General

Industrial-scale investment projects and poor understanding of local communities? role in natural resource management and decision-making have led to conflicts and fears over land and natural resource management in Nampula. Local communities and small-scale farmers have lost their land rights and natural resources have been illegally destroyed, including in the Mecuburi National Reserve. Unorganised local communities have been sidelined in decision-making. In particular, the voices of women, young people and people with disabilities have not been heard. One of the investment plans threatening the region is the industrial agriculture project Desenvolvimento o Vale do Rio Lúrio. It would violate the land rights of small-scale farmers, especially along the Lúrio river. Small-scale farmers are dependent on prices set by middlemen, and deforestation occurs due to uncontrolled fire. Local community organisation, agro-ecological farming methods and preservation of natural resources must be strengthened in order to ensure sustainable livelihoods. The expected results of the project are (i) local communities' trust on their rights to land use and natural resources is strengthened, (ii) increased organisational capacity of local communities and associations in decision-making on natural resource management and in the implementation of programmes for local development, (iii) community men, women and youth understand the importance of the Mecuburi Reserve; and (iv) women, men, youth and persons with disabilities participate in formal and informal decision-making forums related to the conservation of the Mecuburi Reserve and the sustainable use of other local resources. The project beneficiaries are members of local communities who earn their livelihoods from subsistence farming and exploitation of Miombo forests (for charcoal production, firewood and construction) in 8 communities (Mualua A, Mualua B, Namitil, Namicopi, Nihiri, Zero Quilómetros, Macassar and Feira) in the district of Mecuburi, Nampula province. The number of direct beneficiaries is estimated at 8 000, of which 50% are women, 30% are young people (aged between 18 and 40) and 1 000 are persons with disabilities. The number of indirect beneficiaries in the communities is estimated at 30 000. The project is implemented by the Nampula Smallholders' Union, União Provincial de Camponeses de Nampula (UPC-NPL); https://upcnampula.org.mz/.

General

The indigenous communities in Kenya have continuously been losing their living areas for activities like forestry, agriculture and mining, or expansion of conservation areas. In addition, outside communities have taken over lands belonging to indigenous peoples. Through these processes, the communities' cultural tradition and natural resource base have been eroded. In this project, the Ogiek, Sengwer, Endorois and Elmolo communities have joined forces in an effort to strengthen their biocultural continuity and push for the rights of indigenous peoples locally, nationally and internationally ? utilizing among other things the international conventions and treaties supporting the rights of the indigenous peoples. This project strengthens the communities' land rights and the protection of biodiversity with the help of community biocultural protocols. They document the cultural structures, management systems and procedures based on the communities' traditional knowledge, their territories and natural resources, assess the challenges facing these, and outline legal and political instruments to strengthen the protection of the community interests. During the implementation of the project and on the basis of its outputs, the understanding of the legal rights of the communities in question and their cultural characteristics will also be increased among key stakeholders (such as the government authorities, the research community and civil society actors). The Ogiek and Sengwer are traditionally hunter-gatherer communities, the Endorois nomads and the Elmolo fishermen. The project presentation is partly a continuation of a project previously supported by Siemenpuu in 2020-21. In this project, for the Ogiek and Sengwer, the aim is to utilize the biocultural protocols prepared in the previous project in the rights related advocacy work. The protocol of the Sengwers is also updated based on the current situation of the community. The biocultural protocol of the Endorois community drawn up in 2019 will be updated. Regarding the Elmolo community, a community protocol will be prepared for them. The project will be implemented in Nakuru, Narok, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet and Marsabit counties. The project is estimated to have approx. 6,000 direct beneficiaries, half of whom are women. The project is implemented by Ogiek Peoples? Development Program (OPDP); https://ogiekpeoples.org/.

General

The pressure to exploit natural resources, especially forests, is strong in Tanzania. Population growth, growing demand for food, energy and other commodities, as well as illegal logging have negative environmental and social impacts, especially if land-use planning and general governance for the fair and sustainable use of natural resources are weak. The aim of the programme is to restore forests and to expand and develop village forest activities in a climate-sustainable way, through which rural villages earn their livelihood by selling valuables from responsibly managed village forests, as well as other forest products in the East Usambara region. The East Usambara Mountains are a major freshwater catchment area in Tanzania and part of the globally recognized Eastern Arc Mountains biodiversity hotspot. Beneficiaries: Civil society operating in the natural resource sector in Tanzania and the project region, village forest management communities and authorities. Implemented by: WWF Tanzania Partners: Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MDCI) https://www.mpingoconservation.org/, Mtandao wa Jamii wa Usimamizi wa Misitu Tanzania (MJUMITA) https://mjumita.or.tz/home/, Friends of Usambara Society https://www.usambaratravels.com/ Changamoto Youth Development Organization, https://www.changamotoyouth.com/