African Rainforest Conservancy’s 2oth Annual Artist for Africa Benefit is February 9, 2011 in New York City. This event features a cocktail party, dinner, silent and live auction of donated art work which benefits the African Rainforest Conservancy. ARC conserves and restores African rainforests – among the oldest and most biodiverse in the world – through grassroots conservation and community development. Founded in 1991, ARC works alongside its field partner the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) to support a network of 140 villages in eight mountain and coastal regions throughout Tanzania that are protecting 250,000 acres of forest. They believe that by providing new economic and educational opportunities, local people are empowered to preserve their natural heritage for future generations.
Communities in the Eastern Arc Mountains depend heavily on wood for their livelihoods. But entire ecosystems are being destroyed through the unsustainable and illegal cutting of trees. ARC has partnered with TFCG to plant over 10 million trees throughout the Eastern Arc to date, with the goal of planting an additional three million by 2012. These trees are used for firewood and timber, which allows the old growth forests of the Eastern Arc to remain standing. To ensure sustainable use of newly planted trees, the introduction of fuel-efficient cook stoves is an important project component. These stoves reduce household wood consumption by up to 50 percent when compared to the traditional three-stone stove that is common in Tanzania. Approximately 2,000 households have already switched to these high efficiency stoves through the ARC-TFCG partnership.
To learn more about the African Rainforest Conservancy, visit their website here.
To get more information or buy tickets to the 2011 Artist For Africa Benefit click here.
