FrutaSã has its roots in a scoping study of the Brazilian Cerrado eco-region conducted in the 1990s to determine socioeconomic challenges facing smallholder farmers and indigenous communities. Alongside mounting environmental threats to the region, exacerbated by the economic marginalization of the rural communities and subsequent over-exploitation of local resources, these findings insp

In response to declining local octopus populations, community leaders in the coastal village of Andavadoaka sought to regulate harvesting practices. With guidance from Blue Ventures, a UK-based NGO, the village authorities created a trial "no-take zone" in 2004 where octopus hunting was banned for a period of seven months. Enforcement was rooted in the tradition of Dina, or local codes of condu

Aharam Traditional Crops Producers' Company works with socially marginalized rural producers to conserve biodiversity in the semi-arid Ramnad Plains of Tamil Nadu state. The initiative uses a producer group model focused on women and landless labourers to promote organic farming practices that improve crop diversity and agro-biodiversity. The group's work has aimed at reducing dependence on cot

Alimentos Nutri-Naturales Sociedad Anónima (ANSA) is a group of independent businesses, entirely owned and operated by women, which harvest, process, and sell the abundant and rarely utilized Maya nut (Brosimum alicastrum). The nut was once a staple food for the ancient Mayans but is threatened with extinction due to the spread of logging and conversion of land to agriculture. In the buf

The successes of the Amal-Crab Bay initiative in conserving marine resources in their tabu area, located on the eastern coastline of the island of Malekula, Vanuatu, has been underpinned by the use of a traditional resource management system and innovative awareness-raising efforts. The bay forms part of the Port Stanley mangrove area, and is home to extensive fringing reefs, sea grass beds, an

Asociación Bio-Itzá (Bio-Itzá Association) is an indigenous organization of the Mayan Itzá people, located in the Municipality of San José in northern Guatemala, which works to involve local communities and incorporate Mayan cultural traditions in the conservation of regional biodiversity. Legally incorporated in 1991, the association's first major achievement

This women's cooperative is providing livelihood options for the women and men of the island of Isabela in the Galápagos Islands. This small-scale enterprise is simultaneously decreasing pressures on overexploited local fisheries by adding value, rather than scale, to its production of smoked fish. Fishermen in the region have traditionally relied on declining populations of coastal sea

Asociación para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Integral (AIDER, Association for Research and Integrated Development) is a participatory initiative that provides capacity building and technology transfer to enable community-based conservation of forest resources across Peru. By providing technical assistance to forest-based communities in both the humid tropical forests of centra

Having begun in a few villages in the mid-1990s, Songtaab-Yalgré now brings together more than 3,000 women across ten provinces of Burkina Faso in the harvesting and processing of shea nuts from the tree species Butyrospermum parkii. With the initial aim of improving women's literacy and advocating for improved working conditions, the initiative identified the production of shea nut butt

The Center for Empowerment and Resource Development works in the Caraga region of the Philippines to conserve marine and coastal resources while improving the sustainability of local fisher livelihoods. The Centre's approach has been to put management of natural resources squarely in the hands of fisherfolk associations, working with local governments to develop barangay resolutions, municipal

This collective brings together women’s groups from communities bordering the Popenguine Nature Reserve, a 1,000-hectare coastal reserve located in the Thies region of Senegal. Since the creation of the reserve in 1986 to prevent over-harvesting of marine resources and degradation of mangrove forests, the park’s authorities have sought to involve local communities in its management.

The Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve is the largest marine protected area in Mexico, spanning more than 1.3 million acres of land and ocean. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its rich biodiversity and wealth of Mayan culture; "Sian Ka'an" is Mayan for "where the sky is born".

