WIREDGOV

Corporate social responsibility, green governance and sustainability are fashionable concepts, but is there a way that tech companies can go above and beyond, leaving a permanent legacy with their choice of engagement?

Introduction

Grassroots engagement is one way in which companies in the global north can have a measurable impact on the climate, and a permanent impact on the lives of communities in the global south. They are a way of delivering diverse social goods relating to climate change, wildlife conservation and poverty alleviation, in a manner that becomes self sufficient over time.

By focussing funding locally, engaging with “real people”, the impacts of firms become more tangible and transparent. Tech is uniquely positioned to fill large gaps in the capacity of grassroots action on climate. The relative lack of digital infrastructure in parts of the developing world means that small donations of tech, or funding for tech skills, can have a disproportionately large impact.

To explore this techUK attended the Wildlife Works webinar focussing on the community-led REDD+ project in Kenya’s Kasigau Corridor.

Case Study – Kasigau Corridor

The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project is a part of a UNFCCC initiative with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. The plan promotes the sustainable management of forest stocks in developing countries. It is aligned with principles of wildlife conservation, poverty alleviation, female empowerment, and the land rights of indigenous peoples.

The carbon sequestered in REDD+ projects result in the acquisition of carbon credits, which are sold to pay costs of forest protection and to fund social programmes.

The Kasigau project covers over 200,000 hectares of dryland forest and has directly avoided 13,900,000+ tonnes of CO2 emissions to date, approximately 1,700,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. It provides funding for social programmes affecting over 116,000 people in the local communities. These programmes often relate to providing long-term alternative livelihoods to unsustainable forms of income such as poaching, subsistence agriculture and illegal deforestation for timber and charcoal. Women’s education is another successful outcome of this project, emphasised by the panel.

Governance

Governance is organised to optimise transparency, democratic engagement, and inclusivity. Decisions are made by committees, one for each community in the project area. Each committee has between 7 and 9 members. There are also subcommittees within these, such as bursary committees who handle educational bursaries.

Individual villages make applications to their local committees for funding for REDD+ projects, the results of which are made publicly visible on notice boards to ensure communities understand the reasons for project approval or rejection.

Impacts

The role of women has changed dramatically from the inception of this project. From traditional livelihoods gathering water and other natural resources, women are now becoming educated with the help of bursaries and gaining employment in the project and elsewhere. This has empowered women in the community and help to curtail some unsustainable livelihood practices.

Locally employed rangers carry out wildlife monitoring, community education, human wildlife conflict resolution, livestock recovery and general security for the protected area. The rangers have made the decision to remain unarmed to avoid distancing themselves from the communities which they rely on for intelligence gathering and cooperation. The Chief Ranger acknowledged the increased risks to life of carrying arms. In a region where the poachers are likely to be heavily armed, it is safer to avoid escalating this threat.

The project carries out scientific research in the form wildlife monitoring to gauge the impact of the protection that the forest is now receiving. This has indicated significant reduction in forest degradation and deforestation. Water conservation is also a high priority for community members, so soil moisture levels are regularly measured to ensure that the higher ground is not becoming dried out. This is particularly important in the context of recent high temperatures and unseasonable heat waves, likely the result of climate change.

Role of Digital Technology

The panel kindly responded to my query on the role of digital technology in the project. Due to current capacity, the only digital technology that is being deployed in the project relates to the water conservation activities and some elements of poacher surveillance.

Camera traps and specialised sampling equipment are suitable for the operations as they stand, however, there is undoubtably potential for improving the digital infrastructure in the project area to assist the communities’ actions. Tech companies, in donating their expertise and capital, would be extending their influence on climate change mitigation globally and REDD+ initiatives locally.

There is potential for tech in important areas, such as education, female empowerment, forest cover monitoring, poacher identification, elephant tracking, weather forecasting and many more.

There are, however, questions relating to the “automation” of work though the introduction of digital tech. If companies are to engage, it must not be in the enhancement of one aspect of REDD+ at the expense of another. Digital ethics are a consideration for community led projects such as this to avoid accidental harm to the project viability or integrity.

Stepping up the tech used in projects like this may be drive the wider viability and adoption of similar projects, leading to poverty alleviation, wildlife conservation and climate wins elsewhere.

Conclusions

I propose an examination of the ways that UK tech can assist in successful projects as part of practical CSR endeavours in a future discussion among techUK members. There is also capacity for UK firms to offset their carbon footprint though engagement with community led projects like this. This would ensure that the impact of the money spent on the carbon credit would be felt by those best placed to protect the natural areas we all depend on.

Author

Adam Young