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An excellent example of a community within a developing country that is preparing to adapt to the impacts of global climate change is the Jobe community in Zululand, Kwa Zulu Natal South Africa. They are well on their way to making an impact on the global warming problem in their own country and the world as a whole, and are an inspiration and example to developing countries in the rest of the world.

At the beginning of 2008, the Jobe Community , with the help of Kwa Zulu Natal's Wildlands Conservation Trust, planted out the first of thousands of indigenous acacia trees along the Mkhuze River floodplain, an area that borders their homeland. The community came up with the concept in an effort to combat the negative effect of global warming as the trees will form what is scientifically known as a "carbon sink" a concentration of newly planted vegetation that will offset the annihilation of indigenous forests for fuel. Wood is still predominantly used by rural people in Kwa Zulu Natal for fuel and in many other parts of the developing world, and this deforestation process has been one of the main causes of the "green house" effect.

The Jobe Community's initiative, which is appropriately named "Greening Your Future" grew out of the Wildands Conservation Trust's successful programme entitled Indigenous Trees for life. Its aim was to develop "carbon offsets or sinks that allow underprivileged communities to utilize local knowledge and resources to improve their livelihoods whilst mitigating climate change" a spokesman for Wildlands Trust explained.

Once they are satisfied that this project is working well in the Jobe Community, the Trust intend utilizing the same concept in other areas in the vicinity. They hope to continue with the project in the rest of South Africa, Africa and in South East Asia where they are in partnership with the Living Lakes Foundation..

Funding for the project comes from the Rand Merchant Bank (through the First Rand Foundation) and the global conservation agency the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The concept for the project is straightforward and can be easily adapted to any community. Trees that have been grown through the Indigenous Trees for Life programme are being planted out into pre-determined sites that are owned by members of the Jobe community. Members of the community are paid for each tree that they personally plant and for every tree that survives for every year thereafter.

"The project also addresses the socio-economic needs of the area surrounding the Jobe Community as the benefits to the community are not only the income from the trees planted but also the rehabilitation of the river banks to ensure that the soil for crops is protected from flooding in the area," a spokesman for the Trust pointed out.

With regard to the scientific angle of the project, there are already established methodologies that had been generated from research in the Amazon and in central Africa rain forests. The priority is to ensure that the methods used in the Zululand project are "scientifically solid" because the validity of future calculations and results depends on this . In four years time, the sites will be measured to see how much carbon has been absorbed by the soil and vegetation which will consequently reduce the amount in the atmosphere.

The Jobe Community's Greening Your Future project is an excellent indicator of what is possible from one small area in a developing country. Their contribution could help in helping to reduce global warming, not only in their home land, South Africa, but also in the greater GLOBAL community!

Acknowledgements: Wildlands Conservation Trust.

Learn more about this author, Glenda Thompson.
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