The CoCoSED Chart
ERuDeF
The Community Conservation Social Enterprise Development(CoCoSED) Initiative
Full Solution
Group picture during the launching of the Community Conservation Social Enterprise Development Initiative
The Environment and Rural Development Foundation
The Community Conservation Social Enterprise Development (CoCoSED) Initiative is an Initiative which seeks to provide sustainable financing to Conservation activities while providing long term economic and financial resilience to communities adjacent to Protected Areas, Biodiversity Hot-Spots and fragile landscape.
Before the implementation of this Initiative in 2016, Gorillas recorded were between 25 to 35 individuals but now there are about 45 Gorillas and about 180 to 200 Chimpanzee. Also, over 1000 members of communities adjacent to the protected area have been trained on biodiversity conservation and alternative sources of livelihoods provided to raise more income to the communities as well as to the conservation of biodiversity.
Galerie de photos et de vidéos
Contexte
Challenges addressed
The Lebialem Highlands area where this protected area is found is one of the poorest areas in Cameroon. Very low levels of income (usually less than ½ US$ a day), limited land management skills, lack of credit facilities, lack of market access and lack of medical care characterize all the communities in the highlands especially those bordering the protected area and those completely lacking access routes. Their economy is essentially that of hunting, farming, gathering and fishing. Their agricultural potentials are low especially as they continue to farm on marginal lands pruned to landslides every year and their economic options are low due to lack of market access. They depend solely on the forest for their livelihoods.
Thus this Initiative seeks to address these challenges by providing the local population with alternative sustainable sources of income so as to diviate their attention from the forest and to also conserve the biodiversity. And to further improve on their livelihoods.
Beneficiaries
The main beneficiaries of this innovation are the most vulnerable population who leaves adjacent to the Protected Area. They include; hunters, trappers, farmers, poor resource households, women and youths.
Emplacement
Cameroon
West and Central Africa
Traiter
Summary of the process
The blocks are interrelated as thus; group the various households into cooperatives alongside with cooperative enterprise development. The aim of grouping the households into cooperative is to ensure that all the household produce are being purchase and commercialize through the work of the cooperative. Also the cooperative will make savings through the Biodiversity Community Trust and microcredit will also be given to the cooperative to carry out investment activities. At this stage all the benefits (100%) will go back to the cooperative for reinvestment. To ensure continuity of the cooperative, ERuDeF through her Social Business Division (Silver Back Company Limited) will then buy all the produce from the cooperative at a price higher than what they purchase the produce so that the cooperative can make some profit.
Furthermore, inorder to raise sustainable finance to carryout sustainable development and ensure biodiversity conservation, profits from local micro finance(30%) and from the social business(60%) are forwarded to the Forest Protection Fund. At this stage, the money is use in carrying out community-based conservation Initiatives such as law enforcement, anti-poaching, forest suveillance and eco-development project.
Building Blocks
Cooperative and Cooperative Enterprise Development
The aim of grouping the households into cooperatives is to ensure that all the households produce are being purchase and commercialize through the work of the cooperative. This is to ensure that cooperative members can sell their produce at a higher price. Also the cooperative will make savings through the Biodiversity Community Trust (BCT) and microcredit will also be given to the cooperative to carry out investment activities. At this stage all the benefits (100%) will go back to the cooperative for reinvestment. To ensure continuity of the cooperative, The Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) through her Social Business Division (Silver Back Company Limited) will then buy all the produce from the cooperative at a price higher than the cost price so that the cooperative can make some profit.
Enabling factors
There is collaboration between community members and the Environment and Rural Development Foundation.
Community members understand the important of cooperative society to local economic development.
Community members capacity built on the management of Cooperative and Cooperative enterpries.
Commitment of community members towards the Protection of their environment.
Lesson learned
The learsons learned include; more funds needed to intensify the implementation, lack of collaboration by some members of the community,
Local micro-finance institution
It is a local micro-finance institution developed and owned by the people aimed at providing microcredit to local groups and individuals to support ecological friendly project.
Remits 30% of its annual profits and surpluses to the Forest Protection Fund to support conservation and charitable projects.
Enabling factors
The conditions are; Constant training and capacity buildling on the importance of micro-finance Institution to economic development, constant follow ups to ensure its effective implementation, recruitment of trained personells in the field of microfinance management and development.
