REDAA currently supports 21 locally led research-to-action initiatives that improve evidence, tools and governance to help people and nature thrive. These projects take place across 17 countries and cover a diverse range of landscapes and ecosystems.
Explore using the map or read the project summaries below.
Project summaries
Advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the forests of the Congo
In aiming to strengthen legal frameworks in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and empower Indigenous Peoples to protect and manage their forest landscapes, this project assesses legal gaps and supports Indigenous Peoples to document customary land use, strengthen community governance and advocate for reforms in land, resource, climate and biodiversity policy.
Image
Congo - Brazzaville
Congo - Kinshasa
Sangha, Likouala and Lékoumou departments, Congo and Tshopo province, DRC
Forests
Forest Peoples Programme
£500000
March 2024 – March 2026
Bamboo for reforestation and greener livelihoods
To combat deforestation and improve livelihood resilience in Madagascar, this programme co-produces research data and strategies with communities to develop sustainable and resource-based enterprises. It explores socially acceptable and ecologically safe ways to use bamboo as an alternative to hardwood for fuel and construction. At the same time it strives to prevent bamboo becoming invasive by identifying native trees for replanting.
Madagascar
Analanjirofo, district of Fénérive Est and Boeny, district of Mahajanga
Forests
Peri-urban
University of Edinburgh
Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques
£1499785
April 2025 – January 2029
Community researchers and local innovations for forest care and restoration in Viet Nam
Forest owners and nearby communities in Viet Nam’s natural forest environments, are developing innovative and evidence-based sustainable forest management methods. This project focuses on support for community researchers in their use of bioacoustics and local leadership for enhancing livelihoods while conserving and restoring natural forests.
Vietnam
Quang Ninh district
Forests
Viet Nature Conservation Centre
£320000
March 2024 – December 2027
Community-based research and action for sustainable land use in the Ethiopian Rift Valley
Community-based action plans and sustainable land management interventions are co-developed to address land degradation and improve livelihoods in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. This includes land degradation assessments, locally-led participatory approaches, gender-sensitive and low-cost site-specific business models, and local capacity strengthening.
Image
Ethiopia
Halaba district
Afromontane
Rift Valley
Hawassa University
University of Aberdeen
£498316
April 2024 – April 2027
Improving value chains and ecosystem restoration through local agroforestry innovation in Viet Nam
Smallholder farmers in the Bac Ha district of northern Vietnam are reversing the degradation of their land and improving their livelihoods. This project is supporting agroforestry practices to improve the soil and control erosion and developing new income sources for farmers, thereby reducing pressures on natural resources and promoting climate change resilience.
Image
Vietnam
Bac Ha district
Agroforestry
Forests
Mountains
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)
£499992
March 2024 – December 2027
Inclusive and diversified crop enterprises and restoration for forest-farm landscapes in Myanmar and Viet Nam
This project addresses unsustainable agriculture practices that lead to environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in Myanmar and Viet Nam. Through a research-to-action approach, stakeholders are exploring the drivers of degradation, engaging in transparent policy dialogues, and developing inclusive diversified crop enterprises and restoration practices in forest-farm landscapes.
Image
Myanmar (Burma)
Vietnam
Inle Lake watershed, Myanmar and Mai Son district, Viet Nam
Agriculture
Lakes
Mountains
RECOFTC
£493478
March 2024 – February 2027
Knowledge for improved food-systems and restoration in the Kenya-Tanzania boundary rangelands
The Southern Kenya-Northern Tanzania transboundary landscape is experiencing rapid environmental degradation from unsustainable food production, overgrazing and climate change. This project supports evidence-based, inclusive communications that promote sustainable land management practices, environmental restoration and climate change resilience.
Kenya
Tanzania
Mara-Amboseli-Kilimanjaro landscape
Food systems
Wildlife corridors
WWF Tanzania
£499946
March 2024 – August 2026
Knowledge for wildlife, livestock and livelihood strategies in Namibia
Extended periods of drought in northwest Namibia have caused substantial declines in wildlife and livestock, threatening local livelihoods. This project focuses on local knowledge and spatial data to help understand factors affecting wildlife populations. The results will inform strategies aimed at helping wildlife and livelihoods recover after droughts, which can be supported by the Legacy Landscape Fund and others.
Namibia
Kunene region
Drylands
WWF - Namibia
WWF - UK
£497923
March 2024 – December 2027
Local citizen science for inclusive watershed management in the Philippines
In the Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve in the Philippines, conflicting development plans and unsustainable practices threaten ecological integrity. In this project, local citizen science will address these threats by establishing safeguards for watershed conservation, inclusive governance of protected areas, and community-led nature-based solutions.
Image
Philippines
Aklan River Watershed Forest Reserve
Forests
Rivers
Watershed
Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Inc. (Haribon Foundation)
£337000
March 2024 – December 2027
Local credit management for increased agrobiodiversity in Tanzania
To address environmental degradation in Tanzania, this initiative is implementing a locally-led credit-based mechanism which creates an incentive for smallholder farmers to develop agrobiodiversity. Local stakeholders lead the way in action research that is designing and testing this credit system for sustainable resource use with agricultural productivity.
Image
Tanzania
Mbarali catchment in Mbeya and Katuma catchment in Katavi
Agriculture
Rikolto International
£400959
March 2024 – March 2027
Long fallow agriculture for improved management of coastal forests in Tanzania
The decline of traditional agricultural practices has contributed to the degradation of Tanzania's coastal forests. This project combines farmer-led research and institutional and local government capacity building to research and implement sustainable land management options that support forest ecosystem restoration.
