A Dialogue with Nature: Communities and Carbon in Colombia

Locally led carbon projects play a critical role in transferring resources to support the sustainable development and self-determination of communities, while also contributing to climate action. In this docuseries, viewers will travel throughout Colombia, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, from its high Andes ecosystems (páramos) to the Eastern plains (llanos) and the mangroves…

3 Questions with Sadiki Laiser on Taking Local Action to Respect the Ocean

Overfishing and the effects of climate change are challenging the resilience of Tanzania’s biodiverse marine protect areas (MPAs), but USAID Tanzania Heshimu Bahari Activity (Respect the Ocean), led by Chief of Party Sadiki Laiser, will strengthen management of protected areas and wild-caught fisheries to ensure these vital natural resources are protected. Sadiki Laiser explains what…

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Colombia

As of 2021, Colombia was the 18th largest gold producer globally and the third largest in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, more than 80% of the country’s gold is illegally mined, resulting in detrimental environmental and social effects, including deforestation, landscape disruption, water pollution, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. Although the artisanal and small-scale…

Sadiki Lotha Laiser

Sadiki Lotha Laiser has 17 years of experience in environmental, natural resources management, livelihoods & wellbeing, policy planning, and governance. He has led departments, units, consultants, and experienced teams that delivered science-policy and decision-making interfaces across socio-economic, environmental, political, and cultural areas in the African region. Sadiki currently leads the USAID Heshimu Bahari Project in…

Tatiana Ramos Maza

Tatiana Ramos Maza is the chief of party of Alliance for Root Causes and Opportunities Activity (ARCO). She is an international development leader with over 30 years of experience managing sustainable development projects. She joined Chemonics in September 2022 to lead ARCO, an alliance between USAID and the International Development Agency of the Government of…

Conservation Trust Funds and the Cubango-Okavango River Basin

River basins host complex and interrelated natural and human communities which depend on the basins’ resources to survive and thrive. Planning and managing resources at the basin level are critical to understanding interactions and addressing impacts to mutually benefit people, ecosystems, and wildlife. While natural systems know no boundaries, these basins often span national boundaries…

Protecting the Natural Wealth of the Colombian Amazon

The government’s presence in Colombia’s Amazon is limited because of the region’s geographical remoteness and because illegal groups have historically occupied the Amazon, driving and contributing to illicit economic activities. Land grabbing, intensive cattle ranching, illegal mining, and unsustainable agriculture have proliferated in the region. As a result, deforestation has increased, native vegetation and biodiversity…

Integrating a Fresh Approach to Conservation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s natural ecosystems include forests, freshwater wetlands, and coastal and marine areas, all harboring important animal and plant biodiversity. Many species live under the threat of extinction due to overexploitation of natural resources, land-use change, widespread pollution, and unplanned urbanization. Although significant efforts have addressed these threats and aimed to safeguard Bangladesh’s remaining biodiversity through…

Final Report: USAID Guatemala Biodiversity Project

The Guatemala Biodiversity Project was a critical and timely response to growing trends impacting protected areas that, if continued, could have led to significant loss of key conservation gains made in Guatemala. The project addressed institutional and resource challenges and constraints at the heart of encroaching threats to key ecosystems. Through a local systems approach,…

Final Report: Build Indonesia to Take Care of Nature for Sustainability Project

From 2016 to 2021, the Build Indonesia to Take Care of Nature for Sustainability (BIJAK) project supported enhanced conservation and management of Indonesia’s marine and terrestrial biodiversity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and fostered sustainable landscapes and natural resource management. To accomplish this, BIJAK worked primarily at the national level to improve the management of forests…

Balancing Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability in Indonesia

One-third of Indonesia’s 75,000 villages, home to 32 million people, lie within or adjacent to land dedicated by the government for forestry or conservation. All Indonesian citizens depend on healthy ecosystems for goods and services, including water, soil, forest products, and others that underpin sustainable development. However, weak governance, a lack of private sector commitment,…