THE REGIONS
In this section:
Ecuador Reserve Protects Condors and BearsWhile
It Is Raising Local Income
Georgia Responds to Midwinter Fuel, Power Cuts
New Varieties of Vegetables in the Gobi Desert
A Caravan Across West Africa Highlights The
Need to Eliminate AIDS Stigma
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Ecuador Reserve Protects Condors and BearsWhile It Is Raising
Local Income
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The Andean condor ranges over the Andes mountains from
Venezuela to Chile. This condor was photographed in
Ecuador, where about 80 live in the wild. Protecting
the Andean grasslands and ensuring availability of food
sources are vital to maintaining the condor’s population
and are key elements of the Condor Bioreserve.
Fredy Condoy/Fundación Antisana
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QUITO, Ecuador—The Condor Bioreserve—home
to the endangered Andean condor, spectacled bear—and
hundreds of other bird, mammal, and amphibian species—is
flourishing, nature conservationists say.
Illegal hunting and fishing has dropped. Fewer intentionally
set fires are destroying habitat. Communities, which struggled
with how to deal with outsiders, and with a few community
members who have been destructive to the nature around them,
are now learning to work on earning income while also preserving
their surroundings.
A partnership between USAID and The Nature Conservancy that
is active across Latin America, Parks in Peril, has been focusing
on the Condor reserve, and conservationists are seeing a change.
The reserve, made up of six protected areas, is the primary
water source for Ecuador’s capital city of Quito.
The 2.1 million hectare Condor reserve had been threatened
by the expansion of agriculture and cattle ranching. Poorly
planned roads and diversion of water sources were harming
sensitive aquatic systems in the reserve. And unsustainable
forestry and hunting activities threatened endangered species.
The Parks in Peril program focused on protecting the core
areas of the Condor reserve. It encourages private landowners
to preserve native wildlife habitats and protect watersheds
by limiting development in order to create corridors between
protected areas. Ecological easements are also being are also
being set up with willing landowners in the Palugillo, Itulcachi,
and Inga communities. The program also works with native Indian
communities to protect their territories while maintaining
their culture.
The program works with local municipalities to coordinate
water resource management and conservation. The Quito Water
Fund, for instance, is funding projects in the Oyacachi, Antisana,
and Pita watersheds. Interest from the Cayambe municipality
in water conservation within and outside the reserve has spurred
a cooperative agreement between the municipality and a project
partner to manage and conserve parts of the Andean region
in the Cayambe-Coca Reserve.
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A young woman in the Oyacachi indigenous community,
located in the heart of the Condor Bioreserve in Ecuador.
She and other young men and women participate in a Parks
in Peril ecotourism project to reduce cattle grazing
and attract tourists to sight Andean bears. The USAID-supported
project has helped Oyacachi residents reduce the number
of Andean bear attacks on cattle.
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Two communities concerned about re-source degradation, Sinangoé
and Oyacachi, have completed resource management plans for
their areas with help from Parks in Peril. In the Sinangoé
Cofán community, for instance, people are co-managing
their territory located within the Cayambe-Coca Reserve. Programs
in several villages hire, train, and equip residents to be
park rangers. Provided with guard stations, two-way radios,
patrol vehicles, and newly acquired knowledge about habitat
protection, residents learn techniques to reduce poaching,
illegal logging, and fires.
Other training focuses on promoting ecotourism, where residents
learn about economic opportunities from low-impact activities
such as nature hikes, sport fishing, and camping. Because
the project has regulated tourism, particularly from Quito,
illegal hunting and fishing have been curtailed.
USAID is funding ecotourism studies in the region, and research
of the spectacled bear’s habitat to help farmers identify
less vulnerable locations for raising their livestock. Since
the beginning of the year, bear attacks on cattle have declined.
Communities are increasingly realizing the benefits of ecotourism.
In the community of Oyacachi, for instance, funds generated
from tourism provide residents with additional income. To
expand their impact within the community, the Oyacachi ecotourism
funds are being matched by contributions from partner organizations.
For more information on the Parks in Peril program, visit
parksinperil.org.
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CONDOR REGION. This map shows where the reserve protects
condors and other animals.
TNC/XNR
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EUROPE AND EURASIA
Georgia Responds to Midwinter Fuel, Power Cuts
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Georgians line up for kerosene in Tbilisi, Jan. 27,
2006, after the area’s power network went down.
Most of Georgia was already without electricity several
days earlier after its pipeline from Russia exploded.
