The late Wangari Muta Maathai is beautifully compared to the strong Acacia trees she fought so hard to protect – “strong in character and able to survive sometimes the harshest of conditions.”⁽²⁾ She was an exceptional woman who dedicated her life to the women and natural environment of Africa and fought for the preservation of the environment through her activism for human rights and democracy. Through her activities, Maathai achieved great success by empowering women and creating environmental awareness. She stood for peace and believed that it could be achieved through good governance and equality. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu described her as an “exceptional environmental activist” and a “true African heroine.”⁽³⁾ Her passing on 25 September 2011 from a long battle with ovarian cancer was a tragic loss to not only women and environmentalists the world over, but to the communities in which she made a difference, and the international supporters she had accumulated during her active years.

CAI pays tribute to this formidable woman who showed compassion, commitment and grace to the women and environment of Africa. This paper highlights some of Maathai’s great work and offers a discussion of various green initiatives that she championed - initiatives that have been incorporated into conservation efforts in Africa and beyond.

Paving the way

Wangari Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. Her character began to flourish during her formative years spent in her home village. A friend recalls, “She hated the way the land all around had been taken over by tea plantations grown for export, when it could be far better used by families to feed themselves.”⁽⁴⁾

Years later, Maathai studied abroad in the US and Germany. She obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas in 1964, and earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966. Maathai first embarked on her doctoral studies in Germany. She later returned to Kenya and, in 1971, obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Nairobi, where she also taught veterinary anatomy.

In the years that followed, Maathai was appointed the Chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, as well as an associate professor, making her the first woman in the region to obtain these positions, in 1976 and 1977 respectively. While serving as Chair for the National Council of Women in Kenya, she conceived the idea of simultaneously conserving the environment and improving the lives of women. Maathai’s idea became a reality in 1977, when she founded a “broad-based, grassroots organisation” known as the Green Belt Movement (GBM).⁽⁵⁾

Through the GBM, Maathai underscored the important links between social and economic progression, and environmental protection. Her organisation provided employment to rural communities, while benefitting the environment, on the tenets of sustainable development. For Maathai, it was important to empower the women of Africa whose roles are so often regarded as inferior to those of men. She achieved this through offering skills development and education on the importance of preserving the environment. Maathai also assisted around 900,000 women to plant trees and establish tree nurseries to reverse the effects of deforestation – which can result in inter alia soil erosion, flooding, and biodiversity loss, all while improving their livelihoods.⁽⁶⁾

Maathai is celebrated for her tireless efforts towards upholding democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She received various accolades commemorating her struggles for peace and respect for women and the environment. In 1997, she made the Earth Times’ list of 100 people to make a difference in the environment. She shared insight and knowledge by serving on several organisations’ boards, including the Jane Goodall Institute, World Learning for International Development, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament, and the Environment Liaison Center International. Maathai never neglected her roots, and continued to serve on the National Council of Women in Kenya, which is essentially where her great work began.

In 2002, Maathai made headlines for her formidable political victory. She was elected to Parliament with a 98% vote. Following this, President Mwai Kibaki appointed her Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya's ninth parliament.⁽⁷⁾ She served in this position from 2003 to 2005 and in 2005, she became the first president of the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council and was appointed a goodwill ambassador for an initiative aimed at protecting the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem.⁽⁸⁾

Maathai was the inspiration behind the UN Environment Programme (UNEP's) Billion Tree Campaign,⁽⁹⁾ which was launched in 2006. She became a patron of the campaign, inspiring thousands of people across the world to plant trees for the benefit of their communities. To date, over 11 billion trees have been planted as part of this campaign.⁽¹⁰⁾ UNEP Deputy Executive Director, Amina Mohamed, said she was an excellent partner who never tired of supporting the organisation's ideals and represented it well whenever requested.⁽¹¹⁾ UNEP hailed her a heroine of the world.

Perhaps it was the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to her in 2004, that could be considered her greatest international achievement. Although it was officially awarded for her contributions to “sustainable development, democracy and peace,” it also lauded her environmental work with women. This was the first time the prize was awarded for environmental work and, moreover, to an African woman.⁽¹²⁾ Announcing the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Professor Maathai was “at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa.”⁽¹³⁾

However, her simple yet revolutionary work was not always received positively. For her first-of-a-kind moves contrary to culturally accepted behaviour of a ‘proper African woman’, she was labelled a “crazy woman”.⁽¹⁴⁾ Despite this, she not only made massive contributions in the environmental sector, she also strove for gender equality through her work.

