Thriving Forests

Meet the First Cohort of Thriving Forests

The participating organisations include:

ASRI – Indonesia

Dedicated to conserving tropical forest and enhancing community well-being through sustainable livelihoods

CERAF-NORD – Cameroon

Focused on Locally led land Restoration and Sustainable Livelihoods

ECA Amarakaeri – Peru

Dedicated to conservation with effective participation of Indigenous communities and replacing extractive activities with sustainable livelihoods

Mbou Mon Tour – Democratic Republic of Congo

Established as an initiative to combat wildlife depletion and deforestation

FODI – Democratic Republic of Congo

Dedicated to supporting communities to steward forests while improving their livelihoods

Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW) – Cameroon

Support women's empowerment, community livelihoods and sustainable ecosystem while addressing environmental challenges

Tropical Forest and Rural Development – Cameroon

NADA – Gabon

Local stewardship which aims to conserve the ecosystem using traditional ecological knowledge, empowering communities to lead conservation

These organisations will receive grants, technical guidance, and platforms for peer learning, enabling them to amplify their impact on forest conservation and community livelihoods. Additional organisations will join the initiative by 2025.

Thriving Forests is a movement to empower those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. By equipping local communities with resources and sustainable practices, we are fostering resilience, enhancing biodiversity, and creating a pathway to a brighter, more sustainable future for people and the planet.

Meet the Second Cohort of Thriving Forests

The participating organisations include:

3C (Conservation et Communauté de Changement) – Burundi

3C is restoring 13,000 hectares of forest along a vital chimpanzee corridor between Burundi and Tanzania, launching a groundbreaking community forestry approach in Burundi. The organisation is planting and protecting trees in Mont Mboza - Burundi’s last remaining forest - while supporting sustainable businesses and fruit tree cultivation for local communities. This work not only boosts food security and incomes but also reduces the risk of devastating landslides.

ADINA (Integral Development Association of Nairi Awari) - Costa Rica

Led by the Cabécar people of Nairi Awari, ADINA is reclaiming ancestral lands and leading a powerful Indigenous model of conservation and restoration. The organisation stewards over 5,100 hectares of recognised Indigenous territory, with a focus on reforestation, sustainable tourism, and mapping. Ecotourism revenue funds the restoration of degraded lands, while new women’s groups strengthen resilience across nine Indigenous communities.

Ashiñwaka – Asociación de Mujeres Sapara (Sapara Women’s Association) - Ecuador

Ashiñwaka is an Indigenous women-led organisation protecting more than 360,000 hectares of ancestral Amazonian rainforest in Ecuador. After halting oil exploration in 2019, the association now trains women from the Sapara community in nature-based enterprise and community-led tourism. Their work blends ancestral wisdom, legal advocacy, and bold Indigenous leadership to ensure long-term protection of the forest and economic resilience for Sapara families.

CFLEDD (Coalition des Femmes Leaders pour l'Environnement) – Democratic Republic of Congo

CFLEDD is a women-led national network promoting gender equity and forest rights across the DRC. The organisation works with forest-edge communities to advance women’s land rights, strengthen their leadership in forest governance, and boost economic autonomy through food production and preservation. CFLEDD plans to secure 165,000 hectares of community forest, with women leading the way.

Hutan Kita Institute - Indonesia

In South Sumatra, the Hutan Kita Institute is scaling up forest-friendly livelihoods and policy influence. Operating across 3,000+ hectares of rainforest and 92 Forest Management Units, the organisation works with nearly 20,000 families. Its work includes agroforestry training, forest monitoring with drones and GIS, social forestry licensing, and gender-equitable enterprise - from coffee to ecotourism through Agroforestry Farmer Groups (KUPS).

Ngudu Dimbu - Gabon

Ngudu Dimbu supports communities in southwest Gabon to reduce hunting pressure and human-elephant conflict through new income-generating activities. From beekeeping to orchards, these initiatives improve local livelihoods while protecting biodiversity in and around a critical national park. The organisation also leads participatory land mapping to strengthen communities’ legal land rights.

PROGRAM (L'association Protectrice des Grands Singes de la Moukalaba) - Gabon

PROGRAM is a grassroots conservation initiative protecting 20,000 hectares of forest in the buffer zone of Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park — home to gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants. Through community-led tourism and conservation, PROGRAM engages local people, including former poachers, in tracking and protecting wildlife, while also supporting sustainable food production and alternative incomes.