Irakli Gedenidze, Reuters
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TBILISI, Georgia—In late January, major disruptions
of power and heat hit this trans-Caucasus country during its
coldest winter months. But instead of leading to months of
cold and darkness, as the outages would have done in the past
decade, services were restored within two days.
“Due to the rehabilitation work implemented over the
last two years, the Georgian energy system managed to provide
energy supply to the population on a scheduled basis, even
after the electricity system took three major hits,”
said Minister of Energy Nika Gilauri.
USAID has spent years working on improving Georgia’s
heating and power services. Its work proved successful when,
on the morning of Jan. 22, two explosions blew up the principal
electricity line and two gas pipelines that deliver energy
from Russia. Several days later, extreme weather knocked out
Georgia’s major transmission line that brings power to
Tbilisi from the country’s western hydroelectric power
stations. This led a main natural gas fired generator to “trip
off,” damaging the unit enough to require days of repair
work.
Most Georgians were left without gas or electricity. But
only for two days.
“This wouldn’t have happened even last winter,”
said Dana Kenney, USAID’s senior energy advisor in Georgia.
“USAID projects have played a substantial role in improving
the reliability of Georgia’s energy system. Our projects
have helped Georgia’s major electricity utility, the
United Energy Distribution Company (UEDC), to control carefully
and precisely where the energy should go—so that after
the crisis, hospitals and other important buildings received
energy first.”
Neglect of the energy sector after the collapse of the Soviet
Union left Georgia’s energy sector in shambles. There
was limited maintenance, planning, and budgeting; a lack of
attention to commercial investment and operational incentives;
and little money for imports.
As a result, Georgia’s energy system could not meet
demand, leading to frequent outages. But the country has battled
the problem and, with USAID support, service has steadily
improved.
“Everyone is satisfied with power supply in my neighborhood,”
said Nona Zhvania, a resident of a small village in western
Georgia. “Even during heavy snow and bad weather conditions
[this year], I and my neighbors have regular supply of electricity
with only occasional interruptions.”
USAID has invested more than $5 million in equipment, systems,
and technical assistance to improve the management of energy
transmission and distribution.
During the energy crisis, system managers reported how much
easier it is to operate the energy system now, due to increased
coordination and control. Before, orders were ignored, sometimes
at the influence of local officials, leading to shoddy service.
The Georgian government now understands the value of strategic
planning, budgeting, forecasting, and investment prioritization,
said Kenney.
The Ministry of Energy was assisted in developing a sound
budget and, as a result, the Georgian government has been
able to finance several new energy investments through revenues
from privatization in the past year.
Increased resources for energy also are coming into the
system as a result of the improved commercial performance
of UEDC, which is being assisted under a USAID-financed management
contract.
“The commercial reform of the utilities has allowed
them to operate properly and this was largely what allowed
Georgia to weather this energy crisis,” Kenney said.
To show its support of the energy sector’s commercial
reform, in February President Mikhail Saakashvili awarded
21 energy specialists from various Georgian utilities with
the Medal of Honor for their bravery and leadership during
the energy crisis.
Three of the recipients were employees of the UEDC, and
their salaries were financed by USAID. During the crisis,
they had worked for seven days straight, often foregoing sleep
in cold and inclement weather.
ASIA AND THE NEAR EAST
New Varieties of Vegetables in the Gobi Desert
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Ch. Damba, an agronomist turned agricultural activist,
is teaching Mongolians how to plant vegetables. For
his efforts, Damba received the 2004 annual Social Entrepreneur
Award from the USAID-funded Training, Advocacy, and
Networking Project.
Chantsaldulam, Mercy Corps
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DUNDGOBI, Mongolia—Mongolian families in the
Gobi desert region are now growing vegetables in their khashaas,
or yards, to diversify their diet and supply their families
with an additional source of income.
These vegetable gardens began sprouting in part due to the
efforts of Ch. Damba, a career agronomist turned agricultural
activist, who believed that small-scale, rural vegetable production
would increase incomes and reduce grazing pressure on the
Gobi rangelands.
Mongolia’s transition to a market economy after 1990
cut rural incomes. A breakdown in social and economic institutions
hurt the 1.4 million rural people and created serious environmental
problems. Electricity, heating, water supply, and medical
services seriously deteriorated. In addition, grasslands were
degraded, and major livestock losses took place between 1999
and 2002 due to harsh weather conditions.
“Most people think vegetables and other plants can’t
grow in the Gobi’s soil. The fact is they just don’t
have enough experience,” Damba said.