In addition to her fight for gender equality, in her work for environmental organisations, she fought against the exploitation of developing countries’ resources. In her words, “The top of the pyramid is blinded by insatiable appetites backed by scientific knowledge, industrial advancement, the need to acquire, accumulate and over-consume. The rights of those at the bottom are violated every day by those at the top,” she said. She further elaborates, “The people at the top of the pyramid do not understand the limits to growth and they do not appreciate that they jeopardise the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.”⁽¹⁵⁾

The Green Belt Movement

The goal of afforestation is to address the challenges of logging, soil erosion and a lack of water. Since its inception, the GBM has planted 40 million trees across Africa, reducing soil erosion in critical watersheds, enriching biodiversity and restoring the protection of indigenous forests.⁽¹⁶⁾ The GBM’s branches have stretched beyond the borders of Kenya. In 1986 it established the Pan African Green Belt Network. African countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho and Ethiopia all embarked on similar initiatives – guided and trained by the GBM. As a result, several tree-planting initiatives in East and Central Africa have been established. The primary aim of the GBM is to empower communities across the world to protect the environment by living democratically, through a “culture of peace”.⁽¹⁷⁾ The mission of the GBM is to “mobilise communities for self-determination, justice, equity, poverty reduction, and environmental conservation.”⁽¹⁸⁾ The GBM’s focus has proved effective and life-changing, particularly for the women from poor communities employed to plant trees. The approach used has given women a sense of purpose, ownership and pride in the work they have done while also contributing to the preservation of the environment.

In addition to the tree planting initiatives, the GBM has tackled the major problem of water scarcity in Kenya by working with communities to build dams made of sand. The harvested water is used for household needs, and to water crops. The GBM has also assisted in combating the food crisis by planting fruit trees and indigenous foods such as yams, cassava and arrowroot, in poor communities.⁽¹⁹⁾

Its advocacy work has been one of the GBM’s most important achievements – increasing awareness on the importance of the environment and the crucial reasons for protecting it. Kenyans call on the GBM to support them in environmental rights issues and to offer legal advice in securing public green spaces.⁽²⁰⁾ Through several GBM initiatives, Kenyan communities are working with the Government to plant indigenous trees.⁽²¹⁾ In many instances, this is the first time communities and the Government have directly co-operated – a true symbol of Maathai’s testament to democracy and peace.

Maathai: Saving the forests and constitutional reform

In 2010 alone, the GBM planted 4,222,268 trees across Kenya in an attempt to increase national forest cover, and restore essential ecosystems.⁽²²⁾ In the same year, the Movement also launched the watershed-based approach to be incorporated into the broader tree-planting strategy. This approach focuses on planting trees along critical river watersheds so that water drains into a common body of water, such as a river or lake. Trees planted along these areas help with water filtration, water storage, climate and disease regulation, and flood control.

In August 2010, in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service and Woods Hole Research Centre, the GBM held the “Training of Trainers” Workshop, focusing on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). REDD is an initiative of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As described in the annual report, 13 million hectares across the globe are being deforested and degraded every year, which is fast depleting the 15% of tropical forests covering land surfaces worldwide.⁽²³⁾ This report noted that, alarmingly, less than 2% of Kenya is covered by forests.⁽²⁴⁾ As a result of the lack of forests, local communities are being more severely affected by droughts, floods and other effects of climate change. This workshop was designed with the intention to involve local communities and inform them about the effects of climate change and the consequences of deforestation. This initiative has continued into 2011 – communities are still undergoing training to make sure the concepts of climate change and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are fully understood.

The GBM also embarked on a project in the Enoosupukia Forest, which forms part of the Mau Forest Complex, Kenya’s largest closed-canopy ecosystem. Due to poverty and fighting among local communities, much of Enoosupukia has been degraded. The GBM’s project plans to reforest 1,277 hectares of degraded land – in the hope of returning the rich biodiversity once attributed to the area.

