Forest

Until the 1950’s, chestnut forests played a crucial role for families’ self-sufficiency in the mountain valleys of Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Due to this, they were less affected by farming and logging, and therefore, they still retain high levels of biodiversity. Two wildfires have however severely affected the habitat’s conservation status and weakened its capacity to regenerate. This project by Veredas da Estrela association aims to break this cycle of fires, and restore the forest’s ability to act as a fire break, stabilize water cycles and soil, and provide food for wildlife and communities. On 10 hectares of affected forest, the organisation will support natural regrowth of 2,500 trees and bushes, fight invasive species and replant 6,500 chestnut and other native species. It will also host six 1 day volunteer action days involving 450 volunteers and turn the forest into a space of shared learning and guardianship, by hosting 6 guided educational hiking-workshops and 6 forest school days.

Around 750 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans live in West Toba, a vulnerable landscape where the remaining rainforests face human pressures on all sides. Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) has made it their mission to keep these special animals thriving in the wild by working in partnership with forest-edge communities. SOS is supporting their frontline partner TaHuKah to co-create a conservation programme with local people in West Toba that safeguards vital forest corridors by equipping communities with the rights and tools to manage their forests sustainably. The project will establish a plant nursery growing up to 50,000 seedlings per year for use in agroforestry and rainforest restoration projects; deliver training for 20 young people to support ecotourism development; provide locals with skills and equipment to carry out a year of monthly patrols and identify and respond to threats to the forest; and construct a canopy bridge over a road to maintain forest connectivity for orangutans.

Bardia National Park (BNP) and its buffer zone encompasses the critically endangered Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecosystem, home to endangered Asian elephant, tiger, greater one-horned rhino, pangolins, Hispid hare, otters and Bengal florican. Forest fire in the dry season is a climate change induced threat here. Controlled burning of grassland by park rangers during the dry season, and burning of farm crop residues in the buffer zone increases carbon emissions and pollution.  The Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF) aims to reduce fire in forest, grassland and farmland, to reduce their negative impacts and to restore habitats. They will achieve this through education, the planting and safeguarding of 12,000 native trees, the trialling of changing grassland management from controlled spring fires to manual cutting in winter over 300ha, and the piloting of composting rather than burning of crop residues with 50 farmers over 600ha. The 16,000 annual visitors to BNP will benefit from better air quality, as well as new biking facilities which will provide a lower impact way for visitors to enjoy the park.

Saiwa Swamp National Park is a haven for endemic wildlife, including Grey Crowned Cranes, the shy otter, De Brazza monkeys, and Sitatunga antelopes, and is visited for guided bird watching tours and walking. The main threats facing Saiwa Swamp include illegal harvesting of water and firewood, climate change, and wildlife poisoning from the overuse of artificial fertilizers. This has contributed to wetland drainage, and an increase in human-wildlife conflict as wildlife invades local farms in search of food. International Tree Foundation and their local partner Kipsaina Crane and Wetland Conservation Group will work with neighbouring communities to rehabilitate 20 hectares of degraded land, by planting 30,000 native trees and removing invasive species alongside two rivers feeding into Saiwa Swamp. Environmental education will be provided to farmers, outdoor enthusiasts and local community members, supporting 200 farmers to adopt sustainable land management and wetland conservation actions through agroforestry, and improve livelihoods of 240 community members by encouraging environmentally friendly practices to reduce pressure on the wetlands.

The White-footed Tamarin monkey (Saguinus leucopus) is a threatened species endemic to forests of west-central Colombia. Despite its importance as a seed disperser, contributing to forest regeneration, it is threatened by habitat loss, degradation and exploitation for the pet trade. Canopy Watch International seeks to conserve and restore forest habitat for tamarin monkeys in the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia, which falls within the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot. This region retains <25% of original forest cover, occurring in fragments isolated by pastures. This project will restore 25 ha of pasture by planting 15000 native seedlings using Applied Nucleation, and plant 500 seedlings particularly beneficial to tamarin monkeys in the forested area. The project will monitor tamarin populations using 10 canopy camera traps, supporting long term management plan development. 100 students, 150 community members, and 200 ecotourists/volunteers will engage in three educational workshops and the ongoing conservation activities, raising awareness of the tamarin monkey, enhancing people’s experiences with conservation, and reducing the capture of the tamarins for pets.