On the island of Principe, a lush jungle haven in the Gulf of Guinea, locals are being paid a financial dividend to preserve the natural beauty of their home. The initiative is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, who has been promoting a model of exclusive ecotourism aimed at an ultra-wealthy foreign clientele. His charitable organisation pays out individually to locals who agree in writing not to engage in environmentally damaging activities.
The dividend scheme aims to encourage locals to preserve their natural environment, a mountainous volcanic island bordered by pristine beaches and whose tropical forest is home to a wealth of endemic species. Adults can receive up to 6,250 dobras ($290) per quarter, equivalent to around $3.20 a day. This represents a bonus in a tiny country where 45 percent of the population lives on less than $3.60 a day, according to the latest World Bank data from 2017.
The whole of Principe, part of the archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe, is an internationally recognised UNESCO biosphere reserve. Staying in one of Shuttleworth's four hotels on the archipelago can cost up to $1,700 a night. The hotelier promises his guests, most of whom are European, a luxury experience discovering a "hidden west African paradise". His business model depends on preserving Principe's pristine natural environment.
To enlist the support of the island's 10,000 inhabitants, Shuttleworth began offering them a small nature dividend via his charitable organisation, the Faya Foundation, in February. The locals are "nature's principal guardians. We need them on our side", said Vik Michau, a sociologist with the Foundation. None have yet earned the maximum dividend of $290 per quarter.
To earn more, locals need to reforest the island and make what Michau described as "better choices regarding the natural environment". Every year, 15,000 tourists visit the 140-square-kilometre island, many booking the luxury package offered by Shuttleworth's HBD group. "Most visitors are looking for nature, tranquillity and peace -- everything the region has to offer", said Wander Dias de Sousa Pires, the head of the Principe tourist board.
However, for the inhabitants of one of the world's poorest countries, the picture-postcard scenery masks a precarious daily struggle, beset by logistical difficulties and affected by distant geopolitical events over which they have no control. "People who come here look at the scenery and say to themselves: 'This is paradise.' But those who live here see the suffering", said Conceicao Moreno, a 46-year-old member of parliament.
Moreno declined to take part in the dividend programme, wary of the "relationship of domination" the grant might entail and unconvinced of its benefits to the recipients. Critics say the initiative is a missed opportunity to work with the government to address the island's economic and social needs. Michau said this view was to misunderstand the purpose of the foundation's "pioneering experiment", which aims to encourage locals to preserve their natural environment.
Key points
- The dividend scheme has the potential to provide a financial boost to locals who agree to preserve the island's natural environment.
- Critics argue that the initiative is a missed opportunity to work with the government to address the island's economic and social needs.
- The island of Principe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and Shuttleworth's business model depends on preserving its pristine natural environment.
