Overexploitation and environmental changes pose serious threats to biological diversity and the loss of too many wild species is dangerous because it cuts vital links in the biological web and breaks down the way that an ecosystem works. Ultimately, these impacts threaten food supplies, and sources of wood, fibres and medicines.
In the past, people conserved biodiversity by establishing parks and zoos and creating strict laws regarding the use of wild plants and animals. Protected areas still have value regarding wildlife conservation but, since the Rio de Janeiro conference (1992), awareness has grown regarding the close links between biodiversity loss and human population growth and poverty.
It is now accepted that the people who live in close contact with, and are dependent upon, wild plants and animals for their survival must be fully involved in all efforts to find solutions to address biodiversity loss.
ARCOS has embarked on a journey to engage local communities living in the landscapes where it operates in all its conservation efforts.
Increasingly, conservation projects understand that community involvement and support is essential to achieving long-term resource sustainability and good conservation outcomes. Organizations engage communities for many different reasons, but how they go about this is what makes the difference. ARCOS’ approach is called: Nature-Based Community Enterprises Platform.
The ARCOS NBCEs program envisions to improve rural livelihoods at the household level through sustainable management of natural resources by communities in Albertine Rift by providing support in the development and networking of community based organization as part of ARCOS Network.
To achieve this we:
Help NBCEs to develop business models and value chain analysis aimed at enhancing community benefits from ecosystem Services;
Develop market links and long-term financial sustainability for Community Based Enterprises in the region;
Provide leadership in the compilation of case studies, analysis and reporting on nature based business activities from community Enterprises in the region;
Provide ARCOS outreach materials highlighting ARCOS work with community groups;
Assist in the capitalization and dissemination of lessons learnt from projects as well as those learnt from partners and colleagues on community conservation agreements;
Assist in maintaining good relationships with partner institutions interested in economic sustainability of community groups and ecosystem services.
We will also help to undertake necessary steps (through provision of small grants) for further strengthening of such conservation efforts which will not only encourage the current actors to keep up and strengthen their initiatives but will also inspire others to undertake similar efforts wherever possible.
Some criteria were set by the ARCOS team on requirements to qualify as a partner under the ARCOS NBCEs scheme and these include, among others, involvement in an Ecosystem services-dependent business, commitment to integrate ecosystem services conservation in their business plans and being quartered near a protected area or in a town/centre nearby.
For more information, please read the ARCOS’