>> hello and welcome to "global 3000." today, among other things, we will re-define the phrase "long term investment" with a model that helps nature along the way. and here's what we have coming up for you today. forget concrete gold. how forest gold could make you rich in costa rica. why the tsunami nine years ago is still not over for the people of aceh. and how a nigerian entrepreneur is trying to bake her way into

big business. we begin with a business that promises to make a respectable profit by investing in costa rican trees. it's true. so far, no dividends have been paid out on leo prostler's "tree investment funds." after all, he and his son don't measure financial performance in quarterly earnings but in decades. so, it's still early days for the trees they started planting seven years ago in a bid to prove that boosting nature pays in many ways. home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. over one quarter of the country's territory is protected as conservation area.

the humid forest is an ideal climate for bio-diversity. >> i go to the rain forest to get away from it all, breathe fresh air, explore, and find peace. what's special about the forest is this diversity that grows and fades together and is constantly creating new life. >> entrepreneur leo prostler shuttles back and forth between costa rica and germany. he's found a way to combine business and environmental protection. by the 1980's, over three quarters of costa rica's rain forest had been cleared to make way for single-crop agriculture. >> the pineapple has spread out like an octopus here and taken

over the whole area. the pineapple plants have to be sprayed, and they leach the soil, so it can't be used for anything else. the run-off trickles into the rivers and kills off the fish. but who foots the bill for that? >> leo prostler and his son, stefan, have launched a reforestation project that protects biodiversity. the almond tree, for example, sustains rare species of macaws. in 2007, stefan prostler settled in costa rica and now manages the project on site. >> when i started out, i was only interested in planting new forests, but meanwhile, we've started working under the 3- pillar model of social, ecological and economic returns of working towards a system of production that really is sustainable. >> funding from german investors is going toward planting mixed forests here.

the first actual returns take 24 years to materialize, when the trees are harvested. they've planted nearly thirty species of tree, many native and precious woods. where the trees grow too thick, a few are felled ahead of time. the project doesn't just create revenue, but jobs, as well. once a week, stefan prostler meets with his team at home to discuss new plans. >> the hardest part of my job is actually the inter-cultural side. we come here from germany and talk about how important it is to protect the rain forest and its bio-diversity, while back in

germany, we cut down all the forests and re-planted them centuries ago. and what we in germany see as a treasure is quite often not valued as much here. >> the local population is more accepting of the project when there's something in it for them. the small tree farms double as vegetable patches. in the shade, farmers grow ginger for export to germany. ginger benefits both the workers and the trees themselves. >> the advantage of this agro- forestry is that it results in a good, homogenous soil profile, which helps the trees to grow better. >> the goal is for the locals to eventually make a living from the project. people have returned to an abandoned finca, or plantation.

as well as tree farming, they make cheese and produce fertilizer from cow dung. rene aguirrez has been involved in the forest project for two years now. >> firstly, because i like it. i like working with plants. i didn't know much about it, but i learned on the job, and i'm interested in working with plants. i like it. >> it takes decades for the little seedlings to grow into mighty trees. at present, the project employs about a hundred workers. so far, investors in germany have put a good 30 million euros into a very long-term project. >> i'm not so worried about it

being a long-term project. it all goes with a whole attitude to life. and i have my experience from my first year here. i was always so worried about the little seedlings. you could hardly see them in the tall grass, and today, they've grown into a real forest, that gives you a lasting sense of fulfillment. >> stefan prostler has left his old life as an event technician far behind him. he's started a family in costa rica and taught himself the complexities of re-forestation. >> one of the most important aspects of a project like this is taking responsibility for what you do. that's one difference to other projects that are directed by a hired manager. they know they'll be at it for five or, at most, ten years, but not for thirty or forty or fifty years.

