Trees and afforestation lead to increased water tables and biodiversity, which allows vegetable production and cultivation of bees, coffee and other income generating activities. All activities are closely aligned with the needs of local communities and are implemented only with their joint work.
Agroforestry projects are developed with indigenous communities in the Amazon regions of Peru and Colombia so that endangered native timber and fruit trees are better known, valued and managed. This helps to protect biodiversity and at the same time improve living conditions.
Ecological Balance is a NGO from Cameroon that wants to solve conservation and development issues hand-in-hand. They see the forests as a deposit of natural wealth accumulated over generations which, if used wisely, can make an valuable financial contribution to rural populations, particularly women, supporting their lives and conservation efforts. By combining education and participation with active restoration efforts, they want to bring the benefits and value of Cameroon’s forest back into the everyday life of their people.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best moment is now.“ (African proverb)
Desert Tree has implemented several projects, all of which are aimed at the sustainable protection of the environment. The main purpose of the organization is the protection of forests and planting of trees in areas where they are direly needed. Another aspect, albeit second to the planting activities, is the engagement to protect bees because of their importance as pollinators.
All these activities integrate the local population to strengthen the success, share the responsibility and effort and ensure a continuous development.
Through “participative reforestation”, Cultiva Chile has engaged over 26’000 volunteers in Chile since the year 2000 and planted almost half a million native tree and bush species. They work by empowering local communities through participatory groups, uniting environmental education, reforestation work and citizen engagement. Cultiva Chile’s focuses on recovering the threatened native forests and on creating green spaces in urban areas that improve community life and provide contact with nature and better outdoor learning opportunities.
Conserve Natural Forests (CNF) is a NGO from Thailand dedicated to forest restoration, sustainable land practices and wildlife conservation in Northern Thailand.
CAPED is a grassroots effort from Gambia focused on restoring degraded mangrove and forests and improving the lives of the nearby communities, with a particular enphasys on youth. Working closely with the villagers, they have coordinated the replanting of around 3 million mangrove saplings since 2009, the creation of protected community forests and the introduction of other work and food opportunities.
Brettacorp Inc. is an Australian community association that recovers native habitat for endangered species such as the Southern Cassowary and Mahogany Glider, in Tropical North Queensland. Their work so far has covered over nearly 10 ha of both private and public lands, in cooperation with local entities. This is generally carried out through extensive renaturation and community planting actions, with strong local engagement. Part of their approach also follows the Miyawaki method, a way to quickly grow ultra-dense mini-forests.
BICO works with the communities through capacity-building and reforestation work to restore the Mau Forest complex in Kenya. This is a mountain watershed forest that feeds major rivers and lakes in the region, providing water for millions of people to drink, grow food and generate energy. 25% of the forest have been destroyed in the last 30 years and the impacts on the water supply around the year have become clear and critical.
Soil regeneration – food security – resource management: a long-term and sustainable way out of poverty for rural farmer families
In order to regenerate depleted soils, newTree supports rural farmers in agroforestry. newTree also builds enhanced cooking stoves with women to economize up to 60% of wood. The protection of trees has a huge impact on the lifes of the farmer families.
