Biodiversity and Climate

The world is experiencing biodiversity loss at an unprecedented rate, often referred to as the “Sixth Mass Extinction.” This loss, compounded by climate change and pollution, constitutes one of three major planetary crises recognized by the United Nations. Human activity drives biodiversity degradation, yet millions rely on ecosystems for their livelihoods, making biodiversity preservation critical for economic opportunities and well-being.

Our Work

Environmental Defenders focus on conserving ecosystems in the Albertine Rift, specifically the Murchison-Semliki, Greater Virunga, and Ituri landscapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This region is part of the Congo Basin, a biodiversity hotspot facing growing threats.

Climate change

The important role of indigenous peoples in the protection and conservation of the environment is well established and should be advanced.

The Problems

Biodiversity Loss: Human activity, monoculture practices, mining for critical minerals and fossil fuel, logging, and urbanization threaten ecosystems, reducing food and water security while increasing vulnerability to climate change.
Climate Change and Pollution: These factors reduce arable land, fresh water, and biodiversity, amplifying risks for low-income communities and exacerbating global inequality.
Land Degradation: Agriculture and urbanization have degraded one-third of all land, creating waste management issues, changing water balances, and leading to biodiversity loss.

However, despite having contributed the least to climate change, indigenous peoples are among the first to face its effects. They are also increasingly negatively impacted by climate action and green investments in their lands and territories, are increasingly negatively impacted by climate change mitigation initiatives on their customary lands such as the establishment of conservation areas and national parks, renewable energy projects, etc. The loss of land and natural resources contributes to the loss of traditional livelihood practice, valuable indigenous knowledge, and to food insecurity. It also entails risks of hampering mitigations efforts more broadly as indigenous peoples are not only the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but also stewards of most of the remaining biodiversity, with important contributions to adaptation and mitigation efforts, e.g. in regards to nature-based solutions.

Impact and Vision

By addressing biodiversity loss and climate challenges, we aim to secure ecosystems and habitat for species, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable development. Our work contributes to mitigating climate change, restoring natural habitats, and supporting vulnerable communities, especially in low-income regions.

Land defense & human rights defenders

The growing demand for land and natural resources make indigenous peoples’ land a target for increased exploitation, illicit acquisitions, and land-grabbing.

Activities

We actively engage in the following activities as part of our works on Biodiversity and Climate:

Gender inequality

Indigenous women experience multiple forms of discrimination due to their indigenous identity, their gender, and poverty.

Environmental Defenders works to conserve the interconnected ecosystems of the Albertine Rift and Congo Basin, two regions of immense biodiversity facing increasing threats. We actively engage in tree planting, reforestation efforts, and seed banking to ensure the long-term health of these vital ecosystems. Our work includes restoring damaged land, preserving critical habitat for threatened wildlife and plants, and establishing wildlife corridors to facilitate movement and genetic exchange across these landscapes. Through biodiversity monitoring and targeted conservation initiatives, we’re working to prevent species extinction and maintain the delicate balance of these interconnected ecosystems. We believe that educating and raising awareness within communities are crucial for long-term conservation success, and we actively engage in environmental education programs throughout the Albertine Rift and Congo Basin regions.

Tree planting and reforestation, seed banking and collection, biodiversity monitoring, restoration of degraded land, habitat protection and restoration for wildlife and plants protection, environmental education, and awareness campaigns.

Empowering people to develop their resilience to difficult situations, helping indigenous communities to advocate and take direct action against illegal land sales and forced evictions that often take place without their Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, providing direct legal support, land survey, and mapping. We form, register, support, and equip women groups. Increasing agricultural productivity and market access, forming and strengthening producer groups and cooperatives through training, learning exchange, multi-stakeholder dialogue platforms, business mentoring, and coaching in gender, life skills, financial and basic literacy, and numeracy skills.

We protect, defend and secure environmental defenders and land rights activists who are targeted, harmed, and endangered due to their efforts to defend their environment, land rights, and tenure security. We offer emergency support service (relocation, legal, and medical emergency grants), capacity building to improve conservationists and defenders’ security (personal/organisational and digital security workshops), psychosocial support among others.