but to hand this responsibility down through generations is one of the strengths of this project. everyone is there for everyone else, and they know they have to do it right. >> leo prostler's planning to move back to germany, leaving the project in the long-term care of his son. by the time the first trees are harvested, and the investors see their returns, stefan prostler will be almost as old as his father is now. you can find a full interview with leo prostler at our website, dw.de/globalideas. still, there are challenges where every minute counts. a key one is access to clean drinking water. some 800 million people are still living without it. boiling water is the only fast and effective way to kill germs. but the people who need that most, often lack resources. a plumber from scotland had a

striking idea which manages to make the most of what is available. it's called a "jompy" and it's inventor is a true global brain. see for yourself. >> as in many of the world's poorer regions, clean drinking water is a rare and precious commodity in uganda. according to the world health organization, diseases related to contaminated water account for almost 8% of all deaths in africa. we're in the kabale district in the remote south of the country, where an invention designed to purify contaminated water is now being tested. a simple solution to a serious problem. >> even the people in town here, who have heard about the jompy boilers, want to have one! like myself, i would like to have one, here and maybe in my

village. >> it's the brainchild of scottish plumber and heating engineer, david osborne, who grew up in south africa and has retained a strong affinity to the continent. he built the prototype in his garage. >> i had an idea at 11:00 at night. lying in bed, i had the idea. i drew it, and the following morning at 6:00 a.m., before anyone put their washing out, i lit a fire in my driveway. i put a length of copper tubing into the fire and ran water through it, to prove the initial concept. once i had proved that, it took no more than a month to finalize a design. i booked a flight to kenya, to try it with some locals. >> the jompy is ingeniously simple, needing neither pump nor filter. the water travels through a coil, which is placed on top of the cooker. this enables users to do two things at once: cook food and boil water for drinking and washing later, while saving energy.

plus, there's no danger of burns. >> the jompy stays cool during use. this is the good thing in closely knit communities, where this is put on the ground after use, where someone may stand on it or come in contact with it. so, it's very safe to use. >> the innovative device heats up the water to 86 degrees celsius, enough to kill most dangerous bacteria, including those that carry dysentery and cholera. the ugandan health authorities are happy with their test results. >> we tested before and after heating with a jompy. when we analyzed the results in the lab, most of the samples before heating were contaminated. all the samples after heating with a jompy were not contaminated. >> the jompy currently costs under $20, a price that is set to decrease significantly through volume production.

invented in scotland to combat waterborne diseases in the developing countries, the jompy could revolutionize life for the world's poor communities. >> indonesia bore the brunt of the disaster when a giant wave plowed across the indian ocean on boxing day 2004, killing some 230,000 people. until the tsunami ripped through the indonesian province of aceh, you needed a special permit to go there. a state of emergency was in force as government troops fought the "free aceh" independence movement rebels. the destruction by the tsunami was so great that the disaster de facto ended this conflict. and almost a decade on, it is clear that life for the people of aceh will never be the same. >> these two know each other from the rebuilding efforts after the tsunami. mohammad nurdin is the mayor of

suak nie. maman natawijaya is the head of the rebuilding project. mayor nurdin shows us how agriculture is flourishing in his community. he's proud of the local produce, like mangoes, papaya, coffee, rubber and cocoa. project leader maman is pleased that people are providing for themselves. >> for two to five years after the tsunami, they were depending on the help of other organizations, and some ngo's. because as you know, suak nie was totally destroyed by the tsunami. the spot where these chickens now roam was hit by the wave ten years ago. the whole area was flooded within seconds. mohammad nurdin lost his wife as well as three children.

his village suak nie lies in aceh region on the west coast of sumatra. it was swallowed up by the sea, with only rubble remaining. indonesia was the worst hit country, with 170,000 people killed. houses were swept away, and much of the country was under water. rice fields and plantations were destroyed by the disaster. now people are growing crops again and widows and widowers are remarrying. but family life is still hard. >> once i had enough money to send all of my children to school, but not anymore. it's just enough to live on. >> the village planted new natural rubber plantations with

money from the government and aid organizations. the first drops of rubber are already trickling out of the trees. it'll be another year before the rubber can be harvested. maman knows the farmers have to be patient. >> this is important in the long term for the income of the people here because the rubber plant has a long lifespan of about 20 years. >> the two men head over to one of the most important places in the village, the new mosque. the prayer room is almost finished. it's not just a religious centre in the devout region of aceh. it's also a place of work for local craftsmen. ten people from the village work

here. project leader maman is happy with the work that goes on, and he's always good for a joke as well. even though things are improving for most people here, they're still plagued by one problem in particular: the tsunami ruined their crop fields. >> the economy is going well, many of us are even driving motorbikes. but on the other hand, we have to buy rice, our staple food source. the tsunami destroyed the rice fields, and now we can't grow anything there. >> the once arable land is now rough terrain. the saltwater-flooded areas that used to be rice fields can only be crossed on rickety wooden boards. no crops will grow here now. at best, cattle can graze here.

