A DOZEN years have passed since, amid much fanfare, the UK’s Darwin Initiative was set up. In my opinion it is one of those grandiose-seeming plans that, despite facing gloomy predictions, has turned out to be a success. Since it was launched in 1992, the initiative has committed to spending more than £35 million on more than 300 projects in 100 developing countries to help them enhance and protect their biodiversity.
Many of the initiative’s projects concerned the sustainable use of natural resources, including the bush-meat issue and the prevention of poaching. Although the Department for International Development (DFID) does not work directly with indigenous people,…
