About us

Environmental Defenders (ED) is an environmental conservation and human rights organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We work in the Albertine Rift and Congo Basin regions, specifically the Murchison-Semliki, Greater Virunga, and Ituri landscapes, spanning the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda within the broader Congo Basin.

We foster resilience for both environmental and human security. We assist marginalized Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities in the Albertine Rift and the Congo Basin regions to live sustainably and safeguard their cultural practices, water sources, lands, and the surrounding environment.

tree-nursery
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.
The staff of environmental defenders removing seedlings from nursery ready for planting in the field
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.
capacity building workshop for Women Land and Environmental activists in Biiso Buliisa
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.