Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Kalasha Rawal is a poor farmer from Sisnari, Surkhet District who depends on her small farm and community forest. Kalasha belongs to the Sisnari Multiple Use Water System (MUS) developed by the iDE led, Anukulan project (2015-19) funded by the UKAID BRACED Climate program. The Sisneri MUS provides water to 20 disadvantaged families (81 people) for domestic use and vegetable production from a spring source located in the village’s community forest. The approach embeds environmental services with water fees paying a MUS manager to maintain the system and protect the community forest water source. A fence was installed to protect the community forest and the source. The community planted additional trees, dug a recharge pond, and banned grazing livestock. Kalasha is from a disadvantaged ethnic group, she produced vegetables using MUS water improving family nutrition, earning over $700/year, and collects fodder and wood from the community forest. The earnings allowed her husband to return from India to work on the farm and be with Kalasha and their children. Anukulan developed 200 MUS for 20,000 people. MUS enable farmers to cope with climate change by shifting from risky rainfed agriculture to piped irrigation. (Photo by iDE Volunteer, Bimala Rai Colavito)

Issyk lake in Almaty, located at the Ile-Alatau National Park 1714 m above sea level, called by the Kazakhs “Eshik” - “door, passage”. Indeed, the shortest route to the Issyk-Kul was through the gorge. "Issyk" means "hot spring" in the Kazakh language, turned out nonsense: Issyk lake cannot be called hot: water temperature - plus 9 degrees.

Location and date the photo was taken: Royal Botanic Garden (RBG), Al-Balqaa Governorate, Jordan; 16 December 2019
Who is depicted in the photo: Karma Bouazza - Nursery Technical Expert (measuring the seedling’s height), and Sara Al-Faqir - WADI Intern (documenting measurements)
What activity is depicted in the photo: Monitoring and evaluation of the seedlings planted at the reference site being a research location to measure the effect of plant restoration on ground water recharge.
How the activity addresses climate change: The remote sensing system installed at the reference site in close cooperation with environmental experts from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and support from United States Forest Service (USFS) experts, will provide much-needed information on soil humidity that will help in elucidating possible restoration positive impact on Jordan’s critical water situation. Furthermore, obtained results can be used for scaling-up forest restoration conducted in the Tal Al-Rumman area to other parts of Jordan; this can help mitigate climate change impacts.
Name of the relevant program receiving USAID support (via Global Climate Change or other funds): N/A
Names of partner organizations involved in the program: Watershed and Development Initiative (WADI), RBG, ICARDA, and USFS

On this picture, a farmer is in his millet field serving as demonstration of the added value of using climate information in the yield production.

a trained farmer training other colleagues on how to read rain gage.

The rainforest canopy is an impressive place, and one that's not often visited by humans. Rainforest canopies, which generally sit 40-60 meters above the surface, are home to an impressive amount of biodiversity, including orchids, bromeliads, mosses, and lichens.

51 percent of Costa Rica's landmass is forested, and nearly half of that is considered primary forest, which is the most biodiverse and carbon-dense type of forest. Costa Rica is known for its ecotourism, which offers visiting tourists the opportunity to experience places like the rainforest canopy up close. Zip lines, sky trams, and sky walks are some of the main methods of ecotourism that bring tourists and the canopy together. 

This image, taken from a sky walk, gives a sense of the beauty of the canopy. In the background, the slopes of the famous Arenal volcano can be seen. 

The problem of land degradation in Sierra Leone. Erosion is washing away the top surface of the land in Allen town, in Freetown Sierra Leone as a result of poor land degradation by the communities, due to poor housing plans and poor waste disposals

The photo shows poor land degradation in Sierra Leone

This photo will help in the advocacy for climate change awareness and how to help the community and the country manage the situation

The relevant program receiving the climate change by USAID is Save life of Sierra Leone through land check and tree planting

Partners involved in the program is Women of God's Ambassadors Ministerial Network Worldwide, Freetown Sierra Leone

Across Liberia, people rely on the country's lush forests to survive. They hunt animals for meat. They clear trees to grow rice and other crops. Slowly, they're destroying what remains of the Upper Guinean forest region and its rich biodiversity.

And life isn't easy for Liberia's forest communities. Many struggle to feed their children. Their livelihoods are anything but stable.

Pact is addressing both problems with its signature WORTH program, which reduces poverty and empowers women through village banking and entrepreneurship. In Liberia, Pact is implementing WORTH with funding from USAID as part of the FIFES project. Through WORTH, Liberian forest communities are developing new, reliable livelihoods that don’t harm forests.

In groups of about 20, WORTH brings women together to save money, access credit and generate income. They make small savings deposits at weekly meetings, and when groups’ funds grow large enough, members may begin taking loans to start small businesses. Groups receive literacy, numeracy and business training.

For these women – and for their families, communities and forests – WORTH is making all the difference.

In this photo, Matilda Zuweh addresses her WORTH group.

"There was a time when we didn't know about saving or earning money. In the WORTH group, we learned about counting, interest and credit. I learned to buy food items in big amounts and sell them in the market here for a profit. This is my business. It is the first time I've had income of my own."

Photo taken Feb. 2017.

