Projects of our partners on the ground
The rainforest projects of our partners line up along the equator like a string of pearls. Indigenous rainforest defenders, eco-guards and activists are in the field every day to protect irreplaceable ecosystems and the homes of Indigenous and traditional forest communities. Want to know more? Here is a selection of the more than 50 projects that we support with your donations.
Protecting Borneo’s rainforests and empowering Indigenous people
Resisting the destruction of the ancient forest giants has made true fighters out of the activists of Save Our Borneo (SOB). Their mission is to stand in the way of palm oil companies and help Indigenous people secure urgently needed land rights.
The Batwa people and the gorillas
On the outskirts of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, home to critically endangered gorillas, the organization CAMV is campaigning on behalf of the Indigenous Batwa people.
Enforcing the rights of nature in court
Mining companies have the copper and gold deposits beneath the rainforests of the Ecuadorian Andes in their sights. Our partner organization OMASNE is leading the grass-roots resistance against mining – and recently won a spectacular verdict for the rights of nature.
Giving captive birds their freedom
In Indonesia, the illegal trade in birds is booming – to the point that forests are falling silent. Our partner organization FLIGHT is fighting the poachers, putting pressure on policymakers, and awakening people’s love of birds in the wild.
Securing the land rights of Indigenous people
Environmentalist Matek Geram is a staunch advocate of the Iban people. He is helping them defend their land rights by mapping the communities’ traditional territory.
The Ka’apor people: defending the Amazon rainforest
The indigenous Ka’apor are defending the last large rainforest area in the southeastern Amazon region, driving out illegal loggers and poachers and destroying their trucks.
Guardians of the jungle: protecting chimpanzee habitat
Chimpanzees are our closest relatives, yet we have pushed them to the brink of extinction. Preserving their habitat is a crucial part of protecting them. Conservation efforts can only succeed in close cooperation with local communities, and women are playing a key role in this work.
Saving the rainforest of southern Papua and empowering Indigenous Papuans
The rainforests in Papua are experiencing an unprecedented onslaught of timber, palm oil and mining companies. Land grabbing and clear cutting are rife. Indigenous Papuans are losing their livelihoods as the forest disappears. The environmental and human rights organization Pusaka is mounting a defense against environmental destruction and land grabbing.
Protecting the forest with ancient rites and a radio program
In the homeland of environmental activist Lamin Seidi Cani, the forests are said to be teeming with ghosts and demons. The eerie ones are a force for good, as the spirituality of the local people is a strong driver of conservation. The power of radio has also been enlisted to the cause of nature.
Eco-Guards: monitoring the forest at Afi Mountain
Gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants still live around Afi Mountain and in Cross River National Park, a small area in eastern Nigeria. Our partner organization Devcon is dedicated to protecting the region by training Eco-Guards and helping local communities develop environmentally friendly sources of income.
Protecting the forest with the Túumben K’óoben Indigenous women’s cooperative
The Selva Maya, or Mayan Forest, is the largest contiguous tropical forest in Central America, the habitat of jaguars and other rare wildlife. An Indigenous women's cooperative wants to buy forest plots here to stop a destructive infrastructure project and to preserve nature and their Indigenous traditions.
A radio station for communities and nature
Northwestern Tanzania's nature is world-renowned. But for the Maasai people, this blessing is also a curse, because the government is running roughshod over their rights in the name of “nature conservation”. A radio station aims to be a voice for reconciliation: People who are informed and know their rights can shape their own future and work toward living together in harmony.
Leuser: a place for orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants
On Sumatra, our partner Forum Konservasi Leuser is working to protect one of the most biodiverse forests on the planet: The Leuser Ecosystem is the last place where elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinos share the same habitat. Yet roads cut into the jungle are attracting poachers and illegal loggers. Our two ranger teams protect particularly vulnerable areas from the peat bogs to the mountains.
