Cool Earth Highlights 2019 3 Cool Earth’S Most Recent Papua New Guinea Partnership, Sololo, Sits Amongst the Trees
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Cool Earth Highlights 2019 3 Cool Earth’s most recent Papua New Guinea partnership, Sololo, sits amongst the trees. ‘Our house is on fire’ Greta Thunberg warned in January 2019. Just over six months later, immense clouds of smoke filled our screens as rainforest burned. Forest fires from Brazil to Angola sparked a huge movement in response. Instead of being overwhelmed by the climate crisis, you committed to taking positive, environmental action. Rainforest is essential for life right around the globe and you saw that it requires a collective approach to keeping it standing. With your support, 2019 saw Cool Earth challenge everything we do. It’s clear that if we are to tackle climate breakdown, we must continue to take urgent action to protect rainforest and support people who live there. Community-led has been Cool Earth’s approach to conservation since day one. It’s proving to be the best way for local peoples’ voices to be at the forefront of all decisions. Whether developing education programmes, empowering people against external threats, or forming new partnerships, participatory practices are helping to keep rainforest standing. Experimental and innovative, Cool Earth’s 2020 vision will continue to work alongside local people to find the best ways to protect their forest. Rainforest conservation that puts people first is only possible with smart businesses like you, making a difference and leading the conversation. Thank you. Matthew Owen, Director, Cool Earth 5 "We want to give people the skills so that they can generate income and not go into destroying the forest for palm oil and logging to get money." - Gellie Akui, Project Manager, Papua New Guinea January 7 “Supporting local people in the In 2019, Cool Earth’s monitoring and learning capacity grew to Peruvian Amazon to map their territory ensure greater accountability and transparency at the core of everything we do. It’s a vital part of an organisation’s effectiveness; and monitor deforestation on the ground helping to understand impacts on the rainforest and the communities in 2019 will help enable them to further we work alongside. Studying the intricacies of challenges and successes helps us to adapt, develop and share more ways understand the intricacies of what the to reduce deforestation and build resilient livelihoods. major threats are to their rainforest.” - Matt Proctor, Geospatial and Data Analyst February Lubutu In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cool Earth committed to a further three year partnership with Fauna & Flora International to build on existing work alongside the community of Lubutu. This vital work will continue to implement energy-efficient stoves for local families that reduce pressure on the forest, and minimise its degradation for fuel-wood. Rainforest canopy near Urakuza, Peru. Sololo March Rainforest communities are often denied access to a comprehensive education. With an illiteracy rate of 95% in Sololo, Cool Earth’s Papua New Guinea team has worked with In March, Cool Earth’s Project Coordinator local organisation Community Service Consultancy (CSC) to in Papua New Guinea, Ricky Imanakuan, develop a programme that supports adults to grow in confidence travelled to Sololo to support the construction with reading, writing and basic numeracy. By training of a new resource and education centre. teachers and enabling access to further learning, education In this report, Ricky painted a vivid picture is opening up sustainable livelihood opportunities in Sololo. of the increasing difficulties and sporadic weather events being faced by people in the area and along the coast in the country. Read the report Ricky Imanakuan, Project Coordinator, Papua New Guinea. Top: Cooking using a fuel-efficient stove in Lubutu. Bottom: Adults taking part in literacy lessons in Sololo. 9 April “The SDGs are a framework to integrate people and planet. It’s April’s Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report was the first global the first time we have that. The assessment to systematically examine and include rainforests are fundamental to indigenous and local knowledge. It was about time. Too often, the crucial role that indigenous peoples play in the development agenda we must conservation is overlooked or ignored. That’s why Cool follow which is why I put my bets Earth has remained community-led since 2007, putting people first to find the best ways to protect rainforest. on Cool Earth’s new SDG Fund.” SDG Fund - Professor Dr. Johan Rockström, Cool Earth has been working with businesses to invest Cool Earth Trustee in the practical realisation of high-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a local scale, across a network of rainforest community partnerships. A dedicated fund was developed for businesses that will support emission reductions achieved by rainforest protection, as well as addressing eleven of the 17 SDGs. May Asháninka Jaime Peña stands