Image
Tanzania
Nachingwea district
Agriculture
Agroforestry
Forests
Tanzania Forest Conservation Group
£499724
March 2024 – December 2027
Mangroves for enhanced livelihoods and climate resilience in Myanmar
Responding to mangrove deforestation in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta, this project focuses on community-led research to explore and implement ways to protect and govern mangroves better, leading to improved climate resilience and increased economic opportunities.
Image
Myanmar (Burma)
Ayeyarwady Delta
Coastal
Fisheries
Forests
Mangroves
Worldwide Fund for Nature Myanmar
£500000
March 2024 – February 2027
Reorienting forest restoration with local knowledge and inclusion in Nepal
In some places in the Nepalese Himalayas, forest degradation and biodiversity loss persist because of restoration policies and carbon management practices that prioritise monocrops. This project combines ecological data and traditional knowledge to help co-develop ecologically sound and inclusive strategies for restoration while strengthening the capacities and decision-making power of local people working on restoration.
Image
Nepal
Central Himalayas
Forests
Mountains
ForestAction Nepal
£354728
March 2024 – June 2027
Scaling up locally-led forest restoration in Bangladesh
This project is increasing tree cover and biodiversity in the degraded forest landscapes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The aim is to restore forests, make local communities' livelihoods climate-resilient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture and increase carbon sequestration.
Image
Bangladesh
Bandarban district
Agroforestry
Forests
Arannayk Foundation
£480000
March 2024 – June 2027
Smallholder research, agroforestry, natural regeneration and policy engagement in Rwanda
Community-led research in the Huye and Gisagara districts of Rwanda is evaluating the effectiveness of country-wide climate strategies and policies. The findings from this work are being used by smallholder communities in their development of agroforestry and natural regeneration and in their approaches to policy engagement for locally-led action to reverse environmental degradation.
Rwanda
Huye and Gisagara districts
Agriculture
Tearfund Rwanda
£500000
April 2024 – March 2027
Smallholders restoring pollinators for improved livelihoods and climate resilience in Zimbabwe
Communities in Zimbabwe are exploring the benefits of an innovative approach called "Farming with Alternative Pollinators". The project supports smallholder farmers to bring back greater diversity and increased population of pollinators in their farms with proven benefits for crop productivity and resilience while promoting ecosystem restoration.
Image
Zimbabwe
Gokwe North and Kariba districts
Agriculture
Nutrition Action Zimbabwe
£428000
March 2024 – February 2027
Strengthening Indigenous land management for improved agroecology and wetland governance in Cambodia
Indigenous Peoples' organisations are supporting communities to strengthen their traditional knowledge and natural resource management and achieve inclusive local governance. Action research is generating evidence that can influence policymakers about the value of Indigenous knowledge in developing alternative approaches to environmental management, local livelihoods and climate action.
Image
Cambodia
Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Kratie, Stung Treng, Kompong Thom, and Preh Vihear provinces
Agriculture
Forests
Wetlands
Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization
£400000
March 2024 – December 2027
Strengthening locally led restoration among farmer and pastoralist communities in Tanzania
Tanzania's Southern Highlands and Northern Arid regions are facing threats from unsustainable use of the land. This initiative is supporting local farmer and pastoralist organisations to lead research, employ restorative practices, and overcome implementation barriers to environmental sustainability and increased productivity.
Image
Tanzania
Mufindi, Longido, Meru, Simanjiro and Kiteto districts
Agriculture
Drylands
Highlands
Pasture
Trias
£498786
March 2024 – March 2027
Strengthening peatland stewardship in the Philippines
The Leyte Sab-a Peatland Forest is one of two major peatlands in the Philippines, yet this vital ecosystem is rapidly disappearing. Combined with extreme weather events, its loss is driving thousands of people in surrounding communities into poverty. This programme places those communities at the heart of nature stewardship by co-developing legal tools, strengthening governance and promoting ecosystem-based enterprises.
Philippines
Leyte Sab-a Peatland forest
Peatlands
Wetlands
International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Visayas State University (VSU
£1400000
April 2025 – January 2029
Supporting refugee and host communities to improve livelihoods and ecosystem restoration in Uganda
Rising refugee numbers in Uganda has contributed to land and vegetation degradation, loss of livelihoods and health challenges, which exacerbate climate change impacts. In this project, refugee and host communities adopt a research-to-action approach to design, pilot and promote solutions for biodiversity conservation, enhanced food security, inclusivity, and improved livelihoods.
Image
Uganda
Adjumani, Kikuube and Kamwenge districts
Afromontane
Informal settlements
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
£500000
March 2024 – March 2027
Tackling invasive species through community-based restoration in the Western Ghats
Indigenous Peoples are gaining more control over their ecosystems, helping to restore ecological and cultural services in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats. This community-based ecological restoration project provides communities with support and scientific tools for mapping and removing invasive species, and planting native ones.
Image
India
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Forests
Grasslands
Keystone Foundation
£349994
March 2024 – March 2027
Urban wetland agroecology restoration in Bangladesh
Agroecological practices and Indigenous knowledge are being brought to the fore in a wetland stewardship programme that addresses biodiversity loss in the Gulshan-Baridhara Lake urban area in Bangladesh. The project aims to help achieve this locally-led stewardship through participatory wetland assessments, co-creation of restoration and management tools, and the development of green entrepreneurship.
Image
Bangladesh
Gulshan-Baridhara Lake
Informal settlements
Lakes
Wetlands
River and Delta Research Center
University of Sheffield
£499995
April 2024 – December 2027
Young women leading environmental stewardship in West Kalimantan
This project supports Indigenous young women in West Kalimantan to become leaders in environmental stewardship. Through leadership training, community-based environmental projects and an emphasis on traditional knowledge, they are enhancing gender equality and climate and ecological resilience in three regions where young women are often underrepresented.
Image
Indonesia
West Kalimantan province
Forests
General
Gemawan
£250000
March 2024 – March 2026