Forest conservation and restoration are examples of nature-based solutions that can address challenges like the climate crisis.
As a member of the newly-formed Southeast Asia Climate and Nature Based Solutions Coalition (SCeNe Coalition), WWF-Singapore is working to establish high-quality NbS projects by identifying key areas in SEA, that would best benefit local communities, biodiversity and climate
With over 680 million people living in SEA in 2022 and more than 1 in 8 of the region’s population living below national poverty lines, forests are coming under more pressure than ever as demand for food, fuel and the need to lift people out of poverty grow.
WWF-Singapore is working to safeguard our existing forests in SEA by expanding conserved areas, restoring degraded forests and ensuring that they are sustainably managed in a way that benefits local communities in a just and equitable manner.
The Rajang-Belawai-Paloh delta is an important mangrove forest for the conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins, maintenance of other ecosystem services and supporting local fisheries. The mangrove habitats are being threatened by the unsustainable use of mangrove wood, while the dolphins face the dangers of accidental trapping by fishing nets.
WWF-Singapore is driven to protect and sustainably manage 8,945 hectares of mangroves, rehabilitate 20 hectares of mangrove areas and empower local communities to participate in conservation efforts through consultations and capacity building workshops.
Degraded forest landscapes are able to regain their ecological functionality through forest landscape restoration – interventions include assessing forest loss and restoration potential, engaging local communities to understand challenges and getting their support for conservation efforts, and implementing restoration through the planting of native tree species and enrichment efforts to improve their survival and growth.
Keeping habitats connected is a key conservation strategy to protect biodiversity as it facilitates movement, through both dispersal and migration, so that gene flow is maintained between local populations, improving their resilience.
An estimated 2,500 wild orangutans remain in Sarawak, largely restricted to protected areas. Within the Ulu Ai-Sedilu Orangutan Landscape, two of the national parks which are protected habitats for orangutans are separated by community lands. The long-term survival of orangutans is threatened by habitat fragmentation, degradation, and conversion into other land use.
With this, the Orangutan Corridor Restoration project in Sarawak aims to restore degraded forests and create wildlife corridors to provide safe passage for wildlife between protected areas.
WWF-Singapore intends to establish a 389 hectares wildlife corridor and restore over 300 ha hectares of degraded habitat to improve the connectivity and reduce fragmentation of the landscape. This will also be supported by conducting conservation awareness workshops to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Mr Boonma Laemkhom, a village headman in Ban Mae Khi Muk village, Mae Chaem District, Chiangmai Province with bananas he grew. His plot has been under the FLR349 program for almost 2 years
People are at the heart of everything we do. We want to see a world where forests are properly valued for the many benefits they provide for people and nature. And we know it’s possible. Poor health, poverty, and environmental degradation are related problems calling for integrated solutions. Indigenous peoples and local communities have sustainably managed nature for generations. These communities play an important role in NbS through sharing their rich traditional knowledge passed down through generations, as stewards of the forests and their land.
Our work empowers communities to design locally-led solutions that offer them long-term economic and social benefits, including job opportunities and better health and educational services.
WWF-Singapore is supporting WWF-Thailand in the implementation of a flagship model of forest landscape restoration that aims to adopt agro-ecological approaches to address unsustainable practices associated with the food value chain and to collectively contribute towards increasing food security, restoring forest landscapes, improving livelihoods and ecosystems, all while increasing resilience to climate change impacts.
One key pillar of the project is the creation of a sustainable business model for smallholder farmers to make a living from their produce and to achieve self-sustainability. Through multi-actor strategic partnerships, their produce will be bought by a social enterprise. It will be sold at fair prices determined by farmers and through local food markets, including schools, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and retail markets at the national level. This model will help to rejuvenate the local economy, boost cash flow in the community, and encourage sustainable production and consumption.
This will enable us to fulfil our vision of creating enabling conditions for sustainable livelihoods while conserving and restoring forests in the Ping Watershed by 2030!
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