After understanding bad effects of cutting trees for heating energy, the people look for an alternative to reduce deforestation. The majority concluded to learn how to efficiently use less bulk of trees with same results in energy. Thus, the adoption of improved cooking stoves reduce the use of wood by 30% with the same result in heating.

Within 4 months the cohort is taught how to mix availbale materials turning them in good ICS (clay, sand, used ironsheet, ). They are taught from scratch and become good ICS maker not only for household use but also for sale.

To get the awareness of the community and sustainability of our solution we teach the community through public meeting, in chuches, on radio talks and with any other means that delivers information. We prepared an education module that help community to have a full package: explanation of concept "environment", involved parties, the threat to environment, the role, rights & obligations of the community in environmental protection. In partnership with schools we make study tours in parks and other reserves help the community to understand the environment.

• Reforestation of mangroves in previously deforested or degraded areas helps to improve the health of mangroves and increases the services provided by mangrove ecosystems.

• The area for reforestation is identified by the local community during the participatory mangrove zoning.

• For the viviparous (producing seeds that germinate on the plant) mangrove species (e.g. Rhizophora spp), replanting is undertaken through propagules and for non-viviparous (e.g. Avicennia marina, Sonneratia alba) mangrove species through nursery establishment. The density should be one propagule/plant per square meter to ensure that they have enough space to grow properly.

• The monitoring of the replanting takes place within three to four months after the replanting. The number of plants alive/dead within the sample plot is assessed. The number of sample plots (5mx5m) depends on the size of the area replanted but at least three replicas should be done. Community members are involved in the monitoring activities.

• The participatory monitoring aims to develop a greater understanding of natural resource health and the impacts of anthropogenic activities within local communities through a socially integrated resource assessment.

• The participatory ecological monitoring process begins with an initial village meeting to inform the purpose of the activities, select indicator species, monitoring sites and a local monitor team.

• The local monitoring teams are either designated or elected by community members at the village level or can be volunteers. However, they should at least be able to read/write and count. A local monitoring team consists of five people per village and contains male and female.

• The monitoring method is developed by the support organization and the monitoring has a simple design and method to be accessible to anyone, irrespective of educational level (using simple count of cut stump to assess the amount of carbon loss; measuring the tree height with graduated pole wood to measure tree biomass and carbon).

• Local monitors were trained by the technical staff from the support organization on the method before conducting the fieldwork.

• A participatory management plan aims to support the local community to sustainably manage mangrove forest within the LMMA.

• Using a printed high resolution Google Earth map, a first draft management plan is created by each concerned (proposed project area for the mangrove carbon project) village with the boundary of the mangrove zoning (core zone, reforestation area and sustainable logging area).

• When all the relevant villages within the LMMA have completed the zoning, the data from the Google Earth map are digitized and projected on a big screen for validation. Delegates from each village are invited to attend a workshop for the validation of the mangrove zoning. For the validation, at least four people from each village must attend. Ideally both men and women are elected by villagers who they feel may best reflect their opinions (elders, chef Village).

• Each community determines, agrees and implements the rules and regulations governing each mangrove zone.

• This is conducted through a large village meeting. The support organization facilitates the process until the local law is ratified at the court.

The Yerba Mansa Project offers educational programs that are free for the general public and school classrooms. These events include activities that connect people to the land and plants and are appropriate for a wide audience. Slow-paced plant identification walks through easy terrain afford opportunities for people of all ages and physical abilities to know the plants around them and begin to see their importance to the land, their families, and to themselves. Classes that feature hands-on botanical remedy making and wild food processing encourage the practical skills needed to work directly and safely with plants for increased wellbeing and foster a deeper appreciation and connection to the land. Teaching gardening and cultivation of popular native medicinal plants that are facing habitat pressures creates opportunities for improved urban habitat, easy access to healing and nutritive plants, and reduces pressure on wild populations. Also offering free programs for school classrooms, as described in the “Inspiring Story” section, brings the next generation into nature and provides hope for future solutions. All of these practices perpetuate the cultural traditions associated with our local lands and ensure that future generations will have access to this knowledge and the plants that underlie it.

This building block forms the foundation of the Yerba Mansa Project’s work. Healthy and diverse native plant communities are critical for ecosystem functioning and the cultural traditions built upon them. Our volunteers engage in live planting and reseeding of edible and medicinal species that have historically been present and are also considered to be adaptable for current and future climate conditions including higher temperatures and less water in the riparian system. Restoration work also includes habitat improvements such as removal of nonnative invasive ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae) that impedes the growth and reproduction of native species. Our work has demonstrated that ravenna grass can be successfully removed with hand tools such as shovels and mattocks and if roots are adequately removed, the plants do not resprout. This serves as a model for land management agencies wishing to control nonnative understory plants along waterways of the American West while avoiding the use of chemical agents. The combination of invasive species removal and native plant restoration has proven successful when appropriate species are selected both for climate readiness and cultural relevance.

EarthRanger combines different data from different sources. A key aspect of this is reports from the field as rangers carry out their patrols. To ensure robust data is collected and in a format that can be analysed, a ranger patrol report schema was needed. Ol Pejeta designed a set of report types relating to different categories of incidents or issues, such as a wildlife sighting or a security incident. Within each report type, standardized data fields were developed, ensuring data is simple to input and can be compared. Rangers use handheld devices to capture these reports and photos quickly and effectively, building a rich picture of what is happening across the Conservancy. These reports, together with the other data sets integrated in EarthRanger can be used for rapid response to serious incidents, as well as trend analysis to inform longer term strategic conservation planning and management.

EarthRanger provides the platform for integration but the data sets and information to be integrated needed to be determined. Ol Pejeta therefore designed the platform solution, adapting it meet the conservancy’s needs – evaluating what information would be useful and how it could be integrated. This was partly based on what data was readily available as well as understanding the key factors in supporting critical operations. This included combining data from the field (animal, radio, vehicle tracking) to inform security and ecological monitoring efforts. Cameras that monitor wildlife corridors also provide alerts if vehicles, people, or animals pass by. The Conservancy also operates an integrated livestock and wildlife land management approach. Livestock bomas are mapped and if collared predators are close an alert is sent so teams can respond accordingly.

A method of combating plastic pollution and organic matter in the ocean.