The Ford Foundation, the Land Portal Foundation, the Tenure Facility and the Thomson Reuters Foundation launched a webinar on May 20th on the the link between “environmental imbalances” and “emerging infectious diseases".

April 22nd, 2021 | 9:00AM-10:30AM EST - 3:00-4:30 CEST

Watch livestream here:  

This series of three webinars features indigenous and non-indigenous leaders in a virtual roundtable to discuss both the key effects that COVID-19 is generating in their communities as well as possible solutions and the way forward.

As COVID-19 has hobbled governments around the world, environmental protections have diminished or disappeared altogether, leaving the door wide open for abuse, corruption, land grabs. Indigenous peoples and their territories are prime targets to pillage during this vulnerable period.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage more than half of the world´s land. These biodiverse ancestral lands are vital to the people who steward them and the planet we all share. But governments only recognize indigenous and community legal ownership of 10 percent of the world´s lands.  Secure tenure is essential for safeguarding the existing forests against external forces. This is specifically true for forests managed by Indigenous Peoples, where much of the world’s carbon is stored.

Wednesday, September 2nd, 9:00 AM-10:30 AM EST (3:00 PM – 4:30 PM CEST)

Three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, with Ebola, SARS, MERS and now COVID-19 being examples. Scientists are warning that deforestation, industrial agriculture, illegal wildlife trade, climate change and other types of environmental degradation increase the risk of future pandemics.

The fourth edition of the India Land and Development Conference took place from 2-4 March, 2020, in New Delhi, India, and provided platforms for enriching and interdisciplinary conversations on how Institutions, Innovations and Information matter for influencing and impacting land governance.

Conference Theme: Partnership for enhanced Inclusion and Impact

A presentation by the Rainforest Foundation UK and Réseau Ressources Naturelles (RRN).

To be sustainable, nature conservation must also support the rights, livelihoods and cultures of local communities. International conservation organisations recognise this, but have these good intentions been reflected in efforts to protect Africa’s rainforests?