Locally-led nature restoration: critical for a sustainable future transcript
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Host [00:01] You’re listening to Make Change Happen, the podcast from IIED that offers insights on issues affecting the path towards a fairer, more sustainable world.
Francesca Booker [00:16] Hello and welcome, I'm Francesca Booker, a researcher here at IIED working on the intersections between nature and people. And I'm joined by...
Ritchel Cahilig [00:25] Hi everyone, I’m Ritchel Cahilig, conservation and training specialist at Haribon Foundation based in the Philippines.
Francesca Booker [00:33] To mark Earth Day, this year's theme is 'Our power and our planet. And Ritchel, you and I are here to discuss the collective strength of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are working, often against the odds, to restore their pockets of the planet for people and for nature.
In the context of ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, they're providing the leadership, aren't they, Ritchel? And you must see this daily in the Philippines.
Ritchel Cahilig [01:04] Right on, Francesca. In the Philippines, where biodiversity is both a treasure and a lifeline, our communities are crucial in safeguarding nature and restoring degraded environments. While biodiversity loss, a crisis impacting our ecosystems, our livelihoods and climate resilience is debated in national forums, local groups are already acting. So these local Indigenous communities facing daily environmental challenges are leading restoration efforts.
Francesca Booker [01:40] So, Ritchel, one way that IIED is supporting this local action and trying to address some of the significant barriers that Indigenous Peoples and local communities face in trying realise their aspirations is through a programme called Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia. We call it REDAA for short, it's quite the mouthful otherwise. So REDAA, it's about emboldening locally-led action to restoration. It's also about confronting blockers, a dominant one being a lack of secure tenure rights, a lack of secure rights to natural resources. I'm sure you see that in the Philippines too.
So to begin with, Ritchel, I wanted to play a clip from Jon Hassall. Jon is the environment research lead over at the climate, energy, environment and water research team at the UK government's Foreign & Commonwealth and Development Office.
Jon Hassall [02:33] Restoring our natural environment is critical for people, nature and climate. We typically focus on the benefits of restored environments for biodiversity, but importantly healthy environments benefit people at home and overseas.
Back in 2019, a World Economic Forum report found that US$44trillion of economic value – that's over half the world's total gross domestic product – is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Construction, agriculture, the food and beverage industry: they depend on nature, either through the direct extraction of resources or ecosystem services like clean water and pollination. Healthy environments can help economies grow, but they also benefit our health.
Those who know their environment best are often the local communities that live there. So supporting local institutions deliver local environmental restoration will deliver more sustainable interventions with longer-term benefits.
It's more equitable and respectful, too. Locally-led approaches recognise that the answers are often in the hands of local communities. They may even find answers that can be applied elsewhere, to the benefit of other people at home or overseas.
We just need to be a bit mindful that we understand the complexities on the ground. Who really has the power in these locations? Will the benefits be felt by everyone?
Francesca Booker [03:59] Ritchel, really interesting comments there from Jon. What's your perspective on that?
Ritchel Cahilig [04:05] You know, Francesca, Jon's observation really resonates with me. The idea that locally-led nature restoration is not only more sustainable but also more equitable and respectful, it just makes so much sense.
For so long conservation efforts have been top-down, often overlooking the deep connection that local and Indigenous communities have with their environment. This approach often leads to solutions that aren't adapted to the specific context, and it can even undermine traditional practices that have been proven to be effective over centuries.
When communities are at the heart of the restoration process, they become the true custodians or stewards of the land and the resources. They have a vested interest in its success and they possess the knowledge and skills to ensure its sustainability.
At Haribon, we've worked on projects involving mangrove restoration where traditional knowledge of local fishers, for example, know about the best planting sites and techniques. We've also seen how community-led forest management can be far more effective in preventing deforestation than externally imposed regulations – even by the government or by our Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Francesca, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. What are your perspectives on the role of locally-led initiatives in nature restoration?
Francesca Booker [05:56] There's an evidence review by Neil Dawson and Brendan Coolsaet and colleagues, and they looked at 169 peer-reviewed case studies of conservation and restoration across the world, so complementing perhaps what you see in the Philippines. And they found that with externally controlled efforts versus locally-controlled efforts, there was a real difference in what they were seeing – both from a wellbeing perspective, also from a conservation and restoration perspective.
So they found that more positive outcomes were seen for both wellbeing and for conservation and restoration from Indigenous Peoples and local community control. When interventions are controlled by external organisations, like where they involve strategies like you've suggested to supersede customary institutions, to change local practice, they tend to result in relatively ineffective outcomes.
In this episode, Ritchel, we wanted to take a deeper dive into the project that you are working on, and that's called 'Engaging Indigenous Peoples and local communities in ensuring environmental and social safeguards for the Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve'. It is quite the mouthful, Ritchel.
Paint us a picture of the Aklan River Forest Watershed Reserve. What's it like?
Ritchel Cahilig [07:12] Yes, thank you for that, Francesca. You've mentioned the long title earlier, we use the shortened title AGOS. ‘A’ stands for the name of the protected area, the Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve, and then the ‘G-O’ is for governance and ‘S’ for safeguards.
