Climatelinks Photo Gallery

a woman working group of farmers discussing on how to make decision from climate information

In the frame, a keeper is setting up the pit for a newly planted tree in a patch plantation campaign. Plantation patches are developed on lands usually unfit for cultivation where trees can easily survive. This not only make the soil fertile but also helps to reduce the carbon/pollution levels resulting in a cleaner and fresh climate. The picture was shot near Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan on 27th July, 2020.

Location and date the photo was taken: Amman-Jordan 23 July 2020 Who is depicted in the photo: Carob native seeds What activity is depicted in the photo: Native Carob seeds collected to be sown at one of the nurseries. How the activity addresses climate change: Carob is a native Jordanian tree and an important part of Jordan’s forests. Carob is usually grown for its edible pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens. The ripe, dried pod is often ground to carob powder, which is used to replace cocoa powder.The restoration of such forests helps mitigate climate change by storing carbon, halting land degradation and fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Additionally, it has an aesthetic side, can assist in poverty alleviation due to its economic return, and in fighting hunger and malnutrition due to its high-value nutritional content. 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), Royal Botanic Garden (RBG), and United States Forest Service (USFS)

This picture depicts the start of agroforestry efforts in the village co-op in Mwambezi, Zambia (near Mbala). As part of the Feed the Future Initiative, the co-op ordered 100 lemon tree seedlings and a batch of 100 moringa tree seedlings. After growing to a sufficient size, the seedlings were planted around the village of Mwambezi.

A farmer in Quezon municipality, Palawan province is excited to start his own agroforestry venture through the assistance provided by USAID, through its Protect Wildlife project in the Philippines.

The project's agroforestry and conservation agriculture activities in southern Palawan is a climate-smart and biodiversity-friendly initiative to get local farmers, indigenous villages, and rural communities engaged in farming practices that are both sustainable and economically viable.

A great alternative to resource-intensive and emissions-heavy agriculture, agroforestry, when done right, can help restore forests and watersheds that boost carbon sequestration, while also enriching local biodiversity and ensuring food and nutritional security.

People enjoying ecosystem services from Gunung Leuser National Park, Aceh, Indonesia. The Park is one of the richest tropical rain-forests in Southeast Asia. It is the last place on earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants, and rhinos and coexist in the wild. Through LESTARI project, USAID supports the Government of Indonesia to strengthen the management effectiveness of this protected areas.

A fisherman is using a cast net in Hawaii national reserve in Guatemala. USAID Guatemala Project is generating information related to fishing efforts, sizes of the main species, catch volumes, fishing methods and gear to develop a Fisheries Management Program. Our program is working in Guatemalan south coast particularly in the RAMSAR site Manchon Guamuchal, Sipacate Naranjo National Park and Monterrico and Hawaii national reserves. Our efforts are aimed to get a sustainable fishing. Picture was tacken on December 19, 2019.

This is "EARTH OUR HOME PROJECT" with Children Radio foundation and
Mwanza Youth & Children Network. The program based on climate change
awareness to young leaders, especially school leaders.
I am a youth facilitator and I am doing this initiative with Kitangiri
Secondary School, and Nyasaka Secondary Students

woman group weeding their farm. They are a part of farmers who receive climate information through the early warning system of Anacim.

Borneo, an island in Asia shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, has experienced rapid deforestation in recent years. Driven by palm oil plantations, rubber plantations, and logging, many species are at risk of losing their habitats. This series of satellite images taken over the Central Kalamantan region of Indonesia, depict the rapid growth and movement of settlements from 2015 to 2019 and the increasing road network between what is likely a rubber plantation. Deforestation, a leading cause of human CO2 emissions, can lead to an increase in floods, forest fires, droughts and could have negative impacts on fresh water reservoirs and human health in this area. Mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and marine wildlife are all threatened by the increase in deforestation. In this series of photos, natural regeneration can be identified where large areas of deforestation had once occurred. Allowing deforested areas to regrow provides hope that deforestation on the island will slow and larger areas of forests will be protected. USAID plays a large role in helping Central Kalamantan protect their endangered species, especially the Orangutan, through the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF). This initiative has seen the rehabilitation of over 100 orangutans and their release back into this region, all with the support of USAID. USAID is also a partner of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) where climate challenges are tackled through the use of Earth observations and other techniques and informed decisions can be made through careful evaluation. These partnerships will allow for a more sustainable future on the island of Borneo.

This picture depicts a family of wildebeest in Dulahazara safari park, Chokoria, Bangladesh. The sanctuary is trying to provide as natural a habitat for the animals as possible in the tropical climate of Bangladesh, in an effort to study the animal. I didn't think twice about the photo after taking it, felt like any other generic photo that is going to fall in the pile of obscurity and be lost. But by sheer chance, the photo caught my attention a few months later, and I realized, the photo shows a deeper meaning of life. It showcases a family of wildebeest, and I couldn't help but connect with it. More often than not, we look at animals as they are, animals, but its more than that, these creatures have children just like us humans, these creatures rear their families just like humans, they feel the same way we do, then how do we think that we are so different? We take away their homes, their loved ones, their lives, yet we do not bat an eye. What makes gives us the right to do so? What makes us so different?

Ecotourism is a huge contributor to Costa Rica's economy, and its history of success is related to the country's progressive environmental policies. In particular, forest conversion is heavily penalized, meaning that forests are less likely to be cut down to make room for livestock. Primary forests—those that have never been cut down—receive an even higher level of protection and are often monetized, such as at Costa Rica Sky Adventures, where this photo was taken. 

Places like this, which combine the thrill of heights with the landscape's natural beauty, offer tourists an opportunity to appreciate untouched forests while also learning about their high value and ecological importance. 

In Costa Rica's Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, visitors can experience largely untouched primary forests and unmatched biodiversity, including the highest number of orchid species in a single place. Monteverde is a huge ecotourism success story, having been started by Quaker farmers in the 1970s and now drawing more than 70,000 visitors per year. Ferns like the one seen here are quite common in the understory of the cloud forest. 

However, even pristine examples of forest conservation like Monteverde are not immune to change. Monteverde is known worldwide as the habitat of the golden toad (Incilius periglenes), though it has not been seen in more than 20 years and is believed to be extinct. 

Costa Rica is famous for having only 0.03 percent of the Earth's landmass, but 6 percent of its biodiversity. As a result, ecotourism is a heavy hitter in Costa Rica's economy, and is often cited as a key to the country's economic development.

Costa Rica had a head start, having developed policies favorable to ecotourism as early as the 1990s. Even so, the country struggles with to balance its current status as a model for ecotourism with a history of unsustainable environmental management. For example, one of the country's primary sources of hydroelectric power, Lake Arenal, has diverted an entire watershed to the opposite side of the Continental Divide in an effort to bring water to the semi-arid Guanacaste province. Such initiatives were undertaken before strong environmental regulations came into effect, and the ecological damage is still unclear. Even so, Costa Rica is often lauded for a high level of renewable energy production sourced from the very same lake. 

One example of ecotourism is the Arenal Sky Walk, where visitors can take a hike that crosses numerous hanging bridges, each offering a rare view of the rainforest canopy. Epiphytes, such as those seen along this tree branch, are rarely seen as close. 

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

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)