Wildlife plays a critical role in maintaining ecological balance, yet many species face increasing threats from poaching and the rising demand for their body parts for food, medicine, and trade. To address these challenges, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) established a Wildlife Conservation Committee, a volunteer group made up largely of herders and farmers living close to the forest. Members are trained to document wildlife presence and detect signs of illegal activities using the NoteCam mobile application, which enables standardized data collection with GPS coordinates. This community-based monitoring approach strengthens early detection, supports informed conservation management, and empowers local people as active stewards of biodiversity.

Committee members share their observations with forestry officials and the SWS management team through a designated WhatsApp group. Officials verify and maintain the data, ensuring timely action, better monitoring, and stronger community involvement in wildlife conservation.

This initiative was born from the vision of David Sarmiento, IMARPE field observer and renowned 2023 Leatherback Champion, who decided to go beyond his job. David realized that, in order to achieve effective marine conservation, it was important to build bridges with artisanal fishers, based on mutual trust and respect. Using everyday tools such as local radio stations, social media, and training spaces, David forged an authentic connection with the crews of fishing boats in the cove of San Jose (Lambayeque). His approach combined scientific expertise with a deep human sensitivity. By listening, valuing, and exchanging ideas with the fishers, he enabled them to take the lead in bringing about change. Today, they are the ones who share recordings of rescues, reflections, and data on marine megafauna. Experience shows that conservation is most effective when it stems from strong human relationships and committed local leadership, generating sustainable learning and trust among stakeholders.

The Green Project in Gashora Sector, Bugesera District, Eastern Rwanda, transformed the country’s driest agro-ecological zone through regenerative, farmer-led land restoration. Facing severe land degradation, poor soil fertility, and widespread poverty, the project implemented agroforestry-based conservation agriculture using shrub-tree hedgerows, rotation cropping, and organic mulching. Designed as a low-cost, inclusive and replicable model, the project improved soil health, enhanced biodiversity, increased yields, and diversified household incomes. Starting with just six farmers, it now engages over 1,000. The intervention shows how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tailored to local conditions can reverse degradation, boost resilience, and uplift rural livelihoods.

Tottenham Hotspur, a Premier League club aiming to lead the way not only on the pitch but also in sustainability, has become the first sports organisation to introduce smart biodiversity monitoring at its training facilities in Enfield. Building on initiatives like offering vegan food at all stadium kiosks, using 100% renewable electricity, and including sustainability in employee inductions, the Club has deployed two innovative systems: one capturing the dawn chorus of birds, the other measuring pollination activity. Positioned in the garden areas and flower beds that surround the training pitches, both feed real-time data into dashboards, which the Club analyses with ecologists to assess trends and understand how land use and maintenance affect biodiversity. These insights will guide a long-term ecological strategy that embeds biodiversity into site management and supports Spurs’ wider environmental goals—leading the way for other sports clubs in biodiversity conservation.

In 2016, three fishing companies carried out a pre-assessment to establish a Marine Stewardship Council program. In 2017, two more joined, launching the Fishery Improvement Project toward MSC certification. Member companies, including NIRSA, Jadran Group, Servigrup, Eurofish, Tri Marine, Marbelize, Manacripex, Pacifictuna, and Tunaquick, have worked with the support of the Ecuadorian government and WWF to improve fishery management and reduce environmental impact.

TUNACONS promotes sustainable fishing in the Eastern Pacific by optimizing tuna yields through scientific research. It also trains the sector and supports the reduction of ecosystem impacts.

Since October 2017, a code of good practices for handling and releasing bycatch has been implemented, aimed at captains and crew. Key actions include:

– 59 vessels recording data on bycatch reduction and incidental catches
– Collaboration in a manta ray tagging program
– Training sessions on IATTC resolutions, sensitive species handling, and external evaluations.

This project empowered communities in Burkina Faso’s Centre-East and Centre-South regions to transition toward sustainable agriculture and landscape restoration. With support from the IKEA Foundation, UNCCD Global Mechanism, and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the project reached 300,000 people (50% women, 50% youth). It increased agro-sylvo-pastoral production, restored over 54,000 ha, and strengthened local associations and governance. Through inclusive participation, communities adopted legal texts protecting 37,500 ha of ecological corridors. The intervention improved food security, incomes, biodiversity, and local decision-making capacity while aligning with Nature-based Solutions standards. Its successful co-production approach and restoration-business linkage offer high potential for replication across the Sahel.

The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras located in the mountain areas of Northern Luzon, were inscribed in the World Heritage (WH) List under criteria (iii), (iv) and (v) in 1995, as an organically evolved, living cultural landscape of outstanding universal value. Produced by the Ifugao ethnic group, the terraces are tangible testimonies of intergenerational transmission of their Indigenous worldview which represents harmony between humankind and the environment. In 2001, the property was put in the WH List in Danger due to deterioration caused by extreme weather conditions and socio-cultural changes, notably outmigration, loss of Indigenous knowledge and erosion of customary social institutions. The Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), a grassroots non-profit organization, is partnering with local and national governments, and scientific institutions for raising youth awareness on the interlinked cultural and natural values of the Rice Terraces through heritage education enabling their conservation.

Establishing the link between urban populations and nature is increasingly considered as an important element of sustainable cities as it contributes to improving the quality of life and public health of society. Yet, intense urbanization in Ankara, Turkey, is negatively impacting on nature in and around the city. The Middle East Technical University (METU) covers 4,500 hectares of mostly natural and pristine ecosystems, presenting a unique opportunity to re-engage citizens with nature.

The aim of the project was to reestablish the link between the youth of Ankara and nature. The project also aimed at inter-city knowledge exchange to observe similar programs and activities in the UK, Greece and Italy. The project had 4 main activities:

• Mobilization and capacity-building of young people for experience sharing on nature education programs
• Development of educational programs
• Establishment of the “Nature for Youth and City Centre” program
• Dissemination of the model in other selected campuses and institutions