Villagers on Principe, the ‘African Galapagos’, to be paid for protecting the ecosystem | Sao Tome and Principe

In colonial-era farm buildings in Porto Real, 43-year-old agricultural worker Kimilson Lima has signed the deal and is happy. “With this money, we can have a suitable floor of the house,” he said. “And a toilet inside.”

Lima is part of a groundbreaking experiment on the West African island of Príncipe, where villagers who agree to comply with environmental protection rules will earn a quarterly profit. To date, approximately 3,000 people have participated in the Faya Foundation’s project; This is more than 60% of the adult population. The first payment of €816 (£708) was recently delivered; large amount of money on the island. “This will be truly transformative for both nature and people,” said Felipe Nascimento, president of the autonomous region.

The special nature of Príncipe’s flora and fauna has been known since the 20-mile-long island was accidentally discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1471. Uninhabited and separated from the African mainland by more than 260 kilometers of ocean, Príncipe and its larger southern neighbor, São Tomé, have developed unique rainforests where giant land snails and crabs are among the top predators. Even now, new species are still being discovered, giving rise to the nickname “African Galapagos.”

The Portuguese started a cocoa plantation economy, but it failed after independence in 1975. In Príncipe, descendants of slaves and laborers from Angola and Cabo Verde have become close-knit communities of subsistence farmers, camped in increasingly decrepit colonial-era buildings. For the occasional visitor, the sights were a sight to behold, but trouble was mounting for the inhabitants as they pushed into uncharted parts of the island, chopping down trees and searching for food.

Then, in 2010, South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth arrived looking for a place to build a house; This idea soon gave way to a charitable impulse to help. An old plantation house was converted into a hotel where locals were retrained as staff, but Shuttleworth didn’t stop there. His quest was to finance the type of sustainable development that also protects and improves the environment. “The normal path to development for Príncipe would be to cut down forests and grow black pepper according to the principle of ‘fair trade’,” Shuttleworth said. “But we want to reward them as stewards of their precious environment.”

This dream has now come to fruition, much to the surprise of local skeptics. “They have been disappointed in the past,” says Faya project CEO Jorge Alcobia. “They didn’t expect us to keep our promises”

But there is still a learning curve on how to help the environment. “We need to explain that this is not free money,” Alcobia said. “For example, if trees are cut down without permission, dividends are reduced.” Faya finances school improvements, organizes the moribund cocoa business, and offers financial advice. “Many people here don’t have bank accounts and have little experience using money.”

But so far all the money comes from Shuttleworth’s fortune; this is a past and future commitment totaling approximately £87 million. Developments include a new village that is home to Clara Gomes and her daughter. “My money is going towards a new kitchen and carpentry training,” he said.

His neighbor Edmundo sells cocoa to the project. “I didn’t have anyone to buy it from before,” he said. “I hope they get vanilla from now on.” He signed up for the dividend, but others remain skeptical. “This is a monopoly,” shouted a bystander. “Is this good? What if everyone bought motorcycles and chainsaws?”

For one man, years spent foraging in the forest have now turned into a career as a wildlife guide. Yodiney dos Santos now leads scientific expeditions into the jungle and discovers many new species, including a previously unknown owl. He knows very well how fragile this environment is. “My ancestors came here from Angola,” he said. “And for food, they brought in edible West African snails, which then escaped. Now these snails are pushing out the endemic Príncipe snails.”

This unique social experiment will be watched closely. “If successful, I hope other irreplaceable ecosystems will be able to benefit from this idea at scale,” Shuttleworth said.