The Committee for People's Rights (Podujana Himikam Kamituwa), a local NGO based in Kalutara District, southwestern Sri Lanka, has pioneered the reintroduction of rush and reed species to household paddy fields for processing into value-added handicraft products.The Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversification Program aims to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, to protect indigenous and traditional knowledge associated with traditional handicrafts, to conserve biodiversity and wetland ecosystems through a participatory approach, and to provide opportunities to the local populati...

Roush Protected Area Community, Socotra, is located one kilometer north of Socotra, an island off the coast of Yemen. The marine protected area belongs to the communities of Sacra and Diherhom villages, and was developed in response to an observed decline in marine resources and fish populations. A conservation area and eco-campsite were established, and the initiative was later broadened to include conservation activities more generally.The campsite has created local jobs and benefits are shared equitably amongst participating communities. The initiative follows principles of environmental re...

Pacari Network brings together 47 traditional pharmacies and community-based organizations to cultivate medici-nal plants, preserve traditional ecological knowledge and health traditions, and protect the biodiversity of Brazil's Cerrado biome. In the absence of comprehensive legisla-tion recognizing traditional health practices, Pacari has mo-bilized medicinal plant producers and local health practitio-ners to develop self-regulation.Standards have been put in place to regulate the prepara-tion of traditional remedies, safety and sanitary conditions for plant processing, and sustainable harves...

The Ngata Toro Community's 22,300 hectares of traditional lands lie partly within Lore Lindu National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Since 1993, two local organizations have worked to strengthen traditions, customary laws, and local institutions for sustainable use of forest, land and water resources.The Organization for the Indigenous Women of Ngata Toro Village (Organisasi Perempuan Adat Ngata Toro - OPANT) and the Institute for Indigenous People of Ngata Toro Village have promoted the sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, low-i...

This network of marine and terrestrial protected areas spanning the Vanuatu islands of Nguna and Pele has brought together local, national and international actors in a diverse partnership for the conservation of the area's unique biodiversity. The network comprises sixteen indigenous communities engaged in the conservation of more than 3,000 hectares of marine and terrestrial resources.The project has become a case study for best practice in community marine conservation within Vanuatu and the Pacific islands for its strategies of proactive conservation, resilient management, and locally-appr...

To reduce dependence on declining fisheries and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, Namdrik Atoll Local Resources Committee is promoting a model of community self-sufficiency, local food security and adaptation. Traditional crops such as breadfruit, taro and native pandanus have been reintroduced to protect and restore soil, improve food security and open value-added secondary processing industries for local communities.A pearl farm provides jobs and a revenue stream to fund community development projects in education and health. Training in rainwater harvesting is providing the co...

With 912,000

Muliru Farmers Conservation Group is a community-based organization located near Kakamega Forest in western Kenya. The group generates income through the commercial cultivation and secondary processing of an indigenous medicinal plant, to produce the Naturub® brand of medicinal products.The enterprise reduces pressure on the biodiverse Kakamega Forest by offering an alternative to the exploitation of forest resources, while the commercialization of the medicinal plant has heightened local appreciation of the value of the forest's biodiversity. Over half of the project participants are women a...

Since 2005, this federation of women's economic interest groups, centered on the island of Niodior, has worked to rehabilitate mangrove ecosystems and promote natural resource management in the Saloum Delta Biosphere Reserve. The group was founded in response to multiple pressures on the reserve's mangrove and marine resources, and a 22-woman monitoring committee was established to regulate the harvesting of marine and forest resources.With funding from the UNDP-implemented GEF Small Grants Programme, the initiative developed a participatory code of conduct for marine harvesting, purchased equ...

Kwetu Training Centre is based in Kenya's coastal district of Kilifi where it uses a model demonstration site and extensive youth group engagement to promote sustainable environmental management of the coast’s mangrove forests. This has involved voluntary reforestation efforts and development of silviculture based around the mangrove ecosystems, such as crab farming, bee keeping and ecotourism. To this end, the centre has recently constructed a boardwalk through the local mangrove forests.As local illiteracy rates are high, Kwetu uses methods such as dance, drama, and music to convey conserv...