Presentation earthwatch champions employees volunteering program 2004 2005

EMPLOYEES VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM
DF

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
 Environmental issues are a global concern as natural disasters and diseases are taking
the lead all over the world. It is in this light that in 2004, Diageo in collaboration with
Earthwatch Institute in the United Kingdom, decided to contribute in saving the world
from Environmental issues through an Environmental Champions Program. This formed
part of Diageo’s global citizenship and environmental responsibility. My presentation is
aimed at showcasing my participation as a Volunteer in this program and how through
the implementation of my local action plan, my company and community were positively
impacted.
 Diageo-Earthwatch Champions Award Program was sponsored by Diageo and
was a program geared towards involving Diageo employees worldwide as volunteers in
international environmental projects, to help researchers collect vital data required for
defining strategies to manage environmental issues across the globe. Employee
Volunteers from Diageo companies (like Guinness Cameroun S.A), whose environmental
project proposals tied in best to related issues, were sent to attend international
projects, to become Environmental Champions. On return, they were charged to
implement a project in their workplace or surrounding environment, through which they
would sensitize their colleagues and local communities about the importance of
protecting their environments.
EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING, BRAZIL
DIAGEO-EARTHWATCH CHAMPIONS PROGRAM
2004-2005
INTRODUCTION

 Guinness Cameroun S.A. registered two Champions out of fifteen worldwide in 2004:
Josephine Yelang (myself) and Peter Mua.
 In April 2004, I travelled to Brazil in the Pantanal forest for twelve days, where I
worked as a Volunteer on the topic “Conserving an Ecosystem”. In a diverse team
made of Champions from all parts of the world and all walks of life, I participated in
three projects (Wetlands/Herpetology and Birds), by assisting researchers from
Sao Paolo University Brazil on the field in collecting necessary data, which they
required for defining a conservation strategy for the world largest freshwater wetlands
in the Pantanal forest of Brazil.
2004-2005
INTRODUCTION

PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Theme:
Conserving an Ecosystem in the Pantanal Forest of Brazil,
Fazenda Rio Negro
2004-2005

 Period – 1 – 12th April 2004
 Group – 14 participants from America / Australia / Japan / Africa
(Cameroon)/ Brazilian Project Investigators from Sao Paolo
university.
 Projects covered :
– Birds
– Wetlands,
– Herpertology
2004-2005

 The Pantanal forest is one of the greatest concentration of
tropical wildlife in the whole of Latin America.
 It is situated South of Brazil’s Amazon.
 It is a huge haven of forested islands set in a mosaic of lakes,
rivers and waterways beautifully stretching across
210.000sq.km.
ABOUT THE PANTANAL FOREST OF BRAZIL
2004-2005

 The landscape of the Pantanal yields a bountiful harvest of fish, metals,
timber, cattle and wildlife.
BUT
 Mining contributes to a high level of mercury contamination
 Overgrazing of cattle reduces habitat for many species and poaching
continues to be a problem as a hyacinth macaw bird specie fetches
$6000 - $12000 in the US. (www.pantanal.org - 2004)
THUS
 All field researches were meant to collect data in endangered areas of
the forest through fieldwork projects.
 These data were destined to help the researchers define a conservation
strategy for the Pantanal forest of Brazil.
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
2004-2005

 This project intended to develop a scientific understanding and
dynamics of birds by developing a more complete picture of the
distribution and abundance of birds at Fazenda Rio Negro
Pantanal forest of Brazil.
 Survey methods applied to several aquatic and terrestrial habitats
in the gallery forests, seasonally flooded grasslands, woodlands
and aquatic environments.
 Techniques included: linear transact/banding method, direct
behavioural observations and recording birds’ vocalisations.
2004-2005
BIRDS

This method is meant to develop a picture of the distribution and
abundance of birds at the Pantanal forest
A linear transact trap is built to trap birds for surveyed regions
which were found might be threatened three to ten years ago.
This is done by weighing, measuring various parts of the bird and
taking down data.
Some pictures below
2004-2005
1: THE LINEAR TRANSACT/BANDING METHOD

Josephine & team
banding birds
(right above and below)
Employee Volunteering, BRAZIL
DIAGEO-EARTHWATCH CHAMPIONS AWARD PROGRAM
2004-2005
Josephine planting a
fist nest bird trap (left)

 Another means of trapping birds for banding was through the bird
vocalisation method. Audio tapes and microphones were used to
capture birds’ sounds and further used to lull them to fall into the
fist nests.
2004-2005
2: BIRTH VOCALISATION METHOD

2004-2005
Team of Volunteers and Researchers recording bird sounds to use
in bird trapping for analyses