For his efforts to get Mongolians to plant greens and his
innovative ideas for using local resources, Damba received
the 2004 annual Social Entrepreneur Award from the USAID-funded
Training, Advocacy, and Networking Project (TAN). The award
recognizes individuals who provide social services in innovative
ways to their communities.
A strong proponent of rural vegetable and fodder production,
Damba has experimented with more than 100 types of vegetables
in the past five years, determining the best varieties for
the desert climate and soil conditions. He has trained and
provided seeds to 1,100 families who now grow vegetables in
their khashaas.
One herder trained by Damba fenced off 13 hectares of pastureland
and planted fodder. His consultations with the Department
of Nature and Environment and the Elderly Association led
him to plant 1,000 trees.
In another case, Damba’s work with youth organizations
led to the creation of a school garden, where 100 students
planted a variety of vegetables.
Damba won a cash prize of $1,200 with the TAN award, which
is allowing him to hit the airwaves and tell even more Mongolians
why they should eat vegetables. On FM radio and local TV in
his province, he has been addressing the need to combat desertification
and promoting the idea of sustainable and self-reliant community
development.
He has also collaborated with NGOs, local schools, and government
bodies to raise awareness and provide practical skills to
the local community to start small-scale agriculture projects.
Damba says that everything depends on people’s own
motivation and initiative. “Self-help is the approach
behind everything I do; it is the main principle for achieving
all life’s goals,” he said.
Through the TAN project, USAID is helping rural communities
bring about positive social changes, said former TAN Project
Manager Silas Everett.
“Although certain factors for desertification are outside
the control of Gobi’s inhabitants, social entrepreneurs
like Ch. Damba prove that one person can strengthen civil
society’s capacity to mitigate negative impacts of human
behaviors,” Everett said. “USAID’s TAN project
is helping local people to find local solutions for a healthier
society.”
AFRICA
A Caravan Across West Africa Highlights The Need to Eliminate
AIDS Stigma
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Leaders of the cross-border caravan show solidarity
with people living with HIV/AIDS in Mali during one
of the sessions in the month-long event.
Jon Shadid, USAID
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A caravan to fight stigma and discrimination against people
with HIV/AIDS in West Africa kicked off Nov. 4 in Nouakchott,
Mauritania, and rolled to an end at Abuja, Nigeria, on Dec.
4, in time for an international conference on AIDS and sexually
transmitted infection.
The Cross-border Caravan 2005 went through Mauritania, Senegal,
Mali, Burkino Faso, Niger, and Nigeria to get people talking
about the disease affecting several million people throughout
West Africa.
This caravan was formed after organizations that work on
HIV/AIDS, including religious leaders, met in Dakar in August.
The ministers, imams, and priests are considered key to reducing
discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS and encouraging
support for them.
By the end of the route, 1,500 religious leaders had been
contacted and trained. Another 30,000 people joined the various
caravan stops—from 300 in Nigeria to 8,400 in Mali—for
sensitization sessions where they learned some of the facts—and
crushed some of the myths—about people with HIV/AIDS.
The caravan set up camp for a day in each of the cities
and towns along the route. It included religious leaders,
people living with HIV/AIDS, leaders of various groups, and
journalists. USAID staffers joined the caravan at several
stops as well. Each program included a mix of lectures, trainings
for religious leaders, and question-and-answer sessions.
Though a few religious leaders in some of the six countries
had spoken out about discrimination that people with HIV/AIDS
face, the caravan encouraged more of them to join the effort.
“As religious leaders, the synergy of the caravan has
not only redoubled our spirit of collaboration, but it has
also increased our respective expectations of a more effective
fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Imam Sani Isah of Nigeria.
In the 19 countries USAID supports through its West Africa
Regional Program, more than 6 million people are living with
HIV/AIDS, according to statistics from 2003. Health and other
officials continue to be concerned that cross-border realities—transportation
routes, migration, and refugee movements, for example—could
help spread the disease among high-risk populations and then
on to the general population.
People with HIV are often shunned by family members, employers,
and strangers. They are considered bad people being punished
by God for their deeds and behavior. For many, HIV/AIDS is
not to be discussed.
The caravan’s objective was to change those attitudes.
In addition to the participants, people were exposed to the
caravan’s message through heavy media coverage in newspapers
and on radio and television. The launching ceremony in Nouakchott,
Mauritania, was hosted by two government ministers in the
presence of 150 high religious leaders, as well as national
and international media.
Partners in the cross-border caravan include the Regional
Network of Religious Leaders; AWARE-HIV/AIDS; the national
AIDS control offices in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina
Faso, Niger, and Nigeria; USAID’s West Africa Regional
Program; and other groups.
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