Namibia, where wildlife sightings have almost doubled since 2004
What next?
We involve local people in all our conservation work, and we're looking to replicate the success of our community-led conservation projects in other areas
We believe that what's worked for mountain gorillas can do the same for lowland gorillas in central Africa. We're bringing the Namibian model of community-run wildlife conservancies to neighbouring Botswana and Zambia. We think that Acre can provide a model for international efforts to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation.
But we're also looking to a much bigger community: the global one.
Ultimately, we all benefit from nature's services—from food, materials and medicines to clean water and fertile soils, as well as the joy and wonder nature brings. We want to show people all over the world that looking after our one and only planet is in everyone's interest.
How you can help
Buying Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood and paper benefits local people as well as wildlife: always look out for the FSC label when you're shopping.
Planning an exotic holiday? Be an ecotourist! Choose a trip that benefits wildlife and local communities.
Find out more about mountain gorillas.
Step-by-step explanation:
