Amani nature reserve honored as Finalist for sustainable use of biodiversity

June 11th, 2007: The Amani Nature Reserve in Tanga region commemorated World Environment Day on 5th June by being honored as a finalist of the prestigious global Equator prize which recognizes grassroots initiatives from the tropics that creatively reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

The Equator Initiative led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a global partnership comprising of the UN, civil society, business, government and communities. The Prize, awarded biennially since 2002, serves to further advance the understanding within the global community of the vital link between healthy, biologically diverse environments and the creation of sustainable livelihoods.

The Amani Nature Reserve is one of 25 finalist projects chosen from more than 300 nominations from 70 countries. Only 5 countries initiatives emerged as winners of the international award which is accompanied by a U$ 30,000 cheque to the communities aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of their efforts to achieve local sustainable development.

Founded in 1997 in the submontane forest ecosystem of the East Usambara Mountains the community residents at the Amani nature reserve have worked with park officials to establish an ecotourism venture and encouraged sustainable fish, butterfly, dairy, and land farming practices which have lead to substantially higher production and income. As stakeholders in the reserve’s productive capacity, the communities earn a fifth of the revenue from the ecotourism venture and the Amani ecosystem remains stable and healthy.

To mark the achievement, a prize giving ceremony took place at the site of the nature reserve where the Conservator of the Nature Reserve received the Equator certificate on behalf of the community members. The celebrations were attended by government leaders from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in Tanga region as well as officials from the local district of Muheza.

Commenting on the success of the Nature reserve the UNDP Assistant Resident Representative Mr. Ernest Salla, said that the communities still stood to benefit greatly from being a finalist, “as one of the finalists of the Equator Initiative, the Amani Nature Reserve will be in a position to benefit from the special privileges, such as becoming an integral part of the Equator Initiative core constituency, joining the extensive Equator Net list serve, and have access to our partner organizations and opportunities, such as participation in meetings, conferences, research. They can taking advantage of scholarships, fellowships and other sources of funding”.

Previous winners of the Equator Initiative in Tanzania

The four village communities of Twasalie, Jaja, Mbunju-Mvuleni and Mtanza-Masona won the Equator prize in 2005 through their participation in the Rufiji Environment Management Project (REMP) – MRADI WA USIMAMIZI WA MAZINGIRA RUFIJI (MUMARU). MUMARU was one of only six projects selected for the award from more than 340 nominations from 77 countries, one of only two in Africa to be have been selected to receive the Equator prize in that year.

In 2004 in Tanzania, the Equator Initiative awarded the HASHI project of Shinyanga and the Suledo Forest Community project of Kiteto with the Equator Prize. MUMARU was one of only six projects selected for the award from more than 340 nominations from 77 countries, one of only two in Africa to be have been selected to receive the Equator prize. Hashi and Suledo projects were among 27 finalists chosen for the 2002 Award from more than 420 nominations from 77 countries. The Suledo project in Kiteto finished sixth overall globally and was the second project honored in all of Africa. Both Hashi and Suledo projects were awarded a U$ 30,000 cheque to recognize their respective outstanding achievements in sustainable development.

The five winners of the 2006 Equator Prize

· The Village of Andavadoaka on the island of Madagascar, which demonstrates how communities can organize to manage a valuable resource, in this case the octopus fishery, so that it can provide sustainable benefits over the long term. · Shidulai Swarnivar Sangstha uses riverboat-based educational-resource centres throughout Bangladesh’s Ganges River delta to deliver information on sustainable agricultural practices and market prices. · In Guatemala, the women of Alimentos Nutri-Naturales have reinstated the Maya nut as a staple source of nutrition, thereby conserving the Maya nut forests in the buffer zone to the Maya Biosphere Reserve. · Shompole Community Trust in Kenya conserves the vast and scenic grasslands and savannah to fuel a robust, profit-driven ecotourism venture benefiting the Maasai people. · In Ecuador, in the Galapagos UNESCO World Heritage Site, the women of Isabela Island’s “Blue Fish” Association are marketing a local delicacy, tuna smoked with guava wood, as a way of promoting alternative use of marine resources and controlling the invasive plant species.

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