Bac Ma, National Park. Thua Tien Hue, Vietnam. March, 2020. The USAID Green Annamites Project supported the implementation of the Spatial Monitoring Reporting Tool (SMART), the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) and the installation of camera traps for biodiversity monitoring. Staff of protected areas and national parks in QN and TTH provinces (Vietnam) have been able to utilize the features of the SMART to synchronize and analyze data, thereby optimizing their patrolling plan. Management officials of the Forest Protection Department and Management Boards of Nature Reserve (NR) go in-depth in analyzing the results collected from METT to consolidate the development and adjustment of the annual management plan.
The project strengthens biodiversity monitoring in the NRs through systematic camera traps, listening posts and forest cover analysis through geographic information technology (GIS). The project additionally installed of 153 camera traps in the NRs, conducted advance training on patrol skills, species identification and biodiversity monitoring for the specialized force on forest protection, at the same time, supported develop sustainable forest management plans for several NRs.

K’Dắt (pictured far right) is something of a veteran when it comes to patrolling and protecting the forest near the Tà Lài Commune where he lives. K’Dắt joined the patrols to protect against illegal logging and poaching in 2014. But a big part of K’Dắt’s work takes place outside the cover of trees, in conversations with his fellow community members. “We try to convince people that forest resources are running out and we should not chop down trees or trap birds and animals,” he says. “At first people challenged us, but over time they managed to understand, since local people rely on the forest for their livelihood. Given the decreasing resources, people now understand.” As one of the leaders of his community’s patrols, K’Dắt receives 10 million Vietnamese Dong (about $430 dollars). It’s money that helps him send his 14-year-old daughter and young son to school while also helping cover other daily living expenses. While K’Dắt has spent much of his time convincing neighbors that forest protection is important, his message is universal. “I share the common global awareness forests are very useful to us,” he says. “They help absorb carbon, combat floods, storms and drought.”

Genie Abao (in photo), officer of Malatgao United Riverside Farmers Association in Quezon municipality, Palawan province and an indigenous Palaw'an leader of his community, is one the recipients of high-quality durian seedlings from the USAID-funded Protect Wildlife project in the Philippines.

The project rolled out an agroforestry and conservation agriculture initiative for its partner communities in Palawan to engage them in planting high-value fruit trees, like durian, which will not only increase tree cover in their forestlands and contribute to enhancing carbon sinks, but also provide livelihood opportunities for rural families.

Across Liberia, people rely on the country's lush forests to survive. They hunt animals for meat. They clear trees to grow rice and other crops. Slowly, they're destroying what remains of the Upper Guinean forest region and its rich biodiversity.

And life isn't easy for Liberia's forest communities. Many struggle to feed their children. Their livelihoods are anything but stable.

Pact is addressing both problems with its signature WORTH program, which reduces poverty and empowers women through village banking and entrepreneurship. In Liberia, Pact is implementing WORTH with funding from USAID as part of the FIFES project. Through WORTH, Liberian forest communities are developing new, reliable livelihoods that don’t harm forests.

In groups of about 20, WORTH brings women together to save money, access credit and generate income. They make small savings deposits at weekly meetings, and when groups’ funds grow large enough, members may begin taking loans to start small businesses. Groups receive literacy, numeracy and business training.

For these women – and for their families, communities and forests – WORTH is making all the difference.

Here, WORTH member Wready Wehyee shows off her program guide book.

"We won't go back to the forest because WORTH and our books have helped us find something else. We have new ideas now, and we are all helping each other."

Photo taken Feb. 2017.

A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. May 2019. The USAID Green Annamites Project supported Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces in Vietnam to reduce emissions and adopt green development strategies, by applying climate smart agricultural practices (CSA). The Project promotes establishing smart agricultural models that enhance the livelihoods of local communities and reduce emissions such as the application of the Integrated Crop Management (ICM) model on wet rice, vegetables and clean agriculture cultivation, restoration and development of local specialties such as Thanh Tra pomelo (Huong Van, TT Hue) and Ra Du rice (A Luoi, TT Hue). More than ten thousand people increased their income thanks to the sustainable agricultural models. The smart agricultural model created positive impact on the economic, social and environmental aspects while helped farmers to increase their productivity, income and adopt modern cultivation techniques to reduce production cost and increase their awareness on environmental protection.

Location and date the photo was taken- Kwang'ethe Primary school on 2nd June 2020
Who is depicted in the photo-from right Muriuki Thiga, Lucy, James Gitau
What activity is depicted in the photo-planting of an indigenous tree
How the activity addresses climate change-Trees play a key role in the carbon cycle by utilising carbon iv oxide from the atmosphere as well as are key contributors of rain water from evapo-transpiration
Names of partner organizations involved in the program-Rotary District 9212 encironment programme, UNEP, Elephant Center, county Governments in Kenya.

In 2019, a National NGO, Humana People to People, South Africa (HPPSA) won a USAID cooperative agreement (as prime implementing partner) to use the Stepping Stones model to implement an HIV/AIDS program in Chief Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi, and in Bushbuckridge sub districts in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The focus of this model is the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) within the migrant and mobile populations in the target farming communities and informal settlements.
The model involves various sessions that aims at creating HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and empowering the AGYW mostly migrants from neighbouring Mozambique and Swaziland as they flock into the farming areas in search for jobs and a better life.
Most of these sessions take place in the open or under the tree. The tree as depicted in the picture is a natural attraction, as it welcomes all; human beings, birds, insects etc, providing shelter, food and absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere.
Just like by the “Rivers of Babylon” the AGYW sit down under the tree and get life lessons through the stepping stones sessions. Here they share their stories, think of their loved ones back home, but most importantly learn the survival skills; Skills to adapt and mitigate the harsh environmental conditions in the farms; skills to advocate and make their voices heard; skills to assist them practice Climate Smart Agriculture and hence ensure food security.

The photograph was taken at a local village near Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan.
In frame a local is examining the growth of the Acacia trees planted a few years ago
These trees not only help improve the surrounding biodiversity but also help improve the health of soil and also provides a cleaner and healthier climate