Congo Basin
Resist
Synchronicity Earth aims to empower civil society to resist and reduce threats to ecosystems and biodiversity from destructive developments. As an urgent priority, we provide critical support to organisations challenging destructive land grabs for industrial agriculture, mining, logging and hydropower in landscapes of high ecological integrity.
As extractive companies and their staff move into new forest areas, social norms, such as taboos against hunting of particular species, can be degraded and existing hunting pressures and demand for other forest products exacerbated, thus presenting serious threats to forest species, such as apes, antelopes, pangolins and certain species of birds, reptiles, and even amphibians.
Our programme aims to resist and reduce threats to forest ecosystems by:
Understanding current and emerging threats (e.g. roads, palm oil).
By researching and understanding current and emerging threats to biological and cultural diversity in the region, we are well placed to support work to expose the negative impacts of developments and to identify the best routes and strategies for challenging them.
Supporting advocacy to challenge particular companies, development agencies or governments.
Where opportunities are timely, we can support work to challenge the legality of concession contracts, or coordinate advocacy campaigns between groups across borders.
Building the conservation constituency by empowering communities.
Communities are empowered when they are able to make informed decisions and have their voices heard about what happens on their land. We support partners who enable this by, for example, explaining contracts, providing legal support, setting up community exchanges and workshops.
* Images © Chris Scarffe