Catalyzing Community Action for Resilient Grasslands

Catalyzing Community Action for Resilient Grasslands

African People & Wildlife’s Sustainable Rangelands Initiative restores northern Tanzania’s grasslands so livestock, wild herbivores, and predators can share shrinking forage. From 2019 to present, the organization has partnered with 50 villages to manage 324,000 ha and actively revive 8,100 ha through invasive-bush removal, erosion control, and flexible, data-led grazing plans. Elected grazing committees and habitat monitors record monthly pasture data on mobile apps; quarterly forums convert real-time evidence into rapid action that keeps corridors open and builds climate resilience.

An IUCN Save Our Species grant (2019-21) accelerated scale-up to 15 new villages, training 30 monitors and adding 253,700 ha under improved management. Using their own data, communities refined grazing zones, cleared 231 ha of invasive plants, and posted signed livestock corridors — showing how timely evidence can turn forage competition into collaborative stewardship.

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Revitalization of pastures in the Vršac Mountains

The project’s main goal was to restore 10 hectares of meadow and steppe habitat within the protected area Landscape of Exceptional Features “Vršac Mountains” in Northeastern Serbia. The absence of extensive grazing had led to the degradation of once-vibrant meadow and steppe ecosystems. This decline in meadow habitat through ecological succession is threatening the populations of local fauna and flora.  The project successfully removed invasive plants and established conditions for the subsequent scale-up initiatives of bringing back extensive grazing to this area.  The project also created two freshwater ponds with minimal interventions in the field, for the purpose of ensuring the presence of water in critical periods for amphibian reproduction and at the same time providing watering holes for local wildlife.  The applied active protective measures are regularly monitored by the protected area manager and nature guards.

Community-based management: An approach to sustainable growth

The Global Programme “Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture” is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Its aim is to increase the fish supply from sustainable and resource-friendly fisheries and aquaculture, thereby promoting a healthy and diverse diet.

To protect rural livelihoods, it is essential to restore fisheries resources. This requires a holistic approach that includes stakeholder engagement, a variety of skills, time, and other resources, as well as collaboration with other sectors such as agricultural development and water resource management. This solution explores the community-based approach to managing fisheries resources, highlighting the importance of voluntary community involvement. By employing participatory rural assessment techniques, the strategy fosters a strong sense of community ownership in fisheries management, which enhances the availability of fish and boosts income.

Effective Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation in MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area through Community-Led Response Teams

Funded by BIOPAMA and implemented by the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP) and MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area (WMA), this project enhances Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) management in the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem. Established in June 2023, MBOMIPA’s first HWC Response Unit comprise of 12 Village Game Scouts – VGS (40% women) + 2 drivers tackles human-elephant conflict (HEC) using non-lethal deterrents (HEC Toolkit, Noisy Balls) and EarthRanger technology. The unit responds to community alerts, protecting crops while ensuring elephant safety. Challenges addressed include recurring crop losses (averaging 2.3 incidents/farm/year) and farmer-wildlife tensions. Results show 176 incidents managed in 2023-2024 with 68.8% prevention rate, zero elephant fatalities, and 89% farmer satisfaction.

Professionalizing Wildlife Management Areas’ Governance: The MBOMIPA Model for Sustainable Conservation

MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a key conservation site in Tanzania’s Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem, faced governance and management challenges, including unclear oversight roles and limited capacity. Supported by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States through the BIOPAMA Programme, STEP and its partners implemented a project in 2023–2024 to strengthen the WMA. This included recruiting a professional management team, training 150 leaders (Authorized Association members, Board members, and village officials), and developing 10 governance tools. Key reforms focused on clarifying roles, improving financial oversight, and enhancing stakeholder engagement. These efforts led to significant conservation and economic gains, attracting two investors and increasing revenue by 25% compared to pre-project levels. Community benefits also grew substantially, with village dividends rising from $500 in 2023 to ten times that amount in 2024, funding schools, clinics, and women’s groups

Developing a community conservancy in the Iyendwe Valley

The Iyendwe Valley runs along the South-East border of Nsumbu National Park, and unlike many areas bordering a national park in Zambia, Iyendwe is not part of a Game Management Area (GMA), nor has a Community Resource Board (CRB) that manages the area. In 2020, the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme (NTCP), a conservation partnership between the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and the community living around a proposed conservation area in Iyendwe committed to collaborate on the development of the Chitimbwa Iyendwe Conservation Project (CICP), to provide the community with a means of self-determination. 