next to a tree he planted in his youth. From decision making to monitoring canopy cover, successful conservation strategies must involve the community at every stage of the June process. Watch as the Cool Earth team headed into the forest in May, GPS in hand, to help local people assess the state of their surroundings. Cool Earth will contribute to fund primary research within the University of Exeter Environment and Sustainability Institute. It’s hoped that the four year PhD will help Cool Earth better understand the use of agroforestry practices to secure food production for subsistence and livelihood development, alongside forest conservation and maintenance of biodiversity and soil health. Awajún Inga, the nitrogen-fixing, phosphorus-recycling, soil-stabilising, shade-giving Swiss Army knife of trees, is taking root in the Awajún. It’s smart ideas like growing inga that are opening up opportunities for Marín Wasún, Awajún Community Facilitator. local people to protect their forest and earn a living. Read more 11 “The defiant rise of Greta Thunberg and other youth activists have helped put the climate crisis at the top of the global agenda, just where it should be. This has put Cool Earth’s work right up there in the spotlight too; helping communities protect their rainforest and address urgent climate issues.” - Nog Sawdon, Trusts Manager 13 “Now we have our own July source of income, so we are stronger than before.” In 2019, Global Earth Overshoot Day was the earliest ever to be calculated. This date marks when humanity’s - Sim Sikurn, Cardamom Mountains. annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in that year. Over the past 20 years, the date has moved forward three months to August July 29. That’s equivalent to using 1.75 Earths last year. In August, the unrelenting destruction of Earth’s rainforests was Cambodia suddenly on every screen as we saw devastating pictures of the Creating a range of alternative livelihoods helps Brazilian Amazon burning. We cannot deny that the state of local people to sustainably manage and protect their rainforest is at a critical point. Protecting them is the most essential rainforest, whilst being food and income secure. In the climate action we can take. If we don’t address this now, we may Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia, diversification into go past a threshold of no return for these natural climate solutions. sustainable rice growing systems, chicken husbandry and lemongrass oil production is helping strengthen Gadaisu food security within rainforest communities. Further camera traps were installed in Cool Earth’s Papua New Sim Sikurn, a business leader in her community, Por Beung, Cambodia. Guinea partnerships, collecting images of the rare wildlife that occupies the forest floor. With training on maintaining these cameras and using the results to educate the local community, we’re sure that this important monitoring tool will help further knowledge of what shares the forest, and what there is to be protected. September In the past year, Cool Earth has harnessed the latest generation of machine learning and forest data to try and predict where, when and why deforestation will happen. It means that the kind of technology used to recognise postcodes is being taught to enable the forecasting of future deforestation events. The aim is to produce hotspot maps of high-risk areas that can be shared with rainforest communities and help to inform future conservation strategies. Read more Wabumari Many species have a high sensitivity to even the smallest habitat and climate alteration. This susceptibility makes amphibians like frogs a key indicator species on the health of the planet. Alongside Clifford Peter Yaee, University of Goroka, the community of Wabumari conducted research Frogs and other amphibians can be counted into frog species present in their forest. Wildlife monitoring activities like to understand how healthy a forest is. this raise community members’ awareness about the species found in their forest and reinforce their role as environmental custodians. Slash-and-burn agriculture in Mozambique. 15 October Cool Earth has welcomed a host of new ambassadors to the team in 2019 who each offer a wealth of experience. From Gillian Burke to Tony Juniper, they include wildlife filmmakers, conservationists and environmentalists. Discover the group who are using their voices to raise awareness of the need to protect rainforest and all that lives there. Read more Tony Juniper CBE Gillian Burke Professor Dr. Johan Rockström Samantha Cohen, CVO Vianet Djenguet November “Figuring out how to support better lives while keeping the forest standing deserves some of the innovation billions that go to carbon storage and better batteries”. Matthew Owen, Director. December Guardian journalist, Clare Longrigg, met with members of the Peruvian Asháninka this year to explore the complex drivers of deforestation and The best approach to tackling climate breakdown is how Cool Earth’s partners are finding new ways to protect their forest. protecting rainforest and reducing emissions.