Another significant role played by the GBM was in establishing environmental rights in Kenya’s new constitution, which was adopted on 5 August 2010. Maathai and the GBM dedicated their efforts to educate societies about the importance of a new constitution for Kenya by highlighting the essential components needed in a democracy. Included in their advocacy, was the necessity for “accountability and transparency of public offices and greater participation by the masses including women and girls.” They also championed an affirmative action clause guaranteeing women represent at least a third of the Government. In addition, Maathai also had a clause included that stipulates the right to a clean and healthy environment for all.⁽²⁵⁾

The GBM also participated in the international arena in December 2010, at the 16th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 16), in Cancun Mexico. The organisation seized the opportunity to voice the importance of involving women, indigenous people, and local communities in decisions regarding climate change. This was an opportunity for the GBM to share its knowledge on grassroots perspectives, healthy ecosystems, rights and good governance.

Future hope

As noted by Maathai and the GBM, “Forests are still being lost, democracy is fragile, and poverty is still widespread.”⁽²⁶⁾ Governments and environmental and development organisations alike need to work together to firmly establish policies protecting the valuable environment. There is a need for people to realise the implications of deforestation on future human development. As the GBM maintains, “a healthy natural world is at the heart of an equitable and peaceful society. And protecting the environment is something every individual can take part in.”⁽²⁷⁾

Maathai’s Green Belt Movement has inspired women from other parts of the world, working at grassroots levels, to better the environment and the lives of the less fortunate. In Latin America, several organisations have embarked on programmes to educate poor communities on sustainable development strategies and ways to work the environment to benefit them and protect the biodiversity of the land.⁽²⁸⁾

Although Africa has lost a formidable environmentalist and inspiring woman, hope is not completely lost. Her heart still beats in the lives of all the thousands of women she helped, taught, employed and saved. The GBM is rooted in her testament for a culture of peace and will continue to do the work she so strongly believed in. Maathai will be forever remembered in the trees.

NOTES:

(1) Contact Louise de Bruin through Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s Enviro Africa Unit (enviro.africa@consultancyafrica.com).
(2) ‘UNEP pays tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai’, UNEP, 26 September 2011, http://www.unep.org.
(3) ‘Maathai hailed as 'true African heroine’’, News24, 26 September 2011, http://www.news24.com.
(4) John Vidal, ‘Wangari Maathai, the woman I knew’, The Guardian Environment blog, 26 September 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk.
(5) ‘The Nobel Peace Prize 2004’, The Nobel Foundation, http://www.nobelprize.org.
(6) ‘UNEP pays tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai’, UNEP, 26 September 2011, http://www.unep.org.
(7) ‘The Nobel Peace Prize 2004’, The Nobel Foundation, http://www.nobelprize.org.
(8) ‘Life after the Nobel Peace Prize’, Ghana Politics, 30 September 2011, http://ghanapolitics.net.
(9) The objective of this campaign is to plant at least one billion trees worldwide each year, Billion Tree Campaign, UNEP, http://www.unep.org.
(10) ‘UNEP pays tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai’, UNEP, 26 September 2011, http://www.unep.org.
(11) Ibid.
(12) ‘The Green Belt Movement’, The Green Belt Movement International, 12 October 2006, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(13) ‘UNEP pays tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai,’ UNEP, 26 September 2011, http://www.unep.org.
(14) Muniini K. Mulera, ‘Prof. Wangari Maathai - crazy woman unbowed’, The Monitor, 3 October 2011, http://allafrica.com.
(15) John Vidal, ‘Wangari Maathai, the woman I knew’, The Guardian Environment blog, 26 September 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk.
(16) ‘UNEP pays tribute to Professor Wangari Maathai’, UNEP, 26 September 2011, http://www.unep.org.
(17) ‘The Green Belt Movement’, The Green Belt Movement International, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(18) ‘GBM Kenya: Highlights of thirty years of achievements’, The Green Belt Movement International, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(19) ‘GBM Kenya: Highlights of thirty years of achievements’, The Green Belt Movement International, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(20) Ibid.
(21) ‘Building capacity – health and income generation’, The Green Belt Movement International, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(22) ‘The Green Belt Movement: Annual Report 2010’, The Green Belt Movement International, http://www.greenbeltmovement.org.
(23) Ibid.
(24) Ibid.
(25) Ibid.
(26) ‘The Green Belt Movement’, The Green Belt Movement International, 12 October 2006, http://greenbeltmovement.org.
(27) Ibid.
(28) Ibid.

Written by Louise de Bruin ⁽¹⁾