IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

IDRC) and aims to improve the understanding of the importance of sustainable natural resource management for livelihood security and economic growth. The project is focusing on three important poverty-environment linkages: HIV/AIDS & environment, dryland and marine natural resources & livelihood security. The project aims to achieve improved awareness and understanding of the linkages at the community level through community workshops and resulting community lessons learned brochures. These are complemented by more in-depth studies.

The major activities of the project are:

1. Community workshops and community lessons learned brochures to improve the understanding and awareness on the linkages at the community level
2. More in-depth studies on the linkages
3. Community-policy dialogues and interactions to improve the understanding at the policy level and
4. Policy influencing at the IGAD level through studies and conferences of directors of conservation, health and economic planners to facilitate the dialogue between the different sectoral senior decision-makers.
    

Goal, purpose and results

Goal: Conservation and biodiversity contributing to livelihood strategies and security in Eastern Africa (Annex 1 summarizes the Results Framework for the project)

Purpose: Knowledge on conservation and biodiversity assets better understood at the right levels of decision making so that conservation and biodiversity are better integrated as key components of livelihood strategies and livelihood security of rural communities in Eastern Africa.

Result 1: Enhanced understanding of the linkages between conservation and livelihood improvement and security:

• Lessons learnt and shared on the linkages between conservation and livelihood improvement and security;
• Social and economic values of natural resources, landscapes and coping strategies better understood; and
• Key drivers, problems and opportunities with respect to the importance of conservation as a livelihood asset better understood.

Result 2: Strengthened capacity to integrate conservation & biodiversity into livelihood strategies and security at all levels.