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Catalyst Grant Recipients
Also see the Hurricane Mitch Relief Catalyst Grants recipients
Below are descriptions of conservation projects that recently received support from the Rainforest Alliance's Catalyst Grants program:
Green Environment Conservation (GEC) in Rwanda: $2,850 in August, 2000
The Nyungwe forest, located southwest of Kigali, is one of the most endangered forests in Rwanda. Because the vast majority of Rwandans rely directly on wood for their fuel needs, the forest is being rapidly depleted as its surrounding human population continues to grow. To reduce the pressure on the forest, GEC has been training local women in the construction of fuel efficient stoves, which are 40-60% more efficient than the traditional three-stone fireplaces used by families in the area. Building a stove takes only a few hours, but when it is finished, its builder is left with a sense of pride at having helped to conserve the forest on which she is dependent for fuel. The stoves also save the women time that would otherwise have been spent searching for wood. GEC will use its grant to continue training women and thus advance this innovative conservation initiative.
Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ) in Brazil: $3,000 in August 2000
IPÊ seeks to implement a community-based benefit zone around one of the most important forest fragments in the western range of the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo through the formation of agroforestry buffer zones. The forest fragments are currently being depleted by fire, cattle grazing, and the spreading of aggressive grasses, leading to a gradual decline in biodiversity. The project is critical for maintaining habitat for many endemic species including the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus), one of the most endangered primates in the world. IPÊ plans to work with all 28 families living around the fragments to explore the potential of intercropping multipurpose trees with local cash and subsistence crops and animals in the hope that such trees will provide an insulative zone around the fragments. If successful, the organization will use this project as a model for building a harmonious and well-managed interface between forest fragments and surrounding rural communities in the Atlantic Forest Region. Having already obtained the seedlings for the buffer zone, it is using its grant for community organization and training as well as land preparation.
Iwokrama, International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development in Guyana: $2,083 awarded in August 2000
Guyana is located in the Guiana Shield, an area of tropical rainforests that is expected to remain relatively biodiverse and pristine into the near future, making it a crucial habitat to conserve. The Iwokrama International Center for Rain Forest Conservation and Development provides a seven-week training course on wildlife field research techniques for representatives from eleven wildlife clubs in Central Guyana. Members of the wildlife clubs are Makushi Amerindian teenagers. A Catalyst Grant will enable Iwokrama to invite eleven young participants to learn skills during sessions of studying the effects of subsistence and commercial hunting of birds and mammals, the effects of forest uses such as timber and non-timber forest products extraction, and the long-term effects of global climate change on amphibian population and diversity. Iwokrama's project is critical in creating a more environmentally aware and knowledgeable teenage population in Central Guyana.
Unified Practitioners Concerned for Environmental Sustainability (UPCES) in the Philippines: $3,000 in July 2000
Sagip Pawikan Philippines is a flagship conservation project developed by UPCES that will serve as a model for other biodiversity initiatives that seek to protect habitats while at the same time benefiting communities. The project's goal is to generate baseline information on the status of sea turtles and coastal resources as well as enhance local awareness of conservation issues. Work commenced during the April nesting season and will be carried out on the Hilabaan and Tikling islands over three years. UPCES is using its grant to help defray the cost of purchasing field supplies, transportation, and food for local volunteers from four villages who will be trained to conduct daily beach monitoring, habitat assessment, and educational outreach.
Rio Blanco Mayan Association in Belize: $1,425 awarded in June 2000
The Rio Blanco Mayan Association (RBMA) of Punta Gorda, Belize's southern tip, seeks to create a solid management plan for the Rio Blanco National Park, which was officially established in 1994. The Association started the process of developing and implementing this five-year plan by making improvements in the National Park when they received a Catalyst Grant. The National Park is the ideal habitat for tropical animals such as the ocelot, jaguar and river otter as well as a popular destination for people. The park has had no demarcated boundaries, leaving its environment vulnerable to unintentional encroachment by farmers and hunters. In order to rectify this, RBMA is cutting a path around the boundary of the 105-acre park, establishing a nature trail through the forest for visitors' use, and purchasing signs to post around the park's boundary and at its entrance. The signs clearly state that hunting and removal or destruction of vegetation or natural resources within the park are prohibited. By establishing a few changes within the National Park, the Rio Blanco Mayan Association is on its way to building a tropical haven for local animals and visitors.
Pragya in India: $3,000 awarded in May 2000
The cold, arid deserts of districts Lahaul and Spiti in India hold abundant wildlife species; 30 percent of the diverse plant life has significant aromatic and medicinal qualities. Traditional medicine is practiced in this subsistence society using wild herbs, collected primarily by local healers and women. Pragya is working with the indigenous communities in Lahaul and Spiti in order to increase and improve the utilization of the plants' resources. The project focuses on sustaining the ecosystem and conserving the wealthy plant species by initiating a monitoring system and biodiversity-based enterprise in the community. The Catalyst Grant will enable Pragya to train local community members in sustainable methods of harvesting and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. Results from harnessing traditional knowledge and capacity building will benefit the establishment of medicinal and aromatic plants processing centers for local income generation.
Proyecto Conservando Castañales in Peru: $2,500 awarded in January 2000
The forests of Madre de Dios in southern Peru are a globally-renowned biodiversity hotspot and home to the valuable Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa). Asociación de Conservación de la Cuenca Amazonica (Amazon Watershed Conservation Association) is conducting a project that will investigate the flowering and pollination biology of the Brazil nut tree. These characteristics have never been studied in natural forests, and the literature that exists is outdated and specific to plantations. Catalyst funds are enabling the group to hire a scientist to help with the research and purchase field equipment. The Rainforest Alliance salutes this effort to understand how Brazil nuts can be harvested without endangering the survival of the tree or the ecosystem in which it grows.
Also see the Hurricane Mitch Relief Catalyst Grants recipients
Catalyst Grants Program
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