>> hello and welcome to global 3000 -- your weekly check on global trends and facts that shape our life. i'm michaela küfner. today we'll take a look at the trade in ivory. last year saw an unprecedented surge in demand that may set conservation efforts back by decades. here's what we have coming up for you - eternal struggle -- why the hunt for elephants and rhinos is on the rise in africa. clean living -- how a sewage treatment plant in nicaragua is improving the quality of water. and helping our farmers -- how a german entrepreneur is offering the chance to invest in a greener future.

elephants and rhinos are what all of us expect to see when we go on safari. and luckily we can still do that -- largely thanks to a world-wide ban on the trade in ivory. but last year was the worst in terms of illegal ivory sales since that ban came into force more than 20 years ago. 2011 saw authorities seize more than twice the amount than the year before. 23 tons of confiscated tusks translate into some 2500 killed elephants. but what do these figures mean? why is the world-wide ban suddenly losing its impact? experts say it's mainly due to an overwhelming demand from asia. there disposable incomes are growing and so is the desire for ivory. in kenya's samburu national park we follow the organization "save the elephants" in their daily struggle to protect the giants of the jungle. >> experiencing elephants up close is nothing extraordinary for david daballen who works in

kenya's samburu national reserve. the employee of save the elephants knows hundreds of the pachyderms by name. and he knows their biggest problem is their ivory. the tusks of the giants are once again in high demand on the deadly black market. daballen and his co-workers have limited resources to combat the problem. >> in the parks they have no problem whatsoever of any sort. as soon as they're outside of the park, that is where the problem is. and the problem is the poaching. elephants have no other enemy apart from humans. >> in their search for water, food and vital minerals the elephants wander on paths used for generations by their herds long before the park's borders were established. when the one with the longest tusks is killed by poachers, the herd loses its leader and protector.

it's devastating for the entire group. almost half of elephant deaths is due to poaching by contract killers. >> poaching is not an easy game. it's between death and life. so if you're doing this poaching, you can be either trampled by the elephants and you are actually on the line of fire from the authorities. >> daballen drives us to the site where a huge bull was killed. he was known as "pretty boom boom" because he often slammed his trunk against the ground when flirting with the herd's females. the cadaver hasn't been here very long, but hordes of scavengers have already found a meal. daballen knew the victim well and believes he knows what happened. >> pretty boom boom -- i guess he must have been running around looking for the girls outside the park and unfortunately, he met poachers there.

they shot at him and because he knew that the park is the safest place, he ran to the park and unfortunately, he didn't make it from his gun wounds and he died here. >> the organization understands that elephants aren't like tame animals. one of the their vehicles bears witness to a previous confrontation. iain douglas-hamilton, the founder of the group, is fighting to save all of the elephants. he's concerned about the growing number of red points on his register of unnatural deaths in and around samburu national reserve. >> the reason is entirely due to increased demand from china and the price of ivory is going up all the time. it more than doubled in the last two and a half years and the effects are immediately visible on the rate of poaching. there are poachers now who get such a good price and they are prepared to take big risks, so kws has to contend with gangs of poachers springing up all

over the place at a much higher rate than before. >> to speed up their work and make a fast get-away, poachers use chainsaws to get at the ivory. kenyan customs officials recently discovered more than 700 pieces of ivory in suspicious sacks at the port of mombasa. a kilo of ivory sells for 700 dollars in the carving shops of thailand and southern china. and prices are rising. last year, the kenyan government piled up five tons of confiscated trunks. to emphasize kenya's commitment to ending the slaughter, the pile -- representing the lives of 300 elephants -- was set on fire. president mwai kibaki personally lit the pyre. sixteen million dollars' worth of ivory went up in flames.

but the fight for the future of the african elephants is likely to be won or lost in the villages surrounding the protected areas. instead of spectacular gestures, the government focuses on educating each and every resident here. organizations like save the elephants must convince the local population that wild animals are not just a danger and competition for pasture grounds. they have to make it clear that elephants are worth more alive than dead. some members of the local samburu and turkana communities are undergoing training to be park wardens. they are to keep an eye on the surrounding savanna and persuade their neighbors to respect the animals back home in their villages. david daballen is certain that the wardens' broad knowledge of the region and their resourcefulness will help secure the areas surrounding the parks.

