Liked on YouTube: Butterfly project provides income and conserves forest

Butterfly project provides income and conserves forest

(12 Feb 2020) The Arabuko-Sokoke forest near the coast is a haven for some of the most exotic tropical butterflies. According to the UN Environment Programme Arabuko-Sokoke was part of a massive tropical wood which extended down from Somalia to Mozambique. Today all that's left is here, less than 42,000 hectares on the coastline between Malindi and Mombasa and it now a UNESCO heritage site. Among the spectacular wildlife seen here are 230 species of butterfly. In order to safeguard the biodiversity here the Kenya Wildlife Service has coopted local communities into forest conservation. Butterfly farming was introduced in Arabuko Sokoke to enable the local community, many of them single women with children, to generate income in a way that enhances the conservation of the forest. Allowing local women to earn from the sale of butterflies enables them to avoid detrimental exploitation which would damage the local biodiversity. Each species of butterfly is reliant on particular trees, the conservation of the trees ensures the health of the forest. The farm is called The Kipepeo Butterfly Project, kipepeo being the Swahili word for the flying insects. These women have learned that by catching and rearing butterflies for export that they can earn enough money to provide for themselves and their families and avoid poverty. The women market high quality butterfly and moth pupae to countries in Europe, America and many other parts of the world. Some of the project's biggest clients hail from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Peru and Italy. The project coordinates production and sales as well as ensuring that these beautiful butterflies are reared in a sustainable manner. Prior to rearing butterflies many of these women used to cut trees for charcoal, or firewood. The butterfly project has taught them that protecting the forests for the butterflies helps to protect their livelihoods. The Kipepeo Butterfly Project started in 1993 and it now has 26 groups each of which has a representative who collects the pupae and takes them to a tallying centre. The representative collects money depending on how many pupae are harvested and distributes it to the women. The women catch the butterflies with single nets and then rear the pupae individually. Butterfly farmer Sofia Saidi says: "We usually venture into the forest in groups to capture the butterflies. We then go back to our homes and rear the pupae individually. One can make between $20 to $50 a week depending on the amount of work you put in." The project is vital to the women's need to feed and care for their families. "Before this project we would venture into the forest in groups to fetch for firewood and this would have a negative impact on the environment. However, when we joined the project we realized we could earn much more and this helps to pay for our children's school fees," says  Priscilla Lazima Jali. Charo Ngumbao, a former logger and head of a community project that tries to save the Arabuko-Sokoke forest points out that of a total of 1500 members, 86 percent are women. This is because most of the men who live close to the forest rejected the idea. In the past illiteracy meant many of the women had no source of income, apart from cutting trees for charcoal or firewood. The Kipepeo Butterfly Project has helped them to reinvent their lives and the way they interact with their environment. The forest's rich marine ecosystem includes 8,000 hectares of mangrove. Find out more about AP Archive: https://ift.tt/1CUvJt1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://ift.tt/2mlr9BZ Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/102011028589719587178/+APArchive​ Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram: https://ift.tt/2G5Qog8 You can license this story through AP Archive: https://ift.tt/2HxX6yG
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