Environmental & human rights

Nature is continuously showing us the laws that govern her ways of being. As embodiments of nature our laws and her laws are the same. Nature is where we need to look for answers, nature inside and out. If we want to live, then we have to allow the tree to live. It is part of life on this planet, the same life that we are a part of. If we destroy it wherever and in whichever way, we destroy ourselves. Our environmental law and its implementation need to reflect that.

More and more people recognise this simple underlying truth – one which has always been clear to the indigenous peoples of this planet, and which used to be embodied by these peoples until systems of coercion and suppression took over. It is our responsibility to recognise the history of this planet and its peoples, and to find ways to realign what has been brought massively out of balance, in ways which are rooted in true justice. No one culture is better, or more advanced than another. No one form of life is of higher value than another. No animal or plant is worth less than us.

There is one underlying essence of life, a wisdom, a light, a music which we are all made of – every form of life on this planet. This music used to proliferate here. It took on a vast abundance of forms which all operate together in the same web, being part of the same song, effortlessly nourishing one-another. Diversity is not difference. Diversity is the wonder that this planet has to offer – the materialisation of the very same thing, the very same material in a myriad of forms. Laws which recognise this simple thing are the laws of our future. Such laws will truly protect life, including human life, and will truly ensure that our societies remain nourished and are taken care of well. They will ensure that all beings are seen for what they are.

International Rivers

Africa, South Asia, South America

Protecting rivers & defending rights of river communities, children & environmentalists via research, network-building, campaigning support & legal work. Support of grassroots movements & local culturally embedded river stewardship. Embodying inclusivity & gender equity. Ending legacies of environmental injustice & demanding corporate accountability. Great info resources on website.

The Borneo Project

USA & Malaysian Borneo

Supporting locally initiated & community-led campaigns to defend forests, environmental & human rights. Facilitating mapping for ancestral land claims, supporting legal cases, negotiations, paralegal education, mobile legal aid clinics. Helped > 200 longhouse communities hold off destructive logging & industrial palm oil plantations carried out without consent, violating land & human rights. Supporting cultural survival, reforestation, organic gardening, indigenous education & visions such as Baram Peace Park. Bringing international attention to corporate violence. Linking local & global movements.

Shipibo Conibo Center

Peru, USA

Supporting self-determination, territorial sovereignty, visual arts, music incl. Amazonian hip-hop artists, ethnobotanical research & Shipibo Agroforestry Cooperative Koshicoop of & by Peru’s Shipibo Conibo people. Belief that indigenous identity belongs to a technologically-anchored, sustainable future. Led by 5 artists, filmmakers, activists & anthropologists. Commitment to core values of Shipibo ethics & protocols of conviviality, reciprocity, kinship. Decolonising art. Art made based on natural dyes, immersive Amazonian soundscapes etc.

River Network

Colorado, USA

Connecting & aligning > 8500 NGOs, agencies, indigenous groups & utilities, facilitating collaboration, creating community & increasing impact to protect & restore our waters. Reaffirming our right to affordable, clean water & healthy rivers. One-on-one mentoring, consulting, trainings, conferences, events. Committed to integrity, inclusiveness & openness to new knowledge. 1% for the Planet.

The Endangered Language Fund

Worldwide

Documenting & revitalising endangered languages through grants to individuals, tribes & museums. Work in > 60 countries. Development of indigenous radio programs, recording of last living speakers of indigenous languages, orthographies & literacy materials for endangered language teaching programs, language-sharing workshops involving games & art etc. Bringing together language activists, linguists, students & speakers of rare languages.

The Gaia Foundation

UK, Ireland, worldwide

Local, decentralised work, forming bonds of affection in the collaborating communities. Securing food & seed sovereignty. Ending extractivism. Helping indigenous communities reestablish their Earth connection previously broken by the loss, destruction & desecration of their lands & culture. Empowering communities by rebuilding confidence necessary to stand up for their rights. Guided by nature – translating nature’s laws into human legislation.

Survival International

Worldwide

Expose abuse of indigenous peoples in the name of conservation & profit incl. racism, genocide, slavery, factory schools etc.; secure indigenous rights, decolonise conservation, amplify & empower indigenous voices (Tribal Voice platform) – rooted in longstanding relationships with 100s indigenous communities. Protecting uncontacted tribes. Embodying diversity & inclusivity in every way. Incredible organisation.

Guide to decolonising conservation:

See guide

Amazon Frontlines

Ecuador, Colombia, Peru

Providing access to clean water via rain water collection in areas of oil pollution. Supported creation of indigenous-led Ceibo Alliance (https://www.alianzaceibo.org). Technical & operational support of Ceibo projects. Creation of international support networks for funding, access to technology & legal knowledge/representation. Supporting cultural re- & survival, indigenous autonomy, protection of indigenous lands. Environmental monitoring, mapping, youth programs, women empowerment programs.

Our donation model

We envision a change towards gift economies rooted in the very same ways in which nature operates. Our donation model is based on these principles. If you like this website which is a gift from us to you, fueled by endless hours of connecting with people, businesses and initiatives, please take a look at our Donation page to find out how you can reciprocate, or pass on that gift. Or, if you already know our model and would like to be part of it in a monetary way, you can go straight to Donate below. Thank you!