In Mexico's ‘Avocado Belt,' Villagers Stand Up to Protect Their Lands

Women's conservation collectives in Nigerian villages surrounding Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary use community patrols, enforcement of bylaws, and collaboration with traditional leaders to reduce illegal logging, river pollution, and wildlife crimes. Their approach has reduced river poisoning in some communities, fostered the return of chimpanzee calls, and delivered forest regeneration.

KRAPAVIS has restored 249 sacred groves in Rajasthan through a community-led model where villages share restoration costs and appoint local custodians. They've successfully reviving water sources, wells, and biodiversity while securing a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that protects these community-conserved ecosystems across India.

The Wall of Trees initiative in Nigeria's Makoda village created a four-tiered barrier of windbreak, orchard, woodlot, and economic trees that tripled crop yields and provided income opportunities for 200 women, successfully reversing desertification on 15 hectares over two decades.

Glyphosate is herbicide that kills deciduous trees, weeds, and shrubs and it is one of the most used herbicides in Canada. However, the World Health Organization stated that the herbicide is probably carcinogenic. Indigenous groups have linked it to the deaths of plants and animals. Across Canada, various groups and organizations are trying to end the use of the herbicide, from indigenous groups, to timber companies, and grassroots activists.

Tofino, a popular tourist destination in Clayoquot Sound, a region on the west coast of Vancouver Island, attracts about 600,000 annual visitors. The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and other Nuu-chah-nulth nations have created an eco-based tourism market. They are trying to restore the area after it was decimated by decades of logging in the area. The five central Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations took over tree-farm licenses and created Guardian programs, as well as restoration and monitoring projects. Tofino's tourism generated $250 million in profits, setting up a model that could be used by other First Nations.

Morocco is one of countless regions around the planet facing the challenges of climate change - as rivers dry up and temperatures increase, the livelihoods of millions stand at risk. But the country may serve as an example for how others can mitigate the damages. The government, entrepreneurial individuals, and local communities are making important changes in the face of global warming, from working to reforest arid regions to adapting which crops are planted so as to use less water and maintain "climate-smart" agricultural productivity.

The InterTribal Buffalo Council coordinated the transfer of more than 1,500 buffalo to over 20 tribal nations in 2025, growing a tribally managed herd network that has moved more than 25,000 animals across 22 states and enabled cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, and ecological restoration in Native communities.

Over 3,000 tribal farmers in Odisha are using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—an organic method that uses 92% less seed, no standing water, and traditional formulations—to double their rice yields, increase incomes, eliminate dependence on expensive chemicals and moneylenders, and revive 70+ indigenous rice varieties while improving soil health.

Prescribed burn associations in South Dakota bring together ranchers to conduct controlled fires that have successfully cleared nearly 9,500 acres of invasive Eastern red cedar trees, restoring native grasslands while doubling the economic value of treated ranch land.

Tribal nations across the U.S., supported by the Intertribal Buffalo Council and adaptive federal grants, have rebuilt bison herds totaling roughly 25,000 animals on tribal lands—restoring a critical food source, with programs distributing tens of thousands of pounds of buffalo meat annually to tribal communities.