Equator Prize gives Torra Conservancy US$30 000 boost

THE Torra Conservancy in the Kunene Region has received US$30 000 (about N$195 000) as prize money for winning the Equator Prize for establishing sustainable hunting and eco-tourism activities.

Receiving the cheque from United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative Jacqui Badcock on Monday, Torra Conservancy’s Chairperson Klemens /Awarab said that despite being acknowledged for the good work it had done since it was established in 1996, they still needed assistance in various areas. /Awarab said the traditional knowledge and practices of their ancestors were not being documented nor fully acknowledged, nor was their value being recognised.Further, the conservancy wanted to engage more with other communities to share their knowledge and best practices and in turn learn from them.At a ceremony held by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Windhoek this week to acknowledge the conservancy’s achievement, /Awarab said he would like to see research being commissioned on his community’s ancestral biodiversity conservation mechanisms and plants used for traditional medicines.Tangible job creation initiatives, he said, also needed to be drawn up.Spreading information about the conservancy was also cited as a priority, and /Awarab said the community hoped to soon have a Web site.The seven winning initiatives were chosen from among 340 entries.Torra shares the award with Mexico, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Tanzania.An official award ceremony was held in New York last month.The Equator Initiative is a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) prize awarded to recognise communities from developing countries in the tropical belt that demonstrate, in practical terms, successful simultaneous efforts to conserve biodiversity and reduce poverty./Awarab said the traditional knowledge and practices of their ancestors were not being documented nor fully acknowledged, nor was their value being recognised.Further, the conservancy wanted to engage more with other communities to share their knowledge and best practices and in turn learn from them.At a ceremony held by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Windhoek this week to acknowledge the conservancy’s achievement, /Awarab said he would like to see research being commissioned on his community’s ancestral biodiversity conservation mechanisms and plants used for traditional medicines.Tangible job creation initiatives, he said, also needed to be drawn up.Spreading information about the conservancy was also cited as a priority, and /Awarab said the community hoped to soon have a Web site.The seven winning initiatives were chosen from among 340 entries.Torra shares the award with Mexico, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Tanzania.An official award ceremony was held in New York last month.The Equator Initiative is a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) prize awarded to recognise communities from developing countries in the tropical belt that demonstrate, in practical terms, successful simultaneous efforts to conserve biodiversity and reduce poverty.