Nature in Action: Video series showcase stories of communities at the forefront of nature protection and conservation
The Nature in Action series is a naturebase collaboration with community-led filmmakers from If Not Us Then Who? to showcase stories of individuals and communities at the forefront of nature protection and recovery. The episodes emphasize the successful implementation of nature-based solutions projects and the strong leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. These stories effectively bridge science, policy, and action, positively influencing climate discussions and decision-making for impactful nature-based action, using naturebase data. Watch the episodes:
Brazil: Seeding Sociobioeconomies
How much is a standing forest worth? For centuries, the value of a forest was tied to the extraction of its natural resources, leading to deforestation and ecosystem destruction. This caused significant damage to the climate, biodiversity, livelihoods, and the economy.
However, this narrative can change. Keeping forests standing can mean economic growth, social development, and a tool to combat the climate crisis. The ‘socio-bioeconomy,’ a new regenerative economic model, also offers a solution to the climate crisis. This model transforms agricultural practices, recognizes traditional cultures, and helps achieve climate and biodiversity goals while providing jobs and fair compensation.
Brazil, the country with the greatest potential to mitigate carbon by adopting natural climate solutions and home to 40% of the Amazon, is leading initiatives within this new economic model. By fully developing the socio-bioeconomy, the GDP of the Brazilian Amazon could increase by BRL 40 billion annually, achieving zero deforestation and restoring 24 million hectares of forest by 2050. Globally, the World Bioeconomy Forum estimates this market is currently worth $4 trillion, potentially reaching $30 trillion by 2050. The new documentary produced by Nature4Climate and If Not Us Then Who, part of the Nature in Action series, explores the socio-bioeconomy market in Brazil and features açaí as a case study.
Wetlands for livelihoods: local communities thrive by protecting mangroves and peatlands in Borneo
With temperatures rising at increasingly rapid rates, the need for solutions that not only sequester carbon from the atmosphere, helping mitigate global warming, but also provide shelter and help communities adapt to extreme events, is more pressing than ever. At the same time, these solutions must safeguard ecosystem balance and livelihoods. What if we told you that one single ecosystem does exactly that? Wetlands. Protecting and restoring mangroves, peatlands, and marshes has the ability to store more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth, while also providing coastal resilience and preserving fish populations – on which many lives depend.
Dedicated to the restoration of the Indonesian mangrove forests, the Teluk Semanting village members in East Kalimantan are embracing the mantra “more mangroves, more blessings” as they plant Rhizophora seedlings and preserve their traditional ways of living.
In 2007, they made the bold decision to transition the area from unproductive shrimp ponds into a protection site turned ecotourism destination. This decision was not made lightly. Faced with the disappearance of animals, the fishing village was losing its primary economic source and, consequently, livelihoods. They began by constructing a 40-meter bridge to literally reconnect the community with the mangroves and planting 2000 Rhizophora seeds, a collaborative effort with nature.
Now, they are reaping the rewards. Life has returned to the village, with various species such as crabs, small fishes, and shellfish of better quality appearing regularly thanks to the protected area.
Panama: the return of an ancestral forest
Indigenous Peoples protect over 80% of the world’s biodiversity, whilst representing only 5% of the global population. Their invaluable knowledge and practices are true lessons of sustainable land management and equilibrium between species. Still, Indigenous Peoples are undervalued in their stewardship of nature and oftentimes persecuted. Despite being displaced from their lands and gradually pushed away from their ancestral traditions, the Embera People of Panama refuse to sever their connection with this land. Over the past three years, they have worked tirelessly to restore the forests in the Alto Bayano River area, their sacred land.
Since the 1970s, this region’s biodiversity has been impacted by the construction of a government-imposed hydroelectric dam and relentless pressure from cattle ranching and continued agricultural expansion. In 2020, a concerted effort led by AMARIE, an association dedicated to uniting female artisans from the Ipeti Embera communities, resulted in the planting of over 90,000 native species on 90 hectares of community land. They employ traditional knowledge and other natural climate solutions such as agroforestry to ensure the area’s restoration.
The association partners with Canada’s McGill University to run a plant nursery and further encourage other local communities to reconnect with their forests and participate in carbon credit projects.
How carbon revenues transformed land use and management in Tanzania
For millennia, traditional communities in Tanzania have been stewards of their land. Finally, their efforts are being acknowledged and valued in a tangible way. Rural communities and indigenous tribes are now selling high-integrity carbon credits, a testament to their ancestral dedication to safeguarding the forests and biodiversity of East Africa. This virtuous cycle simultaneously preserves biodiversity, enhances territorial security, and bolsters the local economy. Currently, 60% of the revenue from carbon credits in Tanzania is directly managed by these communities, who reinvest these funds into health, education, and local business development.
In the Datooga Community, for instance, proceeds from the Yaeda-Eyasi Landscape Project—a program designed to prevent the annual felling of over 170,000 trees in the Yaeda Valley region—are funding a school lunch program. In the Ntakata Mountains, eight village communities have committed to averting the felling of 1,250,000 trees each year. The revenue generated supports local businesses like the restaurant owned by Tatu Amani. She shares, “I started my business in 2015. I used my initial earnings to purchase necessary items and to improve and expand my restaurant. I currently employ six individuals, whereas initially, I started with just two.”
Collaborating with Carbon Tanzania, an organization aiding 12 communities in Tanzania to generate verified forest carbon offsets sold on the voluntary market, indigenous populations are also addressing land tenure and land use concerns through this new system. “We protect our forest through patrols. When we find someone disrupting the wildlife or cutting down the trees, our village by-laws are implemented at once,” explains Juliana Johnson Mboi Mlaw, Village Game Scout Coordinator of the Yaeda-Eyasi Landscape Project.
Water resilience: resisting the tide in the Dominican Republic
In coastal countries, especially in the Caribbean, the health and equilibrium of nature – including forests, reefs, mangroves, rivers, oceans, and seagrass beds – are not only the main economic resources for surrounding livelihoods but also a matter of survival and protection for the communities that call these areas home. In 2019, when Hurricane Maria devastated riverside villages such as Miches in the Dominican Republic, riverside communities counted on a powerful ally to the rescue: the mangroves.
“When the river overflowed its banks, it was a major event that we never want to experience again. I saw people screaming in despair. Then I saw the floodwaters already coming to cover us,” remembers Maura Acosta, community network coordinator from the Resilient Islands Project. “But what happened is: the mangroves are there. We are at the mouth of the river! So, the floodwater was very high up there, but here it receded. This experience made me care for and protect those mangroves together with the community.”
The insular countries and their populations are on the frontline of climate change, bearing some of the heaviest impacts. Any disruption in this equilibrium dramatically reduces the population’s ability to withstand natural disasters. Reefs, for example, protect coastlines by lessening the weight and intensity of waves. In the natural landscape, seagrass beds and mangroves can also absorb the remaining energy from waves and storms, reducing the likelihood of floods and coastal erosion.
About Nature in Action: case studies from across the globe
Naturebase*, an interactive tool from N4C, showcases real-world stories like Teluk Semanting, focusing on successful efforts to protect, restore, and sustainably manage lands globally. It hosts a growing natural climate solutions learning network, testing high-impact strategies for worldwide replication. Naturebase not only aids stakeholders in addressing data integration challenges but also enables informed decision-making for effective natural climate solutions globally.
The “Nature in Action” series, produced with community-led filmmakers from If Not Us Then Who, tells stories of people and communities leading the groundwork on nature protection and recovery. These stories highlight successful nature-based solutions and the strong leadership of Indigenous and local communities, influencing climate discussions and decision-making for impactful nature-based action.