Implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Sao Tome and Principe as part of The Restoration Initiative (TRI) programme, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) “Landscape Restoration Project for Ecosystem Functionality and Climate Change Mitigation in Sao Tome and Principe” featured in the recent Expo Dubai 2020 in the United Arab Emirates with the theme “Connecting Minds – Creating the Future”.

Expo Dubai 2020 was one of the largest global events of the season, and the first world exhibition held in the Near East, and attracted more than 24 million visitors. It was held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, having been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two hundred and thirty-eight countries participated, each of them represented with their own pavilion. Expos are traditionally a space for peace and coexistence among peoples, where countries showcase their best achievements in terms of innovation, creativity, experiences and opportunities, and where they reflect on and discuss the general theme of the expo.

The attendance of TRI was framed within the partnership between the project and the NGO Alisei, which manages the information/communication aspects of the project in Sao Tome and Principe through an “information hub”. As a partner of the Sao Tome and Principe National Expo Commission, the information hub took part in the planning and implementation of the country pavilion’s programme of events held under the overall theme: “Ecological Harmony between Nature and Society”. TRI had its own exhibition space inside the Sao Tome and Principe pavilion, with a roll-up banner with information and a screen displaying images of the landscapes, communities, forests and diverse ecosystems of this remarkable island state. TRI brochures were also available and distributed to the public at the various events organized in the pavilion. As of February 2022, the STP pavilion had been visited by more than 40 000 people, providing a unique opportunity to showcase the TRI project.

Alongside examples of arts, crafts and photography on the country’s endemic fauna and flora, including birds, terrestrial molluscs, trees and flowers, the Sao Tome and Principe exhibit featured a wide range of high-quality certified non-wood forest products, which can be found in the islands’ forests, and cocoa, coffee and pepper plantations, where the TRI forest and landscape restoration project is active. The products include different kinds of flour (breadfruit, banana, taro, sweet potato and cassava), dried fruit (papaya, jackfruit, banana and coconut), essential oils and spices.

The pavilion hosted a series of conferences on biodiversity, non-wood forest products and the land snail “Buzío de Obó” (Archachatina bicarinate), an endemic species of terrestrial mollusc highly appreciated in Sao Tome and Principe and a focus of the work supported by TRI on local value chains. The conferences were organized by CNEXPO and Alisei with support from the Government of Sao Tome and Principe and the Honorary Consulate in Milan. They took place in January 2022 and were broadcasted live on the following days on UAE TV, Expo TV and TVS, Sao Tome and Principe’s national television channel. The conferences reached large national and international audiences, significantly expanding awareness of the ongoing actions of the TRI project in Sao Tome and Principe.

For more information contact [email protected] 

Marco Pagliani (FAO) and Ruggero Tosso (Alisei)