 This project intended to understand why wetland animals/birds
migrated from one part of the forest to another, thereby causing
scarcity of certain species in that forest.
 This project was also to provide data to enable scientists to come
out with a strategy of conservation for the Pantanal forest of
Brazil.
2004-2005
WETLANDS & HEPERTOLOGY PROJECT

 This field research method is meant to understand why different
wetland animals migrate from one part of the forest to another.
 There are two types of lakes in the Pantanal: vegetation and non-
vegetation lakes.
 Some of these lakes dry off during the dry season so these
wetland animals/fish migrate from one part of the forest to
another.
 Non-vegetation lakes do not provide enough food for animals or
fish which migrate subsequently.
 So volunteers go into these lakes and measure the depth and
diameters and collect data for researchers.
2004-2005
METHODS: MEASUREMENT OF DIFFERENT LAKES

2004-2005
Josephine & Team Leader measuring the Baias Lake (non-vegetation)
in the Pantanal forest - Brazil

2004-2005
Josephine collecting data,
after
the wetlands project
Josephine & team leader doing fishing
required to measure and collect data
for wetlands project
Josephine & team leader
measuring
fish for data collection
(above)

2004-2005
Josephine collecting data on the
behaviour of peccaries (wild pigs), as part of
understanding why these animals migrate
from one part of the forest to another
Volunteers going to the field and localising the
nearest existence of animals
with a special detecting apparatus
(right & left above)

 Out of experience, environmental problems are global.
 In Brazil as in Cameroon, most local communities engage in destruction of
the environment not just due to poverty but because they are not
sensitised about the importance of conserving the environment.
 This destroys human, plant and animal lives.
 This is why through this champions’ programme, Earthwatch and
Diageo decided to take action on board to help train and sensitise
global and local people about the importance of environmental
protection through Employee Volunteering.
2004-2005
HOW THIS PROJECT IS CONNECTED TO MY LOCAL
ENVIRONMENT

My trip to Brazil was just more than a life-time experience,
one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Getting to learn and discover new things and meeting
people from other cultures with whom to share experiences on
local environmental issues and global solutions, equiped and
made me feel very lucky.
MY TESTIMONY

On return to Cameroon, I developed and implemented a local action plan, on the topic
‘IMPROVING COMMUNITIES’ LIVELIHOOD THROUGH BEEKEEPING’. I implemented this
with the support of a specialized NGO partner – BDC (Beekeeping Development & Conservation,
Limbe, South West Region Cameroon), to provide sustainable business opportunities for 26
trainees from 13 local communities in the South West Region of Cameroon, through beekeeping.
My project aimed at reducing human pressure on the surrounding rainforests and consequently
the ecosystem, by supporting alternative livelihoods to generate income through modern
beekeeping. Local Beekeepers who used to burn the forest to harvest honey using the primitive
method which destroyed the environment received a three-days training on the importance of
protecting the forest, planting more trees, pollination, how to mount beehives and harvest
honey.
At the end of the training, these communities were each given a beehive, a complete bee suit
and a modern smoker.
One year later, these communities experienced a 200% increase in their honey production,
created a CIG (Common Initiative Group of Bee Farmers) and propagated this modern
techniques to other farmers, hereby highly contributing to the multiplier impact of my project.
See some pictures attached.
IMPLEMENTING MY LOCAL ACTION PLAN
IMPROVING COMMUNITIES’ LIVELIHOOD
THROUGH BEEKEEPING
MY LOCAL ACTION PLAN

THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Josephine explaining project to stakeholders (Guinness, government, NGO, trainees, etc),
during the official launching ceremony of the training

THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Equipment provided for the
project:
Beehives (above)
Smokers (left)
Personal Protective Equipment
(right)

Trainees receiving beekeeping equipment from Guinness officials in the presence of
government representatives
THROUGH BEEKEEPING

THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Trainees from 13 communities in
the South West Region of
Cameroon
Trainees after receiving their complete
working tools and set for the task

Trainer (BDC) on the field with trainees, demonstrating hive installation,
hive management and honey harvesting.
THROUGH BEEKEEPING

THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Trained farmers practicing hive management and honey harvesting on the field
using acquired skills

Josephine on a field visit, to check how the
installed beehives are doing (Muyuka Owé
village, South West Cameroon)
THROUGH BEEKEEPING

THROUGH BEEKEEPING
Josephine, Corporate Affairs Director (my line manager) and Peter (an Earthwatch Champion
Cameroon), visit BDC office to discover the quality of honey.

Presentation earthwatch champions employees volunteering program 2004 2005

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