CI has engaged and worked together with communities and peoples all over the world to show that humans are able to thrive through biodiversity conservation.
CI and the Kayapó have been partners in creating solutions to protect the Amazon since 1992, working alongside Brazilian organizations including the Kayapó Nongovernmental Organizations’ Protected Forest Association and Raoni Institute and the Federal Indian Agency, FUNAI.
Under regulations passed by the Guyana parliament, the Wai Wai community formally designated their land a protected area and adopted a management plan, developed with support from CI, for the 625,000-hectare tract on the northern border of Brazil’s Pará state.
In Madagascar, the CI-founded Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) provided $200,000 for a project that pioneered a new model for managing the country’s wetlands while also supporting the communities that depend upon these ecosystems for their livelihood.
Since 2002, CI has been working with the Kanak tribes of Province Nord, New Caledonia, to manage the Mont Panié Protected Area on the territory’s northeast coast. As part of that effort, CI helped to establish Dayu Biik, the first indigenous non-government organization in Province Nord.
Sacred Lands in China
CI efforts and collaboration with local governments, monasteries and communities helped pave the way for local officials to transfer some authority over the sacred lands to monasteries and communities in China.
Grupo Promotor in Guatemala
CI has been instrumental in the establishment and achievements of Guatemala’s Grupo Promotor (GP) for indigenous peoples and conservation – a working group that comprises CI and 10 other partners including indigenous groups, conservation organizations, academic institutions and government agencies.
Skeppies Community Conservation and Development Small Grants Program, South Africa
Skeppies, a partnership between CI, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and CEPF, supports community projects that combine biodiversity conservation and economic growth. Activities supported by Skeppies range from the creation of hiking trails and a community garden to a rugby club promoting conservation awareness.
Chalalán Ecolodge in Madidi National Park, Bolivia
The Chalalán Ecolodge, nestled in the heart of Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon, is a joint ecotourism initiative of the community of San José de Uchupiamonas and CI.
Chumnoab Conservation Agreement in Cambodia
In 2006, CI and the people of Chumnoab began working together on ways to help the community develop while protecting key resources of the Cardamom Protected Forest, including one of the last populations of the threatened Siamese crocodile.
Cofán in Ecuador
In 2007, the Ecuadorian government signed a deed granting the Cofán indigenous peoples title to the more than 30,000-hectare Rio Cofanes Territory. These lands shelter one of the most ecologically significant montane forests in the world and are important for the survival of the Cofán.
Quechua in Peru
CI and its partner, The Mountain Institute (TMI), have been engaging Quechua communities living in the Conchucos region of the White Range to protect and restore key areas of Polylepis forests while providing development opportunities for them.