Conservation International
Conservation International's website: http://www.conservation.org/act/Pages/default.aspx
Last week, Conservational International (CI) visited NTU and Dr M. Sanjayen spoke to us about the work they have done.
Conservation International is an organisation which conducts scientific research and collects real-time data at global scales. They publish in scientific journals and use their data to help more than 40 nations manage Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Most importantly, they partner with indigenous groups for conservation works.
Dr Sanjayen noted that views about conservation can be divided into two camps:
1. Lobbying the government to establish protected areas, such as national parks as well as enforce rules and regulations
2. Private mechanism: individuals or companies who are rich enough to contribute to conservation efforts
However, the most effective and underrated method is the community-based approach.
Why involve the community? According to Dr Sanjayen, when governments fail and societies collapse, it is nature who provides for the people. He strongly believes that nature does not need to be saved; it is humans who need help. We have to conserve nature for people who depend directly on nature for food. Thus, CI works with local communities to save the environment.
Cl divides its work into three locations: the forest in Amazonia, Indonesia's Bird's Head Seascape and Africa. I was particularly interested in their Bird's Head Seascape project. The area consists of MPAs with communities dependent on the local resources. CI helps to manage the area's eco-tourism and create a revenue stream for the locals.
- Over 760 000 people depend on this region for livelihood and food
- CI has generated a 30% increase in tourism growth
- The revenue stays in Bird's Head and does not go to the government
- 2 million/year is generated for conservation and protection in the community
This highlights the importance of the flow of revenue from eco-tourism. Not only should eco-tourism be self-sustaining, the money should be channelled directly to further help the local communities and environment instead of being diverted to the government. The latter can cause monetary support for the region to slow down as the money passes through several hands, which may inhibit the protection of the place.
CI has also created 360 degrees virtual reality films, such as Under The Canopy. I feel that it is a great idea to utilise current technology and bring nature to people. This immersive experience from home is a cost-effective way to allow the general public to realise how beautiful (and fragile) nature is, and this could prompt some into action.
This talk was enlightening and gave valuable insights on how conservation organisations operate. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about their ecotourism projects and their film production as these happen to be the two areas I am most interested in.