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Conservation Finance for Community Fisheries in Cambodia

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Conteo navideño de aves de la bahía de tela, participación de Lancetilla

Lancetilla participa activamente en el conteo navideño de aves, el esfuerzo colectivo de todos los participantes ha rendido frutos. Principiantes, entusiastas, fotógrafos y expertos se reunieron del 1-3 de diciembre de 2023 para registrar la mayor cantidad de aves en las rutas establecidas en el Jardín Botánico Lancetilla, PN Punta Izopo y PN Jeanette Kawas.

Este conteo reunió no solo a Teleños, sino también personas provenientes de Tegucigalpa, Guaimaca, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Omoa, El Progreso, Ocotepeque, Roatán, Guanaja y Siguatepeque. 

Connecting Carnivore landscapes through coexistence and collaboration

Kenya’s South Rift is vital for free-ranging lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs outside protected areas. The “Connecting Carnivore Landscapes Through Coexistence and Collaboration” project aimed to foster human-carnivore coexistence across 1.1M hectares, ensuring connectivity between the Mara-Serengeti and Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystems. Key goals included:

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  2. Increasing community tolerance and carnivore presence in these areas.

Strategies involved hiring community carnivore ambassadors and illaretok (seasonal livestock guardians) in conflict hotspots and training communities in first aid. This project is part of the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the EU.(https://iucnsos.org/initiative/sos-african-wildlife/)

Community Led Conservation

The Randilen Wildlife Management Area (RWMA) in northern Tanzania, bordering the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, serves as a critical habitat for numerous threatened species such as African elephants and lions. Protecting the RWMA allows the local community to benefit from tourism-related income from the area’s business ventures.

During a survey, the Randilen community highlighted human-wildlife conflict as a significant challenge. To address this, the project provided training and introduced an innovative toolkit designed to deter crop raiders, such as elephants.

As a result of the project, there was a substantial reduction in retaliatory killings, as farmers could effectively protect their crops using the innovative Honeyguide toolkit. The innovative tool has proven to be 90% effective in safeguarding crops, contributing to improved coexistence between humans and wildlife.

This project is part of the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the European Union.

Kajiado County Natural Resource Network: Improved Planning, Awareness and Scale-Up of FLR among communities

The Kajiado County Natural Resource Network (KCNRN) exemplifies a governance-led approach to scaling Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). Registered in June 2022, the KCNRN unites over 25 member organizations under a shared framework for sustainable natural resource management. The network improves FLR outcomes through strategic planning, raising public awareness, and enabling collaboration among local actors, government institutions, and private partners. The network’s focus areas include wildlife, agriculture, rangelands, and community engagement, with an emphasis on sustainable land use and cross-sectoral learning. Innovative initiatives, like “Miti Festival,” highlight the network’s success in mobilizing resources and fostering public participation. This solution was implemented by WWF under the AREECA project, a Consortium financed by BMUV and composed of AUDA-NEPAD, FAO, GIZ, IUCN, the World Bank, and WRI. KCNRN’s strategic planning, financial policy, and governance structure provide a replicable model for scaling FLR.

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In Ntcheu District, Malawi, a Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project, supported by FAO, IUCN, WRI, GIZ and funded by BMUV, empowers local communities through Farmer Field Schools (FFS). Addressing challenges such as low community engagement, unsustainable land use, and economic pressures, the project leverages local leaders and lead farmers to build capacity and ownership of restoration practices. FFS blends traditional knowledge with sustainable techniques, demonstrating economic and environmental benefits that align with community needs. By providing hands-on training in agroforestry and soil conservation, FFS increases yields and offers alternative incomes, reducing reliance on deforestation-driven practices. Through strong support systems, continuous monitoring, and strategic alignment with local socio-economic goals, the project creates a replicable, resilient model that fosters both ecological restoration and socio-economic growth, enhancing resilience against climate impacts and safeguarding vital water resources.

System of rice intensification (SRI): A tool for enhancing the productivity of farmers and reducing the ecological footprint in the rice sector

SRI provides an agroecological and climate-smart solution by using less seed, water and fertilizer on soil that is rich in organic matter. SRI is grounded in four fundamental principles, which include promoting a rapid and healthy establishment of young plants, reducing competition among rice plants, creating fertile soils abundant in organic matter, and carefully managing water to avoid flooding and water stress, ensuring the optimal development of plants. To implement SRI, the Green Innovation Centers have developed, jointly with their partners, a cascade training strategy to disseminate the approach on a large scale. The experts train lead farmers, who supervise one or several groups of 20 to 30 producers each. Training involves practical comparison tests to demonstrate SRI in parallel to the conventional system. SRI involves six practices, ranging from land preparation and transplanting of seedlings to using organic fertilizer, weeding and harrowing, as well as irrigation management.