On The Ground in Malawi: Protecting Nature with People
A holistic approach for the people's benefits
Human communities and nature are inextricably entwined and affect each other’s survival in a multitude of ways. The challenges faced in Malawi are no exception.
Poverty causes environmental damage, such as overfishing and deforestation, because many people have no other means to acquire food and fuel. Environmental damage causes poverty, because diminishing fish catches and forests mean less and less natural resources to ensure survival...Protecting nature with people
The underlying goal of WWF Finland activities is therefore protecting nature with people. In order to create a synergy between a better future for nature conservation and a better future for people, it is essential to find practical methods that make both elements contribute to one another.
HEEED, or how to make it work
To make a conservation project successful, one has to take a holistic approach: villagers should benefit in as many different ways as possible. Not only in economic terms, but also in the fields of health and education.
The acronym “HEEED” was developed by the WWF Finland team in Malawi. The letters stand for Health, Environment, Education, and Economic Development. When these areas of need are considered together, the WWF Finland team feels that there is a greater likelihood of success.
For example, this holistic approach contributes to:
- reducing disease problems by controlling bilharzia and supporting AIDS orphans
- focusing conservation efforts to the sites where wildlife is most diverse and unique
- providing environmental education at Environmental Education Centres, also in the form of art education, as well as by enhancing learning through partnerships between local schools and Finnish schools
- creating new income-generating opportunities by manufacturing fuel briquettes and hand-made paper products
Self-sustaining development cooperation
Finding solutions that are sustainable for both people and nature is crucial for yet another reason. In developing countries, it is not uncommon that a project fades away after the donor organization has left the country. Only by designing the activities to include realistic sources of income for the local people, can the activities become genuinely economically beneficial and thus financially self-sufficient. This, in turn, ensures continuity in the future.
