Environmental Defenders

Environmental Defenders

MISSION

Environmental Defenders are an environmental justice organisation that works to protect the Albertine Rift region between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

By working closely with local communities, our partner aims to protect the environment while standing up for the rights of indigenous people, and their cultural practices and livelihoods. Environmental Defenders work to create both social and environmental justice, recognising that these are closely linked.

 

History

Environmental Defenders was established in 2017 and registered in 2019 as a Ugandan ecofeminist and collaborative environmental justice organization.

Since then, they have been working in the Murchison-Semliki, Greater Virunga, and Ituri landscapes of the Albertine Rift, supporting the protection of its wildlife and indigenous communities.

 
Elpehant herds on Nyamukino reserve
 

Partnership with WLT

World Land Trust (WLT) partnered with Environmental Defenders in 2022 to support the creation of a conservation corridor between the Murchison Falls National Park and the East Madi Wildlife Sanctuary.

Funding from WLT will secure 126 hectares (311 acres) of a critical 210-hectare (519-acre) property. Although recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area, the Albertine Rift region continues to be cleared for timber, farming, and exploration for minerals, and oil and gas. Securing this property will safeguard many threatened species, including African Elephants (Loxodonta africana), the Endangered Grey-crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), and all four species of African pangolin.

WLT FUNDED PROJECTS

CURRENT

Please see our Uganda page.

 
 

Other projects and activities

Environmental Defenders is strongly committed to the protection of the Albertine Rift and are involved in habitat restoration as well as supporting environmental activists. Their work includes:

  • Establishing the annual Kilimo Award in 2023 to recognise and support local unsung environmental heroes who are making a significant contribution to the environment.
  • Restoring degraded land with tree planting, seed saving, and tree nurseries.
  • Setting up the Ikologia Podcast in 2020 to share everyday stories from women and indigenous people in the Albertine region.
  • Assisting indigenous people to take direct action against illegal land sales and forced evictions by providing legal support, land surveying, and mapping.
  • Supporting front-line activists with digital and physical security, relocation, psychosocial support, medical emergency grants, and risk assessments. Since 2019, they have supported 1000 human rights defenders, particularly female activists, journalists, and organisations advocating for human, environmental, and land rights.
  • Creating the Albertine Region Tracker to record and track human rights violations to environmental activists.
  • Providing protection for conservationists investigating corruption related to land acquisition for major infrastructure projects in the Albertine region, like the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP).
  • Developing and strengthening sustainable food cooperatives and carrying out business mentoring for farmers in the local communities.
  • Setting up the radio station Radio Terra to raise awareness about agroecology, fertiliser application, and animal care. This station has an annual listenership of 30 million individuals throughout the Albertine region.
  • Supporting local communities to set up women’s groups and improve gender equality.
 
 

Contact Details

Executive Director: Robert Agenonga

Website: watetezi.org