What is great about this word, it is very connected to them because the communities which we are engaging with are straddling along the Aklan river watershed. So that's the feature of where our project is working at right now.
Francesca Booker [07:52] So for the people of Aklan, the forest is key to their water supply, hey?
Ritchel Cahilig [07:57] Exactly, Francesca. The Aklan river watershed is absolutely vital. It's the primary water source for the entire province of Aklan, so its health is essential for both the people and the biodiversity of the region.
And our project recognises that the Aklanon-Bukidnon Indigenous group has been the traditional steward for this land for centuries. Their traditional knowledge and practices offer invaluable insights into sustainable resource management.
However, the watershed faces increasing pressures from various factors, including development projects and unsustainable practices.
Our project aims to strengthen the capacity of these communities to protect their ancestral domain and participate meaningfully in the governance of the watershed.
One very huge gap is that Indigenous Peoples’ mandatory representative is not a member of the protected area management board. So it affirms the lack of participation of the IP leaders in the decision-making, especially in governing the protected area.
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Francesca Booker [09:17] So one of the efforts that Haribon is working on is to build this network of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as citizen scientists, I think you call them parabiologists. So what does that look like in practice? Why are you doing it? Why is it such an important part of restoring nature? And why does it link to governance and social safeguards?
Ritchel Cahilig [09:36] Well, in essence, our approach recognises that local communities are not just stakeholders, they are key partners in conservation. So, for example, in approaching the locals in doing – or conducting biophysical research, for example, instead of considering them as just local guides who will just pave the way of our researchers, we treat them as co-equals, as partners.
So we train them to become parabiologists in such a way that they are able to understand how or why we are doing this biophysical research, why are we conducting assessment on the flora and fauna, and in the process they'll be able to embrace the benefit of awareness of these accounts to empowering their communities or integrating them in their local palaces or decision-making, or even in their households .
Francesca Booker [10:41] You mentioned that you're supporting citizen science, but you're also, I think, creating biodiversity-friendly enterprises as well. Could you tell us a bit about that?
Ritchel Cahilig [10:50] Oh yes, these communities are in the forest reserve. There are also non-timber forest products that are abundant in the area. Of course, they are accessible to these products such as the nito or the wild vine, the rattan, these non-timber forest products, they are actually being used by these Indigenous Peoples as the materials in making their fishing gears, their farming tools, in their daily lives basically.
So one thing we are co-developing with the community is biodiversity-friendly enterprise as a nature-based solution to be able to have an alternative livelihood for them to lessen their dependency on the forest resources.
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Ritchel Cahilig [11:51] So we asked Ritha Tarimo, regional director of Trias East Africa, to tell us about her experiences of nature restoration. Ritha is leading a project called CLEAR, which stands for community-led environmental and agricultural restoration. Here's what she had to say.
Ritha Tarimo [12:15] Trias strengthens and powers and connects organised entrepreneurs and farmers to become catalysts of change in their communities. Our work centres around empowering communities to lead nature restoration efforts.
First, we strengthen local leadership through participatory research. This helps generate evidence that shapes smart policy recommendations, which leaders use to influence decision-makers.
Second, we support land and resource assessment, helping communities plan land use, secure land rights and test sustainable farming practises that boost climate resilience.
Third, we promote inclusive governance, ensuring women, youth, people with disabilities and Indigenous communities – often most affected by climate change – are involved and empowered with skills and knowledge to adapt, restore and generate income, restoring ecosystems while strengthening the people who depend on them.
Locally-led nature restoration is important because it puts solutions in the hands of those who live the reality every day. When local people lead, no one is left behind. The knowledge and practises stick because they are rooted in ownership, not imposed.
And crucially, we must honour Indigenous and traditional knowledge. For generations, communities have stewarded land using respectful, regenerative methods. By preserving and passing this wisdom to future generations, we are not restoring ecosystems – we are restoring culture, identity and intergenerational strength.
I must say, women should be central to locally-led nature restoration because women are often the most impacted by environmental degradation, yet the least included in decision-making. They walk long distances for water, risking violence. Drought can lead families to marry off young girls for food: ending their education, exposing them to early childbirth and reinforcing cycles of poverty.
Women must be central, because when they lead they bring solutions rooted in resilience, care and sustainability.
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Francesca Booker [14:45] Ritchel, there were some really powerful moments in what Ritha said there.
The first thing I wanted to draw out, which I thought was relevant to your context in the Philippines, was when Ritha said, ‘We're not just restoring ecosystems, we're restoring culture, identity and intergenerational strength’. You're working with Indigenous Peoples – wondered what your perspective is on that.
Ritchel Cahilig [15:09] Right on, Francesca, Ritha's statement is incredibly insightful. It underscores a fundamental truth: nature is deeply intertwined with culture, identity and the very fabric of our communities.
When we talk about restoration, it's not just about planting trees or cleaning up rivers, it's about revitalising the relationships between people and their environment. So it's about restoring a sense of belonging, a sense of place, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and values.
