CSRC shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious 2014 Green Gown
Tue, 29 Jul 2014 10:08:00 BST
CSRC is a finalist in the Research & Development category of the 2014 Green Gown Awards. The Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK. All categories are open to any tertiary education establishment.
The Centre has been shortlisted for its research on sustainable resource management and community enterprise development in South West Ethiopia. This work has helped communities develop their forest-based enterprises and so increase the value of the forest for local people.
Along with policy changes supported by the research, communities now manage 105,000 hectares of tropical forests in this area and have eighteen institutions which help manage these profitably. As a consequence, communities are motivated to manage the forests sustainably resulting in the transformation of previously degraded forest into a productive and profitable resource. Previously the forests were being degraded and destroyed as a result of open access, allocation for agri-investment and rural population growth leading to farm expansion.
The forests of SW Ethiopia are important not just locally, but at a regional and global level too. Regionally they moderate water flow which is critical for food production in lowland Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Globally, the forests play a role in carbon fixing and provide a reservoir for genetic resource conservation, especially for wild coffee.
The UK Green Gown Awards are now in their 10th year and their 5th in Australasia, with an inaugural French speaking Awards in July this year. A recently announced partnership with UNEP will expand the Green Gown Awards further across the globe with an emphasis on profiling and learning from the Southern Hemisphere.
