The ‘Forests for a Just Future’ programme of the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) will contribute to the protection of tropical forests and the people who directly depend on those forests. With partner organisations in Africa, South East Asia and South America the GLA works to govern tropical forests in a sustainable and inclusive way.

Urgent and ambitious climate action and forest protection and preservation is critical for sustaining all life on earth. Deforestation is not only causing climate change, but climate change is also contributing to further deforestation and forest degradation, setting in motion a vicious cycle with devastating effects. Deforestation is mainly driven by large-scale agriculture, especially for palm oil, soy and cattle ranching, by pressure due to increased areas for subsistence farming, by forest fires, by extractive industries such as fossil fuel extraction, mining, logging, and by infrastructure development.

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) whose lives and livelihoods are directly affected by deforestation often lack the power to end it, nor are they positioned and equipped to claim their right to sustainably govern and manage their territories, tropical forests and natural resources.

Combating deforestation and related human rights violations require the ability to stand up against vested interests. But IPLC leaders, environmental human right defenders and CSOs are confronted with medium to severe obstruction of civic space in the countries where GLA will operate.

In twelve tropical forest countries and internationally the GLA work with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), IPLCs and social movements to increase the participation of IPLCs in policy and decision-making regarding land rights and forest governance and to strengthen lobby and advocacy to hold governments and agro-commodity, extractives, energy and infrastructure industries accountable for deforestation and human rights violations

The Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) is an alliance of Gaia Amazonas, IUCN NL, Milieudefensie, NTFP-EP, SDI and Tropenbos International, with WECF and FERN as technical partners. WECF works closely with its strategic partner Global Forest Coalition (GFC) to fulfil its role in the Alliance.

This programme is the continuation of the Forested Landscapes for Equity programme of the Green Livelihood Alliance (2016-2020) that aimed to strengthen the abilities and effectiveness of southern Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to influence policies and practices to achieve the inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes.

The Alliance website with a full overview of the work can be found here