The Conservation Concept:
The local communities, who
are currently destroying the forests due to a lack of
knowledge and the basic
need for survival, must be incentivised. It will only
make sense to them to look after the forests if they
are provided with alternative, economically advantages
and sustainable projects, such as the creation of forest
products (refer to Projects page).
It is important to do as much as possible with ALL
the available forest resources - the more value is
added to the different, raw forest materials, the more
people within the communities will benefit, the more
the locals will want to become – and stay - involved
to reap these benefits. And an understanding of the
benefits of “give back what you take out” will
become the norm.
The flip side is to establish a new consumer culture.
The buyers of indigenous forest products, must also
buy into the idea of “give back what you take
out”. In addition, it is vital that caring consumers
of indigenous forest products understand that this
is not the normal “supply and demand” way
of life that we have come to expect, these are exclusive
products that can only be produced in limited quantities
to ensure sustainable conservation of the forests.
A new mindset needs to be cultivated – you can
have the product, IF and WHEN it is available, not
just because you want it NOW! |
