General

The ‘Forests for a Just Future’ programme of the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) aims to ensure that tropical forests and forest landscapes are sustainably and inclusively governed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, fulfil human rights and safeguard local livelihoods. In twelve countries in South America, Africa and Asia, as well internationally, we will work with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), IPLCs and social movements to increase the participation of IPLCs in policy and decision-making regarding land rights and forest governance and strengthen lobby and advocacy to hold governments and agro-commodity, extractives, energy and infrastructure industries accountable for deforestation and human rights violations. In order to do this work effectively, it is of crucial importance that the operational space and security of IPLC leaders, CSO activists, women’s rights and environmental and human rights defenders (EHRDs) is ensured, which is therefore another essential element of our proposed programme.

General

Dutch support to improving land tenure security for rural smallholder farmers, particularly women, youth and vulnerable groups in order to increase food security.

General

In Suriname, the Working Landscapes programme focuses on the Upper Suriname River area (USRA), which is a heavily forested landscape with limited (but increasing) commercial activity, predominantly inhabited by the Saamaka Maroon population. Tropenbos Suriname has been active in the area since 2014 and has established good contacts and working relations with local people and traditional authorities. USRA is the most densely populated river basin in the country. The area of the landscape totals 201,000 ha, with 124,989 ha of primary forests and 75,906 ha of secondary forests. The population strongly relies on rain-fed subsistence agriculture, and is considered highly vulnerable to climate change. Changes in temperature and rainfall and drought spells are reducing crop output, affecting river water quality and freshwater availability. Floods will lead to homesteads being lost and droughts affect the accessibility of the villages by river, affecting the mobility of people and products, resulting in higher costs for households. The absence of effective legal safeguards for their traditional territories exacerbates their vulnerability. The rapid growth of the Maroon population in combination with a lack of formal land (use) rights and increased investments for the development of economic activities (such as tourism, infrastructure, logging, and mining), lead to increased pressure on the forest. Whereas commercial agriculture is currently limited due to high transportation costs and lack of markets, ongoing improvements of the road network are likely to increase commercial agricultural activities by local elites in the near future, increasing pressures on the forest. In Tropenbos Suriname’s vision, a climate-smart landscape in the Upper Suriname River area provides the best example of the possibilities of a Green Development Path, in line with the High Forest Cover, Low Deforestation (HFLD) status of the country. Local Saamaka tribal communities have formalized access or tenure rights over 85% of the forest in the landscape. For the governance of this area, communities have developed a coherent and comprehensive vision on their climate resilient development path in a participatory and democratic way and in collaboration with traditional and state authorities. Outside pressure on the land and resources from logging, mining, tourism and commercial agricultural is being dealt with adequately avoiding deforestation. District and national level government institutions take due account of Saamaka proposals for land-use planning and landscape governance. Forest user rights have been distributed among local inhabitants in a democratic and inclusive manner by traditional authorities to be used for future community forest management and forest conservation activities, well adapted to the culture of the people. Communities have adapted their productive agricultural activities and forest use to be climate resilient. The existence of well-developed agricultural and forest product value chains enables local people to economically benefit from the forest. Green investments and funding have been made available for the development of climate resilient productive activities and the development of value chains. Local communities have access to these funds and have successfully developed new income generating activities.

Objectives

1. Traditional and local authorities, communities and other stakeholders work together on the development of a strong future-oriented local governance structure. Specifically, local communities will actively participate in the development of legislation on formal tenure rights over land and forest resources. 2. Local people engage in watershed conservation and climate-smart productive activities (community forestry, agroforestry and cash crops) and product value chain development that allow for a significant increase in income for men and women and offer economic opportunities to the youth. 3. The investments necessary to develop climate smart productive activities and product value chains are made available by government, funding agencies, private investors and climate funds that people can access and manage properly.

General

To guarantee the protection of indigenous peoples' rights to land & their role in conservation & the prevention of climate change in 4 East and Central African states by supporting Indigenous Land Rights Defenders (LRDs), their communities & representative organisations working on land and natural resources-related rights.

General

Forested landscapes form the cornerstone of the livelihoods of about 1.2 billion people almost 20% of the world’s population. A large proportion of these people are among the poorest in the world. They are often particularly disadvantaged because their rights over land and natural resources are frequently ill-defined and far from assured. Forested landscapes in developing countries are also crucially linked to the rest of the world. The natural services they provide are regarded as International Public Goods (IPGs). The services climate resilience, biodiversity, and food and water security are critical for growing agro-commodities that are consumed globally. Despite the tremendous services forested landscapes provide, almost a third of the world’s forests have disappeared and another 20% of global forest cover is seriously degraded. Unsustainable cultivation of food, animal feed and energy crops is one of the root causes of deforestation as the expansion of plantations leads to further deforestation and land degradation. Incentivized by agricultural and trade policies, international actors such as multinational corporations and investors are major drivers of forest loss. Still, also local communities and small, local companies can contribute heavily to loss and degradation of forests. Another important driver of deforestation and land degradation is the lack of political and private will in many low- and lower-middle-income countries to safeguard the critical functions that forests provide. Scientific and empirical research shows that informed local communities with ownership of or access to land play a crucial role in safeguarding productive forested landscapes. Inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes is founded on informed joint decision-making and collaboration by all stakeholders – government agencies, the private sector and local communities. This type of governance ensures equal access to natural resources and their benefits, ensuring thriving green livelihoods of local communities. The Green Livelihoods Alliance will act to support – and simultaneously learn from – local communities in forested landscapes. With our mutually reinforcing networks, tools, knowledge and experience, Alliance members Milieudefensie, IUCN NL and Tropenbos International work with civil society organisations (CSOs) who share our goals to represent and empower local communities in lobby & advocacy to bring about inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes. Where possible, through collaboration the Green Livelihoods Alliance will facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues with a wider group of CSOs, local and international companies and governments to improve policies and practices. Where necessary, we will empower CSO partners to press public and private stakeholders for change.

Objectives

The objective of the Green Livelihoods Alliance is to strengthen the abilities and effectiveness of Southern CSOs to influence policies and practices to achieve the inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes. In these landscapes local communities can enjoy secure access to ecosystem services on the basis of three core elements: 1) Equitable access to and better control over land, natural resources and rights; 2) Inclusive landscape governance; and 3) Nature-based approaches to conservation, sustainable management and forest restoration , including for enhanced climate resilience.

Other

The Alliance will initiate the “Forested Landscapes for Equity Programme” in close cooperation with its CSO partners. In this inception phase, the Alliance will dovetail the capacity building and country and driver-specific lobby & advocacy strategies. A thorough context analysis will be conducted and during inception workshops, the Alliance’s Theory of Change will be contextualized according to country and driver. Based on the outcomes of the workshops, lobby & advocacy strategies and interventions for dialogue and dissent will be designed. Alliance partners and CSO partners will also carry out a capacity development needs and assets analysis to identify relevant capacities for the envisaged strategies and interventions. During the inception phase, baselines will be set for capacity development as well as for thematic areas.

Target Groups

Civil society; Governments; International institutions; Private sector actors, Knowledge Institutions