Project?s Description:

The project is aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation and management through the promotion and enhancement of community based ecologically friendly and sustainable production. This is critical to ensure both community participation and buy-in in conservation as well as assuring sustainability.

Like most parts of Zambia, Mutulang?anga Important Bird Area (IBA) has high poverty levels with 89% of the inhabitants on average living on US $ 0.61 or less than a dollar per day (ZOS, Baseline Report, 2010). Besides high poverty levels, environmental degradation and reduction in the flow of benefits from ecosystem goods and services are evident in the IBA.

Given the high poverty levels in this area and the country as a whole, it is critical that biodiversity conservation contributes to household food security and livelihood activities. The project is aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation and management through the promotion and enhancement of community based ecologically friendly and sustainable livelihood systems and production, with the critical targets being households and community groups within the IBA under the leadership of the Site Support Group (SSG).i.e. the Mutolang?anga Conservation & Community Service Society (MCCSS).

The project seeks to implement activities which will positively contribute towards the accomplishment of the Vision 2030 and attainment of MDGs 1, 3, and 7.

The long term focus of the project is community based biodiversity management and poverty alleviation since it is recognized that sustainable development needs to incorporate means of safeguarding the environment and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.

The project is being facilitated on the assertion that supporting the development of small-scale but viable local livelihood systems such as; fishing, crafts production and eco-tourism while engaging communities in conservation initiatives has tremendous potential of creating employment and income opportunities for interest groups in the area.

The overall objectives of the project are:
? To enhance biodiversity conservation by reducing anthropogenic pressures on the IBA
? To provide communities with sustainable and viable income alternatives that would significantly reduce poverty.

The project?s specific objectives are:

? To reduce household poverty through improved household income and employment by facilitating the development of sustainable income generating activities of which sustainable fishing, crafts, and eco tourism are included
? To enhance biodiversity conservation through improved protection of the IBA and enhanced status of the IBA by addressing matters pertaining to IBA demarcation, community roles and rights and where appropriate, the setting-up of a community conservancy or trust.
? Enhance women?s participation in conservation and community development by focusing on ?women? dominated traditional crafts (pottery) production and providing improved access to and linkages to markets for these products.
? Strengthen the Traditional knowledge in conservation and natural resources management and to devise initiatives to conserve and sustain the rich biodiversity and traditional crafts of the area.
? To build operational and management capacity of the SSG to spearhead conservation action, development, community participation and benefit sharing