Successful Completion of the First Carbon Project Awareness in AWCA, Anonikoa, ‘Aru’Aru and Abitona
Ahetaha, Malaita – The Save The Children and Mai-Maasina Green Belt (MMGB) partnership has successfully completed the first awareness on carbon project for AWCA, Anonikoa, ‘Aru’Aru and Abitona in Ahetaha, Malaita. This project aims to provide alternative development and investment for these communities by realizing their potential resource owners’ strengths in the conservation sector.
From Monday 6th to Friday 9th March this week, Mr Clayton Saeni, responsible for the carbon project under Save The Children for MMGB, and Mr Felix Naitoro, MMGB Executive Representative, conducted a one-day Carbon Project Consultation awareness to each member of the four sites on Malaita.
The project has two components. The first phase focuses on the Mangrove Honey project, while the second phase is on carbon awareness and the collection of information for the management plan. While the processes for the first phase might take time, the Honey project, which is the second phase, will be implemented first to engage communities as livelihood means. Due to the delay of honey materials and equipment, the team shifted to the rollout phase 2 component, which is carbon awareness and consultation.
The facilitation team will develop a management plan with potential opportunities for each site. At Ahetaha, the women were very happy to receive the team as this project will give them more livelihood opportunities. However, they are also worried about the impacts of climate change as they have started to witness mangrove trees slowly washed away. The team also did a climate change awareness, which is a solution and a form of ecosystem-based resilience in protecting mangroves for carbon projects.
The recent visiting team was happy with the general impression of AWCA participation during the consultation awareness. AWCA and ‘Aru’Aru’s participation during the consultation awareness and their preparation toward the team was one of the best displays. The Mapping team will also make another visit sometime soon, and the filming team from Australia and the US “Save The Children” will visit Ahetaha and ‘Aru’Aru, specifically for filming the delivery of the Honey project and the climate change issues.
The Chairman of Ahetaha, Mr K Hata, thanked the team in his final remarks for the project visitation and consultation, which was informative and cleared doubts. This project is intended to assist communities to be partners in their land usage and be included in their development decision-making. The result will promote livelihood activities for them and inform expectations of benefits among rural affiliated communities.
