Planning education to care for the earth - IUCN Knowledge Network

Planning education to care for the earthConclusionThe conclusion can be drawn that a project to reduce human pressureson nature touched on the subjects that interest families most: theirpurse, their convenience and their security. As for the craftsmen, theyprospered from the launching of a new product. In different ways, thepopulations of the Sahel are being asked to make enormous efforts inthe fight against desertification. They have shown themselves to besensitive to the slogans and themes of official campaigns whether forreforestation, conservation of the natural environment, or therestoration of lands.Innumerable one-off voluntary actions have been taken with theencouragement of local leaders or socio-political movements. Manythousands of hectares have been replanted annually by volunteers. Toask people to make lasting efforts - and only those will effectivelyprotect the environment - is, however, unrealistic unless they can findmore or less immediate advantage in their action.The lower the standard of living, the more people are in a hurry todraw benefits. Two conditions are necessary to enlist their support:•a conservation programme must not be restrictive to the point oflimiting their chances of survival or of meeting their basic needs;•they must feel the threat approaching and be aware that ultimatelythey will bear the consequences of the degradation of resources.The problem is the same in all countries, rich and poor. No oneinvests in short- or long-term actions to preserve the environmentwithout the prospect of ensuring a sufficient revenue to cover vitalneeds. There are numerous cases where populations, in answeringpositively the call for protection of the environment, have unspokenthoughts. In the Sahel, this is the case with many water and landconservation projects where, in exchange for their participation,people seek property rights on the land they have helped to develop.86