Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene January - February 2016 vol.11 no.1 | Page 18
© ToURISM AUThoRITy oF ThAILAnD
Sustainable livelihoods:
Wetlands can deliver
What does the term livelihood mean?
Quite simply it is the set of capabilities,
activities and resources that are required
for someone to make a living.
What makes a livelihood sustainable?
Ideally it should be able to:
cope with and recover from man-made
and natural crises
maintain its viability over time, without
undermining the natural resource base
Wetlands are very well placed
to offer sustainable livelihoods
that take these economic, social
and environmental aspects
into the mix.
Bearable
Three dimensions of sustainability
Case study: Brazil
Sustainability itself is a term that unites
three key aspects in a single ideal:
Tamar Project on sea turtles
economic development: ensuring that
people have the ways and means to build
their own income and wealth
Tamar is an organization that protects five
endangered species of sea turtles in Brazil. It
started in 1980 by hiring local fishermen to patrol
social development: enhancing
cooperation, respect and trust between
social groupings, and promoting
gender equality
the sea turtle nesting beaches in their regular
fishing areas during the nesting season. This
halted the take of turtles and eggs and provided
local residents with alternative livelihoods.
environmental protection: conserving
and restoring the earth’s ecosystems
to benefit both human life and the natural
environment
Today Tamar protects roughly 1,100 km of
coastline with a network of 23 bases located in
important areas for sea turtle feeding, nesting, and
development. More than 1,300 people, (85% of
them local coastal residents) are involved directly
with the programme. This includes 400 fishermen
who work in field activities, and people from
Sustainable
Social
Equitable
ble
Economic
Economic
Environment
Viable
www.worldwetlandsday.org
25 fishing villages who staff visitor centres, work
in shops or as guides, run conservation education
activities, and make Tamar clothing for sale.
With support from key sponsor Petrobras, Tamar
has become a model for conservation programs
worldwide.