A Maya people alliance to defend the territory and build its autonomy in Quintana Roo (Mexico)
The micro region Poniente of Bacalar, in Quintana Roo, Mexico, is mostly inhabited by Maya communities. Lately, as a result of ignorance of collective rights, more and more ejidal land has been sold there and, with that, land use changes … Read more
S. Janaki – a wise woman bridging tradition and modernity in the Nilgiris (India)
Janaki is a Kurumba woman elder who has emerged as a leader amongst her community, working hard to promote traditional systems of governance and revive important events in the community to keep their pride and identity alive. Protection of sacred … Read more
Pauliina Feodoroff, courageous beacon of hope (Finland)
Mrs. Pauliina Feodoroff is a Sámi woman from the Skolt family– a minority of a minority, who had to relocate to Finland in 1944 at the end of the Second World War due to territorial annexations by Soviet Union. The … Read more
José Leónidas Ramos and Danilo Gómez, champions of ecological community development (Honduras)
The Gulf of Fonseca, in Central America is shared by Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mangrove ecosystems and other types of wetlands dominate the coast, where mammals, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, and birds interact, and where thousands of fishermen use the … Read more
Dingo Markus, leading by example in Indonesia
“One day, as I was walking from the village to the forest, I stopped by the river and thought that the forest, the trees, the water… they are not just for us to exploit and deplete, they are the source … Read more
Aman Singh, the Orans advocate in Rajastan, India
In Rajastan (India), “Orans” are local community conserved areas that act as a store of biodiversity, enable effective water management and serve as a community-based system to restore and regenerate natural considtions. There are about 25,000 Orans in Rajasthan, which … Read more
Emergency grant : Supporting the remote village of Pungmo (Nepal) to restore its earthquake-damaged Amchi clinic and strengthen itself to conserve the local environment.
Amchi is an ancient medical tradition that makes use of herbal medicine and is strongly related to religious beliefs (i.e. Bon and Buddhism), community rituals and the practice of art and astrology. The Amchi clinic of the remote Pungmo village … Read more
Supporting the small community of Uvinje (Tanzania) in their long battle to secure the rightful ownership of their village land
Uvinje is a tiny coastal community located 135 km north of Dar es Salaam since the 17th century. The community has weathered multiple challenges, including a dramatic decline in fishing due to depletion of stocks by commercial enterprises. Today, it … Read more
Strengthening Similipal Peoples’ Parliament (India) in its own biosphere reserve
Gram Swaraj– a civil society organization in Odisha, in the east coast of India– works to address core issues of ecological restoration, self governance and human development. Presently the organisation focuses efforts in Similipal biosphere reserve (Mayurbhnaj district), a large … Read more
The Oran Resource Centre— a source of community empowerment in Rajastan (India)
‘Oran’ is a term used for a local « micro » biodiversity reserve at village level, often harbouring the shrine of a local goddess or deity. Such local forests vary in size from a hundred to five hundred bighas (about … Read more