Working within this protected area is Community Tours Sian Ka'an (CTSK), an alli

The artisanal fishers of the community of Tárcoles, located in the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, faced declining fish stocks due to a combination of overharvesting by commercial shrimp boats and unsustainable local fishing practices. At the same time, development of the tourism sector along the coast threatened to restrict access to the shore and to marginalize their

Located in the southwest corner of the Mekong Delta, the Ha Tien Plain is a shallow basin where floodwaters pool to create vast grasslands. In response to several failed attempts to convert the plain for Eucalyptus forestry, rice cultivation, and shrimp aquaculture, a partnership between conservationists and a local village community has demonstrated that its resources can be sustainably manage

Federacion Plurinacional de Turismo Comunitario del Ecuador (FEPTCE, Multinational Federation of Community Tourism in Ecuador) brings together indigenous communities across Ecuador that offer tourism, guiding and lodging services. The initiative has especially targeted the country's indigenous, Afro-Ecuadorian, peasant, and montubio (mestizo) communities, who are traditional stewards of Ecuador

In 1975, Kahuzi-Biega National Park expanded from 60,000 to 600,000 hectares of forest in eastern DRC. The newly-incorporated lowland forest was home to the endangered Eastern Lowland gorilla (Gorilla Beringei graueri), as well as many indigenous Batwa communities. These communities were forcefully relocated by the expansion of the park, depriving them of a source of local livelihoods, food, an

The Amani Nature Reserve was created to protect the unique, biologically important sub-montane forest ecosystem of Tanzania's East Usambara Mountains. The biosphere reserve covers an area of about 83,600 hectares, and is home to a number of human settlements as well as unique and endemic biodiversity. These communities have been actively engaged in the management of the reserve since its establ

This community-based organization has worked since 1990 to conserve wetlands and biodiversity in and around Saiwa Swamp National Park, home to approximately 25 per cent of Kenya's vulnerable Grey Crowned Crane population. During the 1980s eucalyptus cultivation resulted in drainage of the swamp and damage to habitats.

The catalyst for reversing these trends came from a leader of the loc

Located in the remote northern province of Luang Namtha on Lao PDR's border with China, the 222,400-hectare Nam Ha National Protected Area includes some of the country's most significant wilderness areas. Altitudes range from river valleys and plains to northern highland peaks, supporting a broad range of habitats and biodiversity.

Since 1999, conservation efforts in the area have been

In its work with 50 communities along the Sepik River – the longest river in New Guinea – the OL Sepik I Lukautim Wara Na PukPuk (Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative) has transformed the local economy and local treatment of wetlands. The sustainable harvest of crocodile eggs from nest sites along the river has become an important source of income for local residents; previously, cr

Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan (PENAGMANNAK) is a federation of seventeen peoples' organizations – self-help groups or cooperatives – working to conserve biodiversity in the Mt. Talinis area of Negro Oriental province. With their roots in the Mt. Talinis and Twin Lakes Biodiversity Conservation project (1996-1999), these groups' early act

This NGO mobilizes local communities in western and southwestern Mali to sustainably manage natural resources and protect biodiversity. Since 2003, the initiative has implemented a wide range of activities, including the protection of wildlife and fauna species, combating the use of polluting substances, and improving land management and access to water for local communities.

One key in

In the low-lying northwestern region of Bangladesh, a mosaic of wetland ponds and waterways make travel extremely difficult, particularly during the monsoon season when extensive flooding occurs. To address this challenge, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha operates a fleet of 54 solar-powered boats to deliver services that range from schools to agricultural extension centers. The vessels are able to

Shompole Group Ranch covers almost 62,700 hectares of grassland and savannah in the Magadi Division of southern Kenya. The Group Ranch, under the management of the legally-registered Shompole Community Trust, has 2,000 registered members representing around 10,000 Loodokilani Maasai dependents, and is legally registered to undertake wildlife conservation within its boundaries.

Since the

The Sociedades Cooperativas de Producción Pesquera de Cozumel y Vigía Chico (Fish Production Cooperative Societies of Cozumel and Vigia Chico), are two cooperatives working in the Mexican State of Qintana Roo to advance a model of sustainable fishing for local communities. Located on the tropical island of Cozumel, an international tourist destination, and in the Sian Ka'an Biosph