Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) links biodiversity conservation with sustainable improvements in livelihoods and food production.

ABSTRACT: In the Luangwa Valley, Zambia, persistent poverty and hunger present linked challenges to rural development and biodiversity conservation. Both household coping strategies and larger-scale economic development efforts have caused severe natural resource degradation that limits future economic opportunities and endangers ecosystem services. A model based on a business infrastructure has been developed to promote and maintain sustainable agricultural and natural resource management practices, leading to direct and indirect conservation outcomes. The Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) model operates primarily with communities surrounding national parks, strengthening conservation benefits produced by these protected areas. COMACO first identifies the least food-secure households and

SUBMITTER: Lewis D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3161543 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature