Preserving the natural paradise together The island rainforests is a true paradise for tourists. But with the tourists come roads, hotel complexes and settlements for whose construction the rainforest is cut down. The local people would like to protect their homeland, but at the same time, they also want to profit from the economic boom that comes through tourism. This is exactly where we start in our project: On the one hand, we are working on making the entire area a nature park that is protected by law. On the other hand, we are strengthening the sustainable development of local communities by creating alternative sources of income and promoting community-based ecotourism, among other things.
For example, a former bird dealer now works as a bird guide and guides small groups of tourists through areas where special birds breed. This gives the inhabitants a professional perspective and at the same time, they are committed to the preservation of the rainforest - because diversity is what tourists want to see. Environmental education and participatory nature conservation also prevent illegal logging, illegal hunting and animal trade. Because the measures are directly geared to the needs of people, they are particularly successful for people, animals and the forest.
The first successes of the project on the islands of Waigeo and Misool are already noticeable: illegal bird hunting and illegal logging have already decreased significantly since the project began. As a next step, we will now start our measures in other villages and continue to work on nature conservation planning for the establishment of a national park and biosphere reserve. Because this protection status is necessary for paradise to remain a paradise.
More about the project: www.regenwald-schuetzen.org