Community Ownership

Due respect was given to the indigenous customs and traditions of the target (deprived) section of the community. This action transformed the local community to take the ownership which fostered community participation resulting into the success of the interventions.

The target community felt closeness with the interventions.

The community participates only through the level of the ownership which needs involvement of the eco-traditions and customs followed by the community.

Strategic Planning

The most important feature of the intervention was the set-target and well defined objectives. Based on the principle of win-win at the end of all the sides, the strategies were planned and executed. Another important feature included the flexible and customized approach of the strategy.

Micro and macro planning with flexibility.

Even though the flexibility was kept in the strategic plans but the mandatory actions needed to be executed within time-frame for future analysis.

Ecosystem Discovery

We conducted a scoping baseline survey on how best to carry out our restoration efforts with our women in Kavuzi and Sanga

We have a founding team of experts in resource assessments and livelihood assessments.

Targeted interventions work and assist in dealing with the root cause of problems

Collaborations and partnerships

A conservation enterprise under the REFRESH Project provided business and technical backstopping support and developed strategic business alliances with other enterprises to leverage markets for our restoration effort beneficiaries.

 

Enterprise development ensured a well-set up enterprise leveraging on training.

Building our financial and credit history enables us to become an investment-ready enterprise to finance our restoration efforts and impact.

Assisted natural regeneration and soil and water conservation

This is the process where degraded forests are left deliberately to regenerate from the stumps, roots or seeds,  but man comes in to undertake selected activities to allow the regenerants to grow vigour and health. The activities may include pruning, singling out, thinning,  weeding or even fire prevention activities. 

The building block has proven to be effective. The fact the the shoots are from well established stump supported by already grown roots, the regenerants grow very fast and become very resistant to harsh environment such as inadequate rains. Another factor is that the species are already in their native land, hence grow fast and successfully.  The technology is cheap - Neither tubes nor nursery work and costs are needed.

It is cheap technology. No nursery work or costs are incurred, yet resistant to harsh growing conditions 

Conservation of natural resources and contribution to socioeconomic development

The development of family gardens without the use of agrochemicals benefits the quality of natural resources and contributes to improving the quality of the diet of the Río Blanco community.

  • Selection of edible plant species for home gardens.
  • Preparation of organic fertilizers and maintenance of home gardens.
  • The self-consumption of products from the different gardens and greenhouses contributes positively to the community, as it reduces the dependence on traveling to an external market, improving the quality of life, by consuming chemical-free food and therefore beneficial to health, in addition to exchanging products or deciding to generate an economic benefit by selling the product.
  • The home gardens are spaces for experiences and practical examples of effective measures to reduce the impact of agricultural activities on the natural environment.
  • The development of conservation-friendly activities in the buffer zones of protected areas contributes to reducing pressures within the protected area, in addition to being a space to raise awareness among the population about the importance of conserving their natural resources.
Technical training on home gardens

Based on the experience of the community and the RVSZ staff, home gardens are established to support the production of healthy and conservation-friendly food.

  • Preparation of a training plan agreed with the community.
  • Search for technical and financial support as seed capital to start with the establishment of home gardens.
  • Development of visits and field days for training and technical assistance to families interested in home gardens.
  • Through various technical trainings, we have improved the pedagogy to reach the community in a more precise and comprehensive way, solving doubts and generating new knowledge aimed at sustainable production in the buffer zone of the El Zarza Wildlife Refuge.
  • The park rangers and staff of the RVSZ strengthen the relationship with the community based on trust and commitment, which creates spaces of harmonious coexistence in favor of conservation.
Environmental education and awareness

The inhabitants of the protected area's buffer zone need to know about the biodiversity that is being conserved and understand the benefits of proper management.

  • Identification of environmental and socioeconomic problems affecting the population of the Río Blanco community.
  • Selection of contents and preparation of didactic materials for the development of talks and visits to the community.
  • Participatory identification of measures or actions that can be implemented for the production of healthy and environmentally friendly food in the protected area.
  • The joint work between the community and protected area staff in activities such as community mingas strengthens relationships of trust and reinforces bonds of friendship, improving the relationship between these two sectors in the management of the protected area, strengthening participation as an important aspect of the area's certification on the Green List.
  • The participatory identification of socio-environmental problems makes it possible to find simple solutions that can be implemented by everyone without much effort.
Development of adapted methodologies for monitoring

For the development of biological monitoring processes of conservation values, it is vital to have validated methodologies adapted to the local reality, which requires the support of specialized institutions.

  • Establishment of strategic alliances with institutions with experience in biological monitoring that have developed methodologies adapted to the reality of the area.
  • With the results of the analysis of taxonomic distinction, the greater similarity in the composition of the community between the sites of Romerillos and Nayumbi (Nuevo Paraíso parish, canton Nangaritza) compared to the site of Las Tarantulas (La Canela parish, canton Palanda). Based on this, routes were established for the control and surveillance of critical sites for these species.
  • Through inter-institutional academic support, an appropriate methodology has been developed to allow park rangers to monitor one of the area's conservation values and to have indicators on the population status of the main amphibians, thus guiding management decisions in the area. This will also serve as input for the definition of a monitoring program for the Reserve and contribute to the process of obtaining the IUCN Green List Standard.
  • Scientific research will help define and/or reorient patrol routes focused on preserving amphibian habitat.
Environmental education and awareness

Environmental education is a powerful tool that helps the population to learn in a practical and attractive way new knowledge that allows them to create an adequate environmental awareness about protected areas and their biodiversity.

  • Generate new knowledge based on research or local studies of species important to the protected area.
  • Elaboration of didactic material for environmental interpretation (triptych, posters, puzzles, primers) to accompany talks or presentations to the inhabitants of the buffer zone.
  • Knowledge about amphibians has allowed the park ranger staff to put much more emphasis on environmental education talks about amphibians and their fundamental role in nature.
  • The development of didactic material has made it possible to inform the public about the amphibian species that exist in Cerro Plateado Biological Reserve.