Our Actions

Climate-proof disaster risk reduction for Indigenous communities in Guatemala

The Partners for Resilience work to reduce the risks of droughts and landslides in vulnerable communities in 5 departments in Guatemala. In addition to securing the communities´ livelihoods, improve their natural resources management and protect them from natural disasters, we also build their capacity to influence decisions that affect them, and involve them in platforms to exchange experiences. Furthermore, by working with different levels of government, we connect national policies with local experiences and influence municipal budget allocation.

Bio-rights for Disaster Risk Reduction of K'iche' communities in Sololá, Guatemala

With our partner CARE we have started a Bio-rights initiative in Sololá, Guatemala to reduce the vulnerability to landslides, mudslides and heavy weather of four K’iche’ communities. Each rainy season they suffer these landslides and mudslides, which are caused by deforestation, as forest has been cleared for maxán leafs, pacaina and coffee monocultures.  

Conserving and restoring wetlands in the Niger Delta

The Niger Delta in Nigeria is the largest wetland in Africa and the third largest mangrove forest in the world. The region is known for its richness in biodiversity as well as its oil and gas resources. Wetland ecosystems play a critical role in supporting the livelihoods of millions of people in the delta. At the same time they are being degraded by unsustainable practices and a legacy of pollution and oil spills. In the delta we are bringing new perspectives to the fields of biodiversity conversation and sustainable development, putting the conservation and restoration of wetlands at the centre of achieving both livelihood and biodiversity improvements.

While this work happens under our partnership with Shell, we are not directly involved in the cleanup of oil pollution, but include the oil industry as an important stakeholder for our new ways of planning development, and improving the condition of wetlands and water resources to benefit both biodiversity and human well-being.

Building Community Resilience to Natural Disasters in Kenya

Downstream communities in the Ewaso Nyiro River of north eastern Kenya are extremely vulnerable to droughts and floods. We are working to help communities reduce their vulnerability and improve their livelihoods through an innovative approach combining sustainable ecosystem management, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Reducing disaster risk by restoring wetlands in the Inner Niger Delta of Mali

The 1.4 million people who depend on the Inner Niger Delta in Mali suffer increasingly from low water levels in the Niger River, which flows downstream into the delta. We are working to address the growing upstream water diversions for irrigation and hydropower, and help downstream communities adapt to sustain their livelihoods.

Reducing the risk of floods and landslides in the Philippines

Population pressures and the over- and misuse of natural resources has resulted in widespread ecosystem degradation and led to the increased risk of (elongated) floods and landslides. In four sites in the Philippines, both urban and rural, we are working to reduce the risk of these water-related disasters.

Strengthening Coastal Resilience for Communities in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia

We work to reduce the impacts of frequent disasters on vulnerable communities in Nusa Tenggara Timur, utilising innovate approaches to improve water management, sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem restoration, disaster risk reduction and the adaptive capacity of local communities. Through our Bio-rights microcredit scheme we improve the livelihoods of communities that restore their ecosystems by, for example, the planting of mangroves and other productive trees.

Mangrove restoration

Wetlands International aims to reverse the rapid loss of mangrove forests along working towards the achievement of sustainable uses of mangroves. On this page you can find an overview of the current and past mangrove restoration activities of Wetlands International in different parts of the world, which provides you with our best practices and lessons learned.

Sustainable shrimp production

Wetlands International works with businesses and the Government of Indonesia to introduce certification of sustainable shrimp farms. This work with the private sector supports the 'silvofishery concept' that combines the replanting of mangroves near and inside shrimp and fish ponds. This is a sustainable alternative for the rigid clearing of coastal mangrove forests for aquaculture.

Sustainable agriculture in the Dambos of Malawi

In Simlemba, Malawi we worked on tackling the issue of overexploitation of the seasonal wetlands (dambos) by agriculture. We helped farmer communities to improve farming in the dambos, manage water resources well and organised the conservation of forests higher up in the hills. 

Restoring the high mountain peatlands of Ruoergai, China

Drainage, Yak and sheep overgrazing, and erosion severely damage the high altitude peatlands of the Ruoergai, located on the Tibetan Plateau in China. Working with communities and the government we diminish the grazing pressure, block erosion gullies, re-seed grassland and much more. The goal is to give the marshes their important natural functions back and improve the inhabitants well-being.

Restoring abandoned shrimp ponds in Indonesia

Abandoned shrimp ponds in Java, Indonesia are a threat to local populations’ health and make the coastal areas vulnerable to strong winds, tidal floods, salt water intrusion and abrasion. In Banten Bay and Pemalang we show how practical fighting poverty and improving family income can go hand in hand with restoring degraded wetlands, such as these abandoned shrimp ponds. Our approach has strongly improved the food security and health of the communities we worked with.

For a healthy Inner Niger Delta, Mali

The Inner Niger Delta is a lifeline for one and a half million people, whose flooding provide fish, fodder for their cattle and water for rice production. This inland delta is also home to millions of waterbirds, that migrate to this rich environment, as well as hippos and many other species. We work with communities and Malinese government to restore the flood forest, reduce the people's poverty and prevent the negative impacts of dams and climate change on the delta. 

Green Coast - the Tsunami Response

Through Green Coast we restored thousands of hectares of coast that were damaged by the Tsunami. Green Coast adopted a unique approach: restoration & management of coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, sand dunes and coral reefs through a community-led approach. This improved the biodiversity and economic well-being of hundreds of coastal communities in five countries: India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Wetlands and Poverty Reduction

This programme aimed to improve policies so that they include the role of wetlands for poverty reduction; especially in developing countries.