AfricElle

The participation-based advancement of women in rural areas as ambassadors for biodiversity and climate resilience is a central task of the AfricElle project. Especially in rural areas, women’s economic opportunities are often limited. To change this, we are connecting 900 participants in the six countries with hands-on trainings on topics like business and finance management, impactful public speaking and appearances, and knowledge transfer for solutions and mentoring in agricultural work. The goal is to strengthen the role of women in society.

Thirty more women (five women per country) will be selected for an international champion programme, which focuses on climate resilience, sustainable business and cultivation methods. These champions will take part in exchange trips, in order to share knowledge and expand networks. They will also spearhead national campaigns on the protection of biodiversity and climate.

Climate-resilient agroforestry systems contribute not only to the conservation of valuable ecosystems, but also create secure sources of income for rural communities. Therefore, the project supports green value creation chains, such as the cultivation of macadamia nuts and the sustainable production of shea butter and honey – a significant contribution to the economic resilience of the involved regions. The goal is to implement and expand climate-change-resistant crop production in agroforestry systems. Agroforestry crop production is optimised through grafting and sustainable cultivation, for which trainings and investments in seedlings for the local communities play a supporting role.

Another central goal is the restoration of degraded ecosystems in and around protected areas through community-based restoration measures, tailored to the specific problems in the individual protected areas. These measures aim to improve ecosystem services and are implemented by the members of existing cooperatives. Through sustainable reforesting, they actively contribute to the restoration of the ecosystem. With the help of local knowledge and accumulated data on biodiversity, the effects of the restoration measures are quantified and assessed. Campaigns and trainings on biodiversity additionally serve to raise awareness and foster a sense of responsibility and ownership.

The Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot in East Africa is distinguished by an extraordinary level of biodiversity, including numerous endemic plant and animal species. The diversity of bird and reptile species is particularly noteworthy. Most of the montane rainforest regions in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are part of this biodiversity hotspot and form a transnational ecosystem in this part of East Africa, with comparable challenges on the ground.

The Usambara Mountains of Tanzania are home to unique ecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests to montane grasslands, and offer habitat for many endangered and endemic species, such as the Usambara eagle-owl (Bubo vosseleri).

The Taita Hills in Kenya are famous for their high degree of biodiversity, including rare bird species like the Taita apalis (Apalis fuscigularis), which are threatened by habitat loss and agricultural expansion.

The Echuya Forest Reserve in Uganda is a further example of a rainforest area which shelters a multitude of plant species and endangered primates, but is threatened by illegal logging and climate change.

As a whole, the ecosystems of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot are under pressure, and in urgent need of measures to ensure the protection and preservation of these valuable habitats.

The project region in West Africa combines the northern savannah landscape in Ghana and in Côte d’Ivoire with those of Burkina Faso to the south, in one international approach. The region is distinguished by an abundance of species, including a multitude of mammalian, avian and plant species.

Mole National Park in Ghana is known for its populations of elephants, antelopes and diverse bird species, which live in the open savannahs and the forests.

Equally significant ecosystems are to be found in Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire, sheltering endangered species like the West African lion and various primates.

The PoNaSi ecological complex in Burkina Faso is an important protected area that serves to secure the region’s biodiversity, but is threatened by poaching, agricultural expansion and climate change. Overall, these savannah ecosystems are under pressure, which highlights the urgent need for conservation measures and sustainable management.