maman says rice will never grow here again. so, how would the village protect itself in the event of another tsunami? the answer is by using trees as a barricade. the government has planted pine trees right on the beach. they grow quickly, and their strong roots should help to protect the village from another wave. >> the trees are pines. this is good for the anticipation of a disaster or tsunami, because the roots of the trees are very good for the land. the trees will provide protection, but the villagers still have to be prepared. >> we've got the experience. i think we're well prepared.

hopefully next time the warning will come in time. >> an early warning system has been placed in the sea. but no one here is certain the alarm will reach remote areas before it's too late. >> to africa now where nigeria is already an economic power house. with growth rates of around seven per cent, some predict that it could soon surpass south africa. that's mainly due to its rich oil and gas deposits. but little of this wealth is trickling through to ordinary nigerians. for them starting up a small or medium sized business remains a great challenge. we visit a young entrepreneur who specializes in trendy, artistic cakes. she finds that grasping this business opportunity comes with many strings attached. >> moladun jaiyesimi's bakery gets going early.

the 34-year-old has her hands full. she's busy making a special cake for a special occasion -- a big traditional nigerian wedding. her business is doing well. she's selling plenty of her unique cakes as the year comes to an end. it's a chance for moladun to build up her business. >> if i have more money, i will get a standard bakery where i can do bread and people can walk in. where i can bake fresh bread, fresh pastries. do all kinds of cakes. >> moladun is a trained pharmacist. but she gave up that career because she loves baking, and it brings in more money as well. when she lived abroad she

learned how to make lots of different kinds of cakes. moladun's on her way to the bank in nigeria's capital abuja. it's hard to get the money to expand a bakery. moladun's trying to get a loan to help her out. >> well i am here today to find out about a loan for my business >> question, how much exactly are you looking at? >> 5 million naira. >> that's about 23,000 euros. moladun explains her business model to the bank manager. he needs to see that she has a realistic plan for how to spend the money. by the end, it seems moladun has won bank manager roger noke over. he says he'll give her confirmation in the coming days.

>> good. i appreciate your coming. we hope to eat your bread very soon. >> however, it's also become clear to moladun that the 3% to 4% interest rate on the loan will be difficult to finance. >> the interest rates are just too high because at the end of the day, the bank will probably take everything i worked for. all the profits will go to the bank. i am not certain that i can take that loan. >> the next day she's back working on the wedding cake. the attention to detail and love of design make moladun's cakes stand out from the rest. these are skills she's developed over time.

a wedding cake like this one costs about 130 euros. that's enough for moladun to hire three employees. she makes roughly twenty cakes every week. >> the most important thing about a wedding cake apart from its beauty, is the structure. to avoid accidents and problems, and, you know, how weddings are like a special day for somebody. so, if you mess up their cake, it's as good as you messed up their day. >> unemployment is high in nigeria at about 20%. in the cities, everyone's looking for work. supo olusi is the coordinator of

the "youwin" programme. the government initiative looks to support young entrepreneurs and help them out once they've started a new business. >> part of the major reasons for establishing the youwin program is also job creation. the overall objective is to create between 80,000 and 110,000 jobs over the three cycles of the youwin program. >> moladun doesn't have much time left. she's been working on the cake for two days. it needs to be ready tomorrow, in time for the wedding. everything has to be perfect to make sure it's right for the occasion. finally it's done, and delivered before the first guests arrive.

colorful creations like this one are becoming more and more popular at nigerian weddings. but without credit, moladun says the income isn't enough to expand the business the way she wants to. she's been relying on financial help from her family up until now. she's proud of the wedding cake. and it seems the bride's happy with her work as well. >> the bride and groom, the colors, it's wonderful. thank you. >> but for moladun, the biggest celebration is waiting at home. it's her youngest son temi's birthday. she's made him a special cake as well, his very own personalized

birthday cake. moladun says sharing these special moments with her children gives her strength in her drive to become an independent business woman. the confectioner from abuja is still dreaming of building up her cake business. >> and we wish her luck in proving that her creative spirit translates into business success! and that's all we have time for on this edition of "global 3000." but you can visit us anytime. if you missed some of our show, you can see all the reports online and get in touch with your ideas and comments. until next week thanks for watching and bye bye!oyçyçyçyj4j