Lesson learned
The challenges faced during the implementation of this building block are;
Insuficient funds to intensify education of members, some communities adjacent to the Protected Area are resistant to the inovation
Social business company for commercializing cooperative products
The Silver Back Company Ltd is a social business company created by the Environment and Rural Development Foundation(ERuDeF) in 2013 to assist communities in ERuDeF's areas of operation commercialise products produce by cooperatives.
Proceeds generated through the Silver Back Company will be used towards the capitalization of the Forest Protection Fund (a community based conservation trust fund) and the ERuDeF Endownment Fund (designated to support the charitable activities of ERuDeF) and partly reinvested into the company.
Enabling factors
The factors include; Availability of Non-Timber Forest Products such as Palm Oil, Eru, Natural Honey and by-Products etc, Availability of well organized cooperative societies in the protected area and the collaboration of the local communities.
Lesson learned
The lessens learned include;
New strategy needs to be in place to enhance the effective implementation.
Training and capacity building to be intensify.
New products to be identified and their corresponding value chains developed
Cooperative Societies to be trained and capacities built on sustainable production of goods.
The Forest Protection Fund
The Forest Protection Fund (FoProF) is a community-based conservation trust fund established to support village level conservation Initiatives of Village Conservation Committeees such as law enforcement, forest surveillance and eco-development projects (portable water, education and etc). Its funds essentially come from Biodiversity Community Trust( local micro-finance institution established by ERuDeF), Pass-on gifts and profits from the Silver Back Company (Social business for the marketing of Cooperative produce).
Enabling factors
- Management committee set up
- Collaboration of community members
- Readiness and willingness of Local rangers to engage forest surveillance
Lesson learned
- Constant collaboration with committee members yield more results
- More training and capacity building needs to be carried out so as to build the capacity of the management committee in exercising their duties.
Impacts
Through this Initiative, there has been increase in the number of endangered species such as Chimpanzees (about 180-200), Cross-River Gorilla( between 25 to 35 in 2016 to about 45 individuals) and some key plants species. Also, the capacities of over 1000 inhabitant have been built in the management of protected area and the importance conserving the environment.
Socially, Women Associations have been formed and their capacities built in alternative income generating activities. Books have been donated to most vulnorable people to facilitate their education. Support to Infrastructural development of Schools have been carried out in this protected area .
Economically, over seventy youths have been employed into the varous units. Income of households have been increased (less than a dollar/day to 1 USD/day, four cottage industries have been set up , market accessibility have been provided to communities to market their produce.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1 – No poverty
SDG 2 – Zero hunger
SDG 5 – Gender equality
SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth
SDG 15 – Life on land
Story
ERuDeF in giving support to Conservation and Development Projects in Communities adjacent to the protected Areas through her partners starts by carrying out livelihoods gap needs assessment. This is to know the socioeconomic status of the people living adjacent to the protected areas.
When these statuses are being known, the next step now is Household livelihoods development. At this stage, the household are being trained on alternative income generating activities like Beekeeping, Piggery farming, etc. All these are to better their living conditions and to reduce their over dependence on the forest for a livelihood. Also, the household will be given microcredit through the Biodiversity Community Trust (BCT) to improve on their investment and at the same time the household will do savings for future investment at the BCT. Moreover, the benefits made at the level of household will go back to them through the sales of their produce. Furthermore, the household will also receive some donations like piglets from ERuDeF meanwhile after the elapse of one year, the household need to give back the piglet that was donated to him/her in the form of a pass on gift which will then be given to the next household and the process continues.
When household developments have been completed, the next step is to group the various households into cooperatives alongside with cooperative enterprise development. The aim of grouping the households into cooperative is to ensure that all the household produce are being purchase and commercialize through the work of the cooperative. Also the cooperative will make savings through the BCT and microcredit will also be given to the cooperative to carry out investment activities. At this stage all the benefits (100%) will go back to the cooperative for reinvestment. To ensure continuity of the cooperative, ERuDeF through her Social Business Division will then buy all the produce from the cooperative at a price higher than what they purchase the produce so that the cooperative can make some profit.
The Silver Back Company Ltd will then look for market to sell the produce she purchased from the cooperatives. At this stage, 40% of its profit will be reinvested into the company while 60% will go to the ERuDeF Endowment Fund. At this level, 30% of the Fund will go to the protected area management while the remaining 30% will go to the Forest Protection Fund (FoProF).
At the level of the BCT, 30% of its annual benefit will also go to FoProF.
