Water lies at the heart of healthy ecosystems and resilient communities. Yet across many forest landscapes, water sources are increasingly under pressure from unsustainable land use, extractive industries, and inequitable governance. 

In our new report, Interweaving Waters, Forests and Communities – Strategies and Lessons for Water Justice, we share key insights from years of work on water governance under the Forests for a Just Future programme and its predecessor, implemented as part of the Green Livelihoods Alliance. It captures the experiences and reflections of civil society partners working on the frontlines of water and forest protection.

The Chiquitano forest, a 23-million-hectare tropical dry forest spanning eastern Bolivia and western Brazil, is one of South America’s most unique ecosystems. Home to over 3,000 plant species and 1,200 vertebrate species, including jaguars and giant anteaters, it provides critical ecosystem services for approximately 3 million people, including Indigenous peoples, local communities, small-scale farmers, and agribusiness operations.

Environmental Human Rights Defenders are globally under severe threat. To help address this, IUCN NL initiated a three-year programme in five countries to strengthen the security and resilience of its partners and the Indigenous and local communities they work with in forest landscapes. We teamed up with Protection International who trained and supported them to better understand the risks they face and to develop strategies that enhance their safety and wellbeing.