Dani man in Indonesian New Guinea. (Photo by R. Butler)
|
|
GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS IN RAINFOREST CONSERVATION
By Rhett Butler | Last updated July 22, 2012
Non-governmental organizations are a driving force behind conservation efforts today. These non-profit groups
fund and support all aspects of conservation from initial research to protected-area initiatives to implementation
through park management and community-based conservation schemes to alliance building between government agencies
and private interests. They support and coordinate grassroots movements, promote communication between all parties,
and sponsor education initiatives in both developing and developed countries.
Grassroots Movements
With the recent worldwide trend of governmental decentralization, control of forest resources is increasingly turned
over to local governments and non-governmental agencies. One result from decentralization is that forestry decisions
can be made on a local level, more in relation to local conditions and the benefit of local peoples. In recent
years, numerous local groups have assumed the role of promoting local sustainable use that more directly benefits
those living in and around the forests.
Local grassroots movements, where they exist, are often the most successful form of action. These movements are
sometimes able to create enough of a disturbance to delay loggers and developers from exploiting forest lands valued
by local people. Grassroots movements usually result from new or increased presence of pressures on the forest
from commercial interests. These movements put up protests, work to reform local laws and education, and are quite
often the site for innovation and experimentation for new ideas in forest conservation.
Provided they have adequate resources, small grassroots projects can have a higher likelihood of success than foreign conservation projects directed
from a distance. There is good reason for this success, since local organizations are better able to weave conservation projects into the local fabric of life, and their projects tend to be substantially smaller. These small projects can serve models for the larger national and international projects. Before adopting a conservation or land-management plan, it should be proven on a local level.
In some countries, these small movements were sometimes brutally suppressed by governments, but that is changing as grassroots efforts spread around the globe. In the 1980s the rubber tappers of Brazil became one of the best known movements. They successfully campaigned to win title to forest lands in the form of "extractive reserves" — protected areas where forest products are sustainably harvested by local communities. Another well-known initiative was led by the late Wangari Maathai, who was the first African woman awarded the Nobel Prize for her efforts. Her Greenbelt Movement led to the planting of hundreds of millions of trees around the globe.
Review questions:
- Why are grassroots movements often successful in conservation efforts?
Other versions of this page
print version | spanish | french | portuguese
| chinese | japanese
Continued / Next:
Other pages in this section:
|
|
| |
CONTENTS
Other languages
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
INTERACT
|
Recent news
Petition targeting plan to open protected forests in Indonesia for mining, logging reaches 1M signatures
(05/15/2013) An AVAAZ petition calling upon Indonesian officials to put a stop to a proposal to open tens of thousands of hectares of protected rainforest to mining, logging, and oil palm plantations has surpassed one million signatures.
Gabon convicts environmentalist of defamation in palm oil case
(05/15/2013) An environmental activist in Gabon is facing jail time and a $10,000 fine over his campaign against a Singaporean agroindustrial giant's plan to develop tens of thousands of hectares in oil palm, timber, and rubber plantations in the Central African nation.
Indonesia welcomes Greenpeace ship 3 years after eviction
(05/09/2013) Indonesia has welcomed Greenpeace's ship, the Rainbow Warrior, back into its waters for the first time since deporting the vessel in October 2010. The Rainbow Warrior arrived today in Jayapura, a major port in Indonesian New Guinea, as the first leg of a tour to raise environmental awareness across the archipelago, according to the activist group.
Ten U.S. cities pledge to kick fossil fuel investments to the curb
(05/01/2013) The cities of San Francisco and Seattle have pulled their money out of fossil fuel companies, taking a climate divestment campaign from college campuses to local government. The campaign group 350.org said on Thursday it had won commitments from a total of 10 cities and towns to divest from 200 of leading fossil fuel companies.
Citizen group finds 30 toxic chemicals in air following tar sands oil spill in Arkansas
(04/30/2013) Independent air samples by locals have yielded "a soup of toxic chemicals" in Mayflower, Arkansas where an Exxon Mobil pipeline burst on March 29th spilling some 5,000 barrels of tar sands oil, known as bitumen. Chemicals detected included several linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological impacts such as benzene and ethylbenzene. Air samples were taken by community leader and University of Central Arkansas student April Lane a day after the spill. However, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA)'s and Exxon Mobil's air samples have yielded chemical levels below harm except in the direct clean-up area, according to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH).
More news on activism
More rainforest news
|
|
|
