Provision of labour

The project is part of a bigger initiative aimed at restoring the coastal forest near the city of Mahajanga in western Madagascar. Alongside 2 international NGOs, the community located in the bay next to the city of Mahajanga implemented the intervention with the ultimate goal being to transition the land into a protected area as part of the greater "Mahajanga Green Belt Project". The regrowing forest will form the northwestern end of the greater Mahajanga Green Belt, with the southeast meets the Ankarafantsika National Park. The project also has a gendered aspect as it aimed to employ mostly the women in the suburbs of the city. (1,3)

Quelimane is a port city in Mozambique. It lies below sea level right alongside the Good Signs river (Rio Bons Sinais), and just a few kilometres from the coast. The frequent extreme weather phenomena such as rain and marine flooding render the city extremely vulnerable to climate risks. In 2013, the municipality concluded that one solution involves restoring large areas of mangroves, which act as a nature-based solution against flooding, helping to stem the tide by preventing soil erosion. In the past mangroves were cut down by the locals for building and cooking but now with the help of the municipality and local communities, the trees are restored and used as the first line of defence against climate change (1).

The Tagabe Riparian Corridor Regeneration Project is an integrated catchment project ‘designed to build resilience into the riparian system to safeguard human wellbeing in the face of current and future climate change challenges and key population/ resources demands’ (Ref. 4). The project is focused on the ‘riparian margins of mid to lower catchment streams in the Tagabe catchment’ (Ref. 4,5). Activities consist of ‘riparian revegetation and stream bank protection; sustainable land management of adjacent farmlands; and point source pollution prevention and remediation’ through a series of 5-year management periods (Ref. 4,5). The project was part of the larger PEBACC (Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change) project and is now supported by the Vanuatu Government and various other initiatives like the Pacific R2R – Ridge to Reef programme (Ref. 8,9).

Thammasat Urban Rooftop Farm (TURF) is Asia's largest organic rooftop farm, which unites principles of modern landscape design with traditional agriculture of rice terraces, to transform wasted space into productive land. By mimicking traditional rice terraces, Thammasat University Urban Farming Green Roof has become an all-in-one solution–as a public green space, urban organic food source, water management system, energy house, and outdoor classroom–which serves as an adaptation model for anticipated climate impacts that can be implemented and developed across Thailand and Southeast Asia. Additionally, the mountain-shaped Thammasat University Green Roof utilizes its vast space as an infinite source of clean energy, not only in terms of organic food but also solar power for the community. [1, 2, 3]

Ensuring that Ivorians, from an early age, pay attention to the environment, it is one of the Ivorian government’s many environmental objectives. As such, in 2019, the Ministry of Water and Forests initiated a project in the Mamie Fêtai Highschool of the city of Bingerville. The initiative is part of a bigger project that aims at raising awareness and tries to engage the Ivorian school in the recovery of the forest cover of the country. Ivory Coast is a delicate case in West Africa, from a forestry point of view. Since 1960 the country lost more than 80 percent of its forests, mainly to cocoa production and agricultural practices (1,3)

The Million Trees project was a programme launched by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in 2017 to plant a million predominantly native trees and shrubs over a period of three years (Ref. 1,2,3,4). It aimed to make Auckland a greener, more beautiful place while creating carbon sinks, protecting the city’s waterways and improving the city’s living environment (Ref. 2,4). The programme engaged a variety of actors in the planting activities, including local boards, iwi, schools, service and social sector groups, private entities, the council group, the New Zealand Transport Association (Ref. 1). Particularly notable partnerships included those with the Department of Corrections and the Trees that Count Trust (Ref. 2,4,6).
The initial goal was met in 2019, and the project has been renewed for 2019-2022 (Ref. 1,7).

The revitalization and conservation of the Butuah Wetlands work started in 2020 by a Ghanian NGO, called Friends of the Nations, in collaboration with some public institutions and an American charitable foundation that makes small grants to grassroots environmental causes around the world. In the past, the wetland has been a major flood reservoir that channelled excess water from different parts of the metropolis into the sea as well as a beacon of biodiversity. The weak monitoring regime of this wetland has led to massive encroachments by both private and industrial developers, therefore, causing biodiversity depletion and contributing negatively to climate change. (1)

The Nyashishi wetland is located on the western side of Lake Victoria some 15 km from Mwanza, a port city of the lake. The area is characterized by a double maxima rainfall, with heavy rains occurring during October to December. The wetland is traversed by the Nyashishi River, which is an intermittent river draining stormy waters and domestic waste water into Lake Victoria. Increased human socio-economic activities in Mwanza, such as horticulture, overgrazing and discharge of industrial effluents, have degraded the Nyashishi wetland. As a result, vegetation specifically elephantiasis and papyrus that used to flourish in the wetland and provide fish breeding grounds have disappeared. The crocodiles, large lizards and a host of other creatures that used to populate those areas cannot be seen today. Since the wetland and the river are part of the Lake Victoria Basin, both have been subjected to floods and droughts, impacting livelihoods, public health and the environment. The root causes of floods are irregular seasonal and year to year variability in rainfall patterns, combined with mismanagement of land and water resources, leading to soil erosion and increased run-off. Therefore restoration efforts in the area are much needed. (1, 5)

Taru Leading Edge initiated a lake conservation project in Indore with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and Indore Municipal Corporation as part of the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN).
Urbanisation and the increase of impermeable surfaces reduced the capacity for groundwater recharge. The climate change risks indicate increasing rainfall variability and more intense and/or more frequent storms as well as an increase in dry periods. With less permeable soils the city needs to optimally use existing lakes to capture runoff, creating buffer supplies and helping to increase groundwater recharge. The main objective of this project was “ensuring availability of local water resources during emergencies”, through developing a replicable model for peri-urban lake rejuvenation and conservation. The expected outcomes of the project include a stakeholder-managed process for stabilising/improving the water quality of the restored lakes and generating interest among multiple stakeholders to conserve urban lakes. TARU has restored and worked on 2 water bodies, demonstrating methods and processes required to revive lakes that have co-benefits of groundwater recharge, aesthetic enhancement of the area, cool microclimate and possible livelihood restoration. The names of the lakes restored are Khajrana talab and Lasudiya Mori talab. [2, 4]

The Mary Ellen Welch Greenway (previously East Boston Greenway) is a mixed-use pathway and linear park built on a former rail corridor" linking several parks in the neighbourhood and also connecting the East Boston district to the beachfront (1, p23). In the 1950s after the Consolidated Rail Corporation stopped using the railways, it became a derelict dumping ground. To the initiation of a local community organisation with the collaboration of governmental authorities, the redevelopment of the area has started as a rail-to-trail conversion program. When completed, the Greenway will link several important open green spaces in the East Boston neighbourhood, increase the acres of park per resident in the area, provide a place for recreational activities and direct greenway to the Boston Harbor (1). Furthermore, with water management amenities the area would serve as a buffer zone in case of flooding by barricading the waterfront. (1)