For nearly 30 years, IUCN NL has supported civil society organisations (CSOs) through Dutch funding for Development cooperation, fostering long-term partnerships that have strengthened community-led nature conservation and more sustainable and inclusive governance of tropical forests. With Dutch Official Development Assistance (ODA) now facing steep cuts and political uncertainty, Indonesian partners reflect on the value of these alliances, the knowledge they've gained through collaboration, and their determination to continue the work, regardless of shifting donor landscapes. 

In the lush mountains of Palawan, Philippines, where trees whisper stories from the ancient past, where rivers carry the island’s history of extraction in its veins, and where the land holds memories of indigenous protection, a gathering unlike any other transpired. From May 5 to 9, 2025, over 35 Indigenous delegates from across Colombia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines came together for a South-South learning exchange co-organized by Gaia Amazonas and NTFP-EP (Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme), under the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) partnership.

With the theme Roots of Change: Indigenous and Local Youth Leading Resilient and Inclusive Forest Landscapes, YEEHA! 2025 focused on practical, hands-on sessions exploring inclusive forest governance, sustainable landscapes, and youth-led strategies for the crises our planet face today. The program emphasized capacity-building in mapping, research, documentation, and the transmission of Indigenous Knowledge, Systems, and Practices (IKSPs) to generations to come. More than just training, the camp fostered deep reflection, creativity, and solidarity; grounded in the realities of the participants’ own communities and territories.