In the Philippines, and particularly within Indigenous communities, the connection between culture and nature is palpable. Many of their traditions, rituals and livelihoods are intrinsically linked to the health of the ecosystems around them. To restore an ecosystem is to restore their way of life, their identity, and their ability to pass on their heritage to future generations.
Francesca Booker [16:18] That's beautiful, Ritchel. To restore an ecosystem is to restore a way of life.
I think the other thing from Ritha that really connected with me was when she said, ‘Women must be central, because when we lead we bring solutions that are rooted in’, she said, ‘resilience, care and sustainability’. But then also this point that Ritha said that that women are often disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. So we know some of the things are how women are impacted from environmental degradation – they face negative impacts on their health, on their incomes, on their experience of gender-based violence, on the domestic work burden.
Something that stuck with me was a study by UNFAO a couple of years ago, they took a look in Nepal and they found that with an increase in deforestation by 1%, just 1%, they saw a 45% increase in women's time spent looking for forest resources. So that meant over an hour more work for women a day.
And I also think what's important is that we recognise when we're talking about women, we're not just talking about one homogenous group, we need to think about an intersectional approach.
Now, in the Philippines I know that Haribon and in your projects you're thinking about how to include Indigenous women more. I just wanted to hear more about that.
Ritchel Cahilig [17:42] So regarding gender-responsive governance in Aklan, we've identified both opportunities and challenges. Opportunities lie in the existing social structures within some communities where women already play significant roles in resource management and decision-making. For example, traditional knowledge about medicinal plants, water management and sustainable agriculture is often held and passed down by women. Building on these existing roles is crucial. However, there are challenges, deeply entrenched patriarchal norms that limit women's participation in formal governance structures.
So, decision-making spaces are often dominated by men, and women's voices may be marginalised or ignored.
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Francesca Booker [18:40] Well, I look forward to seeing here how you progress further.
Shall we take a step back and look at the global level? This is the UN decade for ecosystem restoration. And globally that's about building momentum, particularly political momentum, towards restoring ecosystems for the benefits it provide provides to people, to nature and to climate.
And this call at a global level has been reflected in key international frameworks across the Rio Convention. If we're to look for an example we don't need to look far. We can look at the Convention on Biological Diversity, the CBD. Target two of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is about restoring 30% of all degraded ecosystems. It's an ambitious target, but achievement of that target relies on other aspects of the framework as well.
It's not just about setting a goal and trying to achieve it. It’s about securing rights, ensuring decision-making powers for people in local communities, including women.
And then [in] addition, at the global level, it's about accessible finance. Securing commitment there is going to be all the more important as we witness cuts in various countries' aid budgets. What we can't lose sight of at that international level is that locally-led nature restoration plays a key role in fulfilling domestic and global commitments on climate, on biodiversity, on land, on sustainable development.
What about you at Aklan? What would your message to the international community be to help you advance nature restoration?
Ritchel Cahilig [20:17] It’s actually a critical question. Here, to be able to advance it, one is to be able to be open about collaborations. Also to empower locally-led organisations. In many communities, especially where Indigenous Peoples thrive, many are still – are not organised. And when they are not organised they cannot represent. They can't be able to be recognised by the local government units as a group with a representative. And that basically already a gap or deprives them from being in participation, for example, talks about nature restoration.
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Francesca Booker [21:07] One way that IIED likes to end all their podcasts, Ritchel, is to ask one question. And that question is, what's one big change that you want to see in the world that would bring us closer to a more sustainable, a more thriving world?
Ritchel Cahilig [21:24] Wow… So that's really a big question to answer.
Francesca Booker [21:28] Super simple, right?
Ritchel Cahilig [21:31] Let me put it this way. For me the one big change I want to see is a widespread recognition and implementation of the interconnectedness of people and nature. We need to move away from seeing them separate entities and embrace a holistic approach that understands that human wellbeing is inextricably linked to the health of our ecosystems, right? It can be translated to integrated policies, bottom-up approach, education and awareness, and many more.
So ultimately it's about fostering a global culture of respect for nature and a commitment to living in harmony with the planet.
Francesca Booker [22:23] Absolutely. I think from my perspective one big change that I'd want to see, I think at every level for anyone who's listening from international, regional, national, provincial, local, I think we need to be asking ourselves, how can we work together to kind of cede those centralised forms of control and power to the local level?
And I think we should all be provoked – I'd include myself in this – to be thinking about how do we give up power? How do we enable those at a local level, striving for a more sustainable and thriving world, to gain that power?
So that just leaves me to say a big thank you to you, Ritchel, for joining us today. It's been such a pleasure to sit down and talk with you.
And thank you to you for listening.
Ritchel Cahilig [23:07] Thank you, Francesca.
Francesca Booker [23:09] You'll find more information and resources on the IIED website.
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Host [23:15] If you’d like to send us your thoughts and feedback on the discussion, email us at [email protected]. That’s [email protected].
You can find out more information about this podcast and our guests, and learn more about IIED’s research around the issues covered in today’s episode, at iied.org/podcast, where you can also listen to previous episodes and browse the rest of our website for more information about IIED and our work.
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