NATURE | BASED | SOLUTIONS

Twenty million jobs could be created in nature conserving projects to address the prevailing climate challenges, reduce the impact of disasters, address food insecurity and provide clean water access.

 “Nature Based Solutions (NBS) would generate employment opportunities especially in rural areas,” said the ILO Enterprises Director Vic van Vuuren. 

“An additional 20 million jobs could be generated worldwide if such investment were tripled by 2030.”

This would be a key step toward achieving biodiversity, land restoration and achieving climate goals such as those set out in the United Nations’ State of Finance for Nature 2021 Report. 

However, the report warns that there is currently no guarantee that NBS employment will meet the ILO’s standards for green jobs.

This requires jobs to be in the environmental sector, and meet the standards for decent work, including being in line with international and national labour standards, and decent work (defined as productive work that is fairly compensated and in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity).

“It is critical that as we scale up the use of Nature-based Solutions we make sure we do not also scale up decent work deficits, such as the informal work, low-pay and low productivity conditions that many workers in NBS currently face,” added Vuuren.

“Not only are NBS a critical part of the Climate Change mitigation equation – they host multiple co-benefits, including buffering the impacts of climate change. What this report brings to light is how to make them work for people and the economy, and this will be a key success factor. A broad-based coalition with youth at the fore, is needed to achieve this,” said Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division.

The NBS implies greening the economy is to be implemented in a way that is fair and inclusive, creating meaningful work opportunities and leaving no one behind.

Emphasis is being put on actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial.

These include: freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits.

UWA bee keeping, pepper farms where elephants eat crops in people’s gardens in Nwoya, tree planning, tea planting in the neighborhood of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Curling of animal populations.

“20 percent of gat collections are given back to communities in the neighbourhood. It is up to the local government to put the resources to use. They have furnished schools, hospitals and constructed connecting roads,” says UWA ED Sam Mwandha.

“The wildlife and human conflict cannot be ignored as population explodes and urbanization increases,” summed Mwandha. 

“We had lions poisoned in Queen Elizabeth National Park. A Silverback was killed in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest during the Lockdown. The onus is upon us to sensitize the people about the dangers of losing these species in our parks.”

UWEC ED James Musinguzi says the future is bright given the volume of young visitors recorded.

“They treasure nature and mourn Zakayo the celebrity chimpanzee who died at 50 years of age,” says Musinguzi. 

“We hope to raise some wild birds like ostriches, peacocks and guinea fowls. There are plans to have a hatchery.”

It is big business in Kenya and South Africa where jobs are created and incomes are earned.

The minister of state for tourism Martin Magara says destination Uganda attractions being nature based, one cannot ignore how to conserve it.

“Be it Nyege Nyege, Imbalu, boat ride, nature walk, birding, culture or mountain climbing,” stresses Magara. “You cannot rule out conservation. It is part and parcel of tourism.”  

Tour Guides Forum James Mwere says conservation is of paramount importance to their trade.

“We have trained our members to have community engagements to suit the needs of responsible tourists,” says Mwere. 

“People are now conscious about nature and they want to plant indigenous trees, and sponsor an animal in Ngamba Island Chimpanzee sanctuary.”    

Nuwa Wamala Nyanzi says conserving the Sycad grass in Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) is a new tourism attraction on the Uganda menu. 

"It is a reminder that the dinosaurs once lived here before they got extinct."