gabriel lesoipa knows some potential poachers and their methods and understands all too well that they can be dangerous. >> we follow their steps, their footprints, and there's another time we call the kws and then there's another time when we rush to where the position they are. we kill them and sometimes we catch them. >> the local residents would like their fair share of the proceeds from wildlife tourism. they say the elephants will then be able to survive this difficult period. humans are the elephants' only natural enemy. but they could also be their best friend. >> making people stakeholders in nature is also the aim of a social entrepreneur we would like to introduce you to now. christian hiss runs a corporation that invests solely in organic and sustainable

farming. here in the european union so far some 5% of farmland is dedicated to organic production. the ratio is increasing every year, and yet farmers face many hurdles -- which require serious investment. that's where christian hiss' corporation comes in. "regionalwert" offers ordinary consumers like you and me the chance to literally put our money where our mouth is. the award-winning concept has already found some 500 shareholders worth around 2 million euros. funds that are making a real difference. >> it's been a while since christian hiss worked his farm. but right now he's needed. the cows can't wait -- when it's milking time, everyone pitches in. taking care of the livestock,

getting up early, hard work and little or no vacation are not popular working conditions these days. christian hiss has seen many farms close down here in the breisgau area. that gave him an idea: he found a way to bring idle farms together with young farmers just starting out. >> a very strong motivation for me was the element of offering young people an opportunity and advising and supporting them while they get started, and then providing the means of financing them. whether they're in the city or the country -- it doesn't matter. nowadays, rural areas are in urgent need of businesses, large, small and mid-sized. they need start-ups. >> the two founders of this company studied ecological agriculture.

they started their own business drying fruit and vegetables. >> we'd been thinking we needed to get an investor on board for some time now. but we couldn't find anyone suitable for it anywhere around witzenhausen. so christian with his company was just the right thing at the right time. it's great. >> they met hiss when they attended one of his seminars. another aspect of his concept is buying properties and then leasing them. for example, this building cost 170 thousand euros. now he rents it to the two young entrepreneurs. >> now we're planning the next stage in our collaboration. we'd like the company regionalwert to take out stakes in businesses to help finance

their growth. >> we get a little feedback; we don't have to make all the decisions on our own, and i just have a really good feeling about it. >> christian hiss used to run this farm himself. now others have taken over -- he's leased out the nursery and the stables. for decades, his aim as been public spirited, ecological and sustainable farming. >> now at age 50, i've collected quite a lot of experience in this area which i value very much. i'm no newcomer in organic farming. if you count what my parents passed on to me, i can look back on 50 years of development

in organic farming. and that's an incredible storehouse you can use to evaluate new developments and put together new strategie. >> hiss is also developing a reputation in the region. winegrower andreas dilger went to hiss for help in tapping into new marketing potential for his wines. christian hiss wants everyone to be able to live and live well from their labors. he concerns himself with economic ethics and has completed a correspondence course in social business financing. he offers seminars around the country and has no problem with the idea of starting over again somewhere else -- not just anywhere, but only where there's a job to do -- where people can use an initiative like regionalwert.

>> the principle of the investment company is applicable all over the world. it doesn't have to be a public limited company. you'd have to work out what organizational form is best suited to the country in question. but the principle of investing in the expansion of the supply chain is doable in every nation anywhere in the world. >> retail is where the money's to be made, says hiss. so the produce is sold in the producers' own shops, so everyone can share in the profits. he's already helped to open two natural foods supermarkets. the profits flow back into new projects by regionalwert.

christian and andrea hiss have been married for some 30 years and have three sons. andrea is the business manager of a shop. >> what's very important for this concept is to include the consumer in the process. so the investors who've put money into the marketing here go shopping in their own shop. and that's where the circle closes, you might say. >> a third natural foods supermarket for the breisgau region is already planned. last year, regionalwert turned its first profits. ten regions in germany have plans to emulate the concept. >> and now we introduce you to some tasty specialties for on- the-go. here at global 3000 we are great fans of no-fuss foods, so we always ask our reporters, and you, our viewers to share your

discoveries. and today we visit an asian soup kitchen laotian style. >> today's global snack comes from luang prabang. the city on the mekong (river) is the gathering place for young buddhists in communist laos. in the middle of a busy street is a real culinary institution: sing's soup kitchen, which serves lao noodle soup starting at six o'clock in the morning. sing opened her stand almost 3 decades ago. she cooks up soup with and without coconut milk. the other ingredients vary according to her customers' wishes. a bowl of soup here costs anywhere from 1 to 6 euros.

