Tag: Zanzibar
What does conservation mean to us?
Under the mounting pressure of climate change, there is growing awareness around the importance of conservation to protect our forests. But what does conservation really mean? More traditional Western definitions may assume that it is the protection of forests, specifically from the damaging effects of human activity. Although this definition may seem benign, even altruistic, […]
Local knowledge is key to protecting biodiversity
The recent United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) has been a reminder for the conservation community about the need to place Indigenous and local knowledge at the heart of biodiversity efforts—including protecting and restoring the world’s forests. Forests are beautifully diverse ecosystems. Globally, forests contain over 60,000 different tree species, 80% of amphibian species, 75% of […]
VIUNGO: Seeding Resilience
Just over two years ago, Community Forests launched the VIUNGO Project in Zanzibar. Translating to “ingredients” or “spice” in Swahili, VIUNGO is a four-year collaborative effort between local and international organizations in the region. Together, we are working to support small-scale farmers, empower women and youth, and boost economic growth and opportunity—key ingredients in a […]
Restoring the Mangroves of Mozambique
Expanding Our Roots At the end of 2020, we announced that Community Forests was going to expand our reach to Mozambique. Last month a small team from Community Forests Pemba travelled to Mozambique as expert advisors to help build climate-adaptive livelihoods and community-led mangrove restoration. This is the first of many collaborations for Community Forests. […]
Zanzibar’s Farmer Field Schools: Growing Resilience
One year ago, Community Forests launched the VIUNGO Project in Zanzibar. Translating to “ingredients” in Swahili, VIUNGO is a four-year collaborative effort between local and international organizations in the region. Together, we are working to support small-scale farmers, empower women and youth, and boost economic growth and opportunity – key ingredients in a recipe for […]
Climate Justice is Resilience
The climate crisis affects us all — but not all of us equally. Marginalized and underprivileged individuals, groups, and communities face disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis — while being the least responsible for its causes. These struggles are often compounded by unequal access to the resources needed for urgent adaptation and mitigation efforts. Some […]
Tuko Pamoja – We Are Together
Tree planters are Community Forests’ roots. Back in 2006, co-founder Mbarouk Mussa Omar approached a young group of Canadian tree planters to discuss how to make tree planting a source of environmental and economic sustainability for communities of Pemba Island, Zanzibar. As Mbarouk said, “We started with an idea and then worked each and every […]
Uplifting Women’s Equality
Translating to “ingredients” in Swahili, the VIUNGO Project is a four-year collaborative effort between local and international organizations in Zanzibar. Community Forests and our partners are working to support small-scale farmers, empower women and youth, and boost economic growth and opportunity – key ingredients in a recipe for resilience! In celebration of International Women’s Day, […]
Unlocking the potential of Zanzibar’s horticulture sector
At the end of 2020, Community Forests International was excited to announce the anticipated launch of the VIUNGO Project in Zanzibar. Translating to “ingredients” in Swahili, VIUNGO is a four-year collaborative effort between local and international organizations in the region. Community Forests and our partners are working to support small-scale farmers, empower women and youth, […]