Green Business Grows in Zambia August 22, 2011 From the sky
above, things in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley are starting to look
different. Populations of zebra, wildebeest, and antelope dot
the savannah. Fields of peanuts and peppers are growing taller.
And a new green workforce has taken root. A recent aerial survey
over this remote corner of East Africa showed that wildlife
decimated by poaching in the 1980s and 1990s have stabilized or
are increasing. The survey was part of a new study published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
documenting the success of WCS’s COMACO (Community Markets for
Conservation) program. COMACO uses an innovative business model
to improve rural livelihoods while simultaneously restoring
local wildlife populations. (Visit the COMACO website here.)
Begun in 2003, COMACO has been teaching rural
villagers—including former poachers—sustainable agriculture
methods that improve crop yields and reduce deforestation. The
program then helps them earn more by adding val