>> the basic ingredients in my soup are things like shredded banana blossoms, cabbage, spring onions, seaweed and bamboo shoots. >> little baskets filled with limes, chilies, green beans and different herbs allow guests to season their soup to taste. they can take their meal away or eat it here. the most important ingredients in sing's soup are pork innards and pre-cooked rice noodles. >> i buy the meat at the local market. here you can get liver, heart, tongue, stomach and kidneys. they all go into my soup. a traditional lao breakfast.

i always have to eat a real meal in the morning. this place has been here forever and serves really typical luang prabang cuisine. i'm not actually from here. where i come from we don't use so much chili. it's really spicy. >> i love noodles -- especially prepared the traditional way, as they are here. when i'm in the area, this is where i always head first. >> söon säap, or bon appetit! >> so, have you got another hot global snack tip for us? then please do tell us and there's also something in it for you -- here's how it works. >> savory or sweet, heavy or light -- what is your take away of choice? send us a photo of your favorite snack and win our global snack apron.

send your photo by post or by e- mail to global3000@dw.de. best of luck. >> nicaragua is home to central america's largest fresh water reservoirs. lake managua and lake nicaragua make up some eight per cent of the country's territory. for the capital managua the lake of the same name is both things in one -- the source of drinking water and a sewage basin. no surprise then that over the decades the quality of the water has deteriorated to a point of "biological collapse". but since a modern sewage treatment plant went online in reason for hope. this german -- nicaraguan initiative has managed to avert a water crisis. while the area still has a long way to go in terms of water management, the locals are relieved that their lake has re-gained its most vital qualities.

>> fishing on lake managua -- for many locals it's still their only source of income. this man is collecting bait for the following day. his colleagues are still out on the water and show us their catch. they're happy that the lake isn't so polluted now. a fisherman's life is hard enough. this man must catch enough fish to feed 8 family members. the sewage treatment plant ensures that the lake keeps getting cleaner. we fishermen really notice the difference. the fish are much healthier, so now it's no problem for us and our families to eat our catch. >> the wastewater treatment plant is located on the outskirts of managua, the

nicaraguan capital. for decades the sewage from more than a million people flowed directly into the lake. but that all changed in 2009. now 2/3 of managuans are connected to the sewer system -- and their sewage winds up here. during a tour through the treatment plant, students learn about water management. the plant's operator explains that more than 90 percent of the solid matter is filtered out. this still doesn't make the water safe to drink, but it's much cleaner than before. using the latest technology to produce clean water -- many of the students see this as a dream job. this sewage treatment plant in managua is the first of its kind in the region. there's nothing like it in all of central america.

>> the project cost some 25 million euros. funding was organized by german development bank kfw and provided by the german ministry for economic cooperation and development. in two years' time, the plant will be handed over to ilse brockmann and her team from nicaraguan water supplier enacal. by that time, the local technicians have to be fully trained to run the plant without help from abroad. a new idea is to cut down on operating costs. the sewage sludge is aerated and left to dry in the heat until it forms a granulate -- producing a new, all-natural fertilizer. >> the first farmers are coming and picking up this granulate at their own expense and are

experimenting with it. >> the first customer is a dairy farmer, though no ordinary one. ricardo coronel kauz used to work for the ministry of agriculture. now he uses the granulate (from the sewage treatment plant) to fertilize the grass in his pasture. does he think it's a good alternative to chemical fertilizers? >> i think it can soon replace synthetic fertilizer. the world's population is increasing, so it's a step in the right direction. in china it's common to use human excrement and we need to start doing that too. >> switching to the new granulate could save a farmer around 30 tons of chemical fertilizer per year. that is cost effective for the farmer and the sewage treatment plant, since it no longer has to dispose of the sludge.

it's good for the environment too. synthetic fertilizers are usually made from fossil fuels. >> the more people use waste products to replace synthetic fertilizers, the more they contribute to the reduction of co2 emissions. >> reducing greenhouse gases and improving water quality has proved a bon to the ecosystem of an entire region. lake managua is connected to the much larger lake nicaragua -- which lies some 50 kilometers south-east of the capital. on the western shores of lake nicaragua we find the city of granada. its lovely, colonial-era buildings have made it the country's biggest tourist destination. but just a few hundred meters away from the city centre, the

view is less appealing. barely a quarter of the households here are connected to the sewer system. helge jahn from the kfw has an appointment with a man from the public water utility. the development bank is willing to offer funds to treat the sewage which is already contaminating the city's drinking water. if nothing's done, people could get sick. >> the sanitation problems are reflected in the health of the people. there are many infectious diseases. the wastewater problem doesn't just look unsightly, it also affects people's health. >> helge jahn wants to help. >> the number of residents of granada connected to the sewer system should rise from 20 or 25 percent today to 80 percent. the second part of the project will be to overhaul the existing sewage treatment plant that's not working properly.

>> as even after it's been treated, the water still looks like this: contaminated with algae and residue from detergents. more than 17 million euros are to be invested in granada to improve water quality and keep the lake clean. that's vital. lake nicaragua is the largest drinking water reservoir in central america. >> so still much work to go there. and that's all we have time for on this edition of global 3000. thanks for watching -- and we hope you'll join us again next week. auf widersehen -- 'bye for now! captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--