By Cath Ritchie | Communications Lead
This season’s stories take us from Africa’s highlands to Europe’s coastlines, where local communities are restoring forests, regenerating farmland, and building resilience. Join us as we celebrate the communities turning hope into thriving ecosystems. And all this restoration goodness is made possible by donors like you who believe in the power of everyday people to bring about change on the ground.
Planting change in Togo
We’ve kicked off the exiting new EU Vowers Project with partners Ajeves Togo and Iroko DFS, and funded by the European Union. This project will see young EU volunteers roll up their sleeves to work with women in Agome Eyoh and Danyi Apéyemé. Together they’ll launch sustainable beekeeping, regenerative farming, water awareness, and women-led enterprises. Watch this space as we bring you updates from the volunteers themselves, as they help restore both land and livelihoods.
Tackling Deforestation in Tanzania
The team at Ecosystem Restoration Community Saadani in the country's Chalinze District is regenerating 2,000 hectares of forest and coastline. This region of Tanzania has been degraded by deforestation and unsustainable farming. But since 2020 45,000 trees have been planted, with 45 hectares restored and 10 springs protected - bringing clean water to 4,000 people. Women are leading much of the restoration work, with over 500 actively involved in community-based initiatives on the land.
Healing Malawi’s Highlands
The latest initiative to join the Ecosystem Restoration Community movement, Chipembere, is reversing deforestation in Thyolo District - a place of tea estates, mountains, and rivers Tree-cutting is down 65%, 123 hectares have been restored, rivers are flowing again, and communities are being introduced to new, sustainable livelihoods.
Scaling Out in Spain
The very first Ecosystem Restoration Community has come a long way since it was set up in 2017 on La Junquera Farm near Murcia in south-eastern Spain. From a single farm to a whole watershed, Camp Altiplano is now restoring 30,000 hectares of the Quipar Valley. Listen to restoration leader Silvia Quarta’s story of hope on the Deep Seed podcast.
PS If you're not a podcaster, watch it on YouTube
Restoration & Peace in Kenya
Boma Ikologia Kanyerus - a pastoralist community of 5,000 - is restoring 250+ hectares through food forest planting, pasture regeneration, and beekeeping. These efforts are strengthening peace and resilience across 17 villages in the foothills of Kanyerus, West Pokot in Kenya, while boosting biodiversity, providing food & nutrition, and generating income for the community.
Enjoy some holiday reading - from Italy and Portugal
Ecosystem Restoration Community Agrihouse is building drought resilience in central Italy, while Quinta Vale da Lama in Portugal blending water cycle restoration, citizen science, education and regeneration camps. You can read more about these two inspiring initiatives in our latest blogs.
The farm building agricultural resilience in central Italy
https://www.ecosystemrestorationcommunities.org/2025/05/28/agrihouse-the-farm-building-agricultural-resilience-in-central-italy/
Discover the magic of Quinta Vale da Lama
https://www.ecosystemrestorationcommunities.org/2025/07/02/discovering-the-magic-of-quinta-vale-da-lama/
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