Video interviews: Why are rewards for environmental services important for Africa?
Apr 30, 2009 by admin
We posed this question to participants who attended the training workshop on “Building Ecosystems Services Capacity in Semi-Arid Africa” in Kenya. The responses were as interesting and varied as the participants themselves.
 Click above to view Serge's video |
Serge Ngendakumana from the PRESA site in Guinea said that rewards for environmental services can reverse environmental degradation in Africa. Rewarding communities for engaging in conservation is key to stopping the loss of endangered plants and animal species through participatory conservation.
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 Click above to view Annah's video |
Annah Agasha, who is collaborating with PRESA in Western Uganda, explains that conservation activities in Africa have for long been carried out without any incentive to local communities.
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Most participants see rewards for environmental services as a sustainable way of conserving the forests of Africa, while benefiting local communities. Where rewards take the form of cash payments, farmers can use the money to invest in sustainable land use practices such as implementing soil conservation and agroforestry.
Please visit the PRESA video website to see more interviews. The address is http://presa.blip.tv
Thank you for your programmes in agroforestry.
I need to know more about your assistance to farmers doing large scale forestry farming.
My home district is Ntungamo where iam engaged in forest farming with now over ten thousand trees. Iam still expanding with a target of making it 20,000 by december 2009.
How can i benefit from your programmes.
Trees are a big topic of conversation at my house these days, we’re going to plant a whole bunch in our back yard to replace the ones we needed to take out in the next few months.I’m not saying I am an environmental superstar or anything, but I’ve made small changes over the years that I hope add up – hybrid car, recycling above and beyond the city curbside program, donation of household items no longer used (instead of disposal), farmers markets.I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted and/or still falling short in terms of your readers, but I’m sure that there are plenty who don’t even do any of the above on a regular basis.