Community Development and Indigenous Rights Stories

Recognizing Indigenous Peoples' land interests is critical for people and nature
Although they comprise less than 5% of the world population, Indigenous peoples protect 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity. Recognizing their land rights should be placed at the center of conservation.
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Safe Zone
WWF Magazine: Fall 2020In the heart of the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha stands as a model for stability and peace—and a safe place for elephants and gorillas to roam. -
WWF's Josefina Braña Varela on the importance of protecting our forests
WWF Magazine: Fall 2020As vice president and deputy lead for forests, Josefina Braña Varela leads WWF's work to halt deforestation and forest degradation around the world. -
The first rule of gorilla tracking? Listen well
May 05, 2020Twenty years ago, a gorilla habitation program provided the Ba’Aka living near the Dzanga Sanga Park with a new opportunity. And by 2020, Dzanga-Sangha employed more than 50 Ba’Aka as gorilla trackers.
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Citizen scientists help conserve Nepal’s tigers from behind the lens
In Nepal, citizen scientists are working with biologists from WWF to help protect tigers, rhinos, elephants, and other wildlife found in Bardia National Park.
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A discussion on gender, equity, and people’s rights with WWF’s Althea Skinner
March 04, 2020WWF’s lead on socially inclusive conservation, Althea Skinner is one of WWF’s core experts on the intersection between conservation and human rights.
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With access to fresh water, a school garden grows
February 04, 2020In 2009, principal and teacher Marcia Novakc da Silva decided to join forces to start a community rainwater project, led by the organization Incra and supported by WWF. The work is one of several projects for the recovery of the springs and water supply in region.
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Empowering women and families to build healthy communities and a healthy planet
Meeta is a young mother from India. Back-to-back pregnancies and heavy housework responsibilities took a toll on her health and wellbeing. Noting her declining health, a neighborhood social worker invited Meeta and her husband Ramkishore to participate in a CARE maternal health program that fostered open communication, education and access to family planning information.
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Across Mozambique and Tanzania, women show us how to improve communities and protect our planet
As WWF works with communities around the world to preserve habitats, wildlife, and natural resources, we know that it is critical to engage both women and men for the best results—environmentally, socially, and economically.
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Cultivating sustainable livelihoods and environmental resiliency in Mozambique
In Mozambique’s Primeiras e Segundas region, villagers are taking part in a savings and loan association that’s revolutionizing how they manage their financial and natural resources.
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Saving a beloved home along the Luangwa River in Zambia
June 21, 2018The Luangwa River is one of the longest remaining free-flowing rivers in Southern Africa. It flows through an area which boasts some of the most pristine habitats left in Zambia for elephants, lions, leopards and a myriad of other wildlife. A dam has been proposed on the Luangwa that would flood almost the entire Luembe chiefdom, destroying habitats and displacing thousands of people.
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President's Letter: Sizing up conservation
WWF Magazine: Summer 2016WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts on working with communities to create highly local solutions to multiple environmental challenges. -
Life in Nepal
WWF Magazine: Winter 2014How a tiny, mountainous country became one of the world's biggest conservation successes for wildlife—and for rural communities with pressing health needs.