Action Pathway
Natural Resource Management
We help communities and institutions manage natural resources more responsibly to reduce conflict, protect livelihoods, and build stronger local economies.
Natural resources and their management are critical to livelihoods, local economies, public services, and trust in government, and that requires balancing economic growth with conservation. When resource decisions are driven by short-term pressure, weak oversight, or limited local input, land, forests, fisheries, water, and coastal areas can be overused or poorly managed. The result is often lower income, greater risk of conflict, and weaker systems for protecting the natural assets people rely on. In addition, communities and Indigenous groups are often blocked from participating in natural resource management, which can lead to conflict, poverty, a loss of indigenous knowledge, and the illegal use of resources.
APPROACH
We work with governments, communities, civil society organizations, local leaders, law enforcement agencies, private sector actors, and regional partners to improve how land, forests, water, fisheries, and mineral resources are managed. We support these partners through research, technical analysis, policy development, institutional training, community-led planning, and enforcement support that help people identify problems, test solutions, and apply evidence to decisions. This includes support for forest and coastal resource management, responses to illegal resource extraction and wildlife crime, water planning, community monitoring, and livelihood approaches that reduce pressure on natural systems. By combining local knowledge, credible data, stronger institutions, and practical implementation support, we help build systems that manage resources more responsibly, improve services and decision-making, strengthen public trust, and expand economic opportunity while protecting the natural assets communities depend on.
Featured Programs
Protecting Indonesia’s Forests and Communities
Indonesia’s forests are critical to the national economy and rural households, and we help local communities protect forests, strengthen land rights, and build sustainable livelihoods.
Turning Waste into Economic Opportunity
The Waste into Resource initiative supports Bangladesh’s leather sector by turning tannery solid waste into environmentally compliant, value-added byproducts. Working with government agencies, industry associations, and small and medium enterprises, the program strengthens compliance, market linkages, and entrepreneurship, helping reduce pollution while creating business opportunities and sustainable livelihoods in the leather value chain.
Advancing Sustainable and Accessible Infrastructure in the Mekong
The Mekong Safeguards Program works with governments, regional organizations, the private sector, and civil society to strengthen environmental and social safeguards for energy, transport, and water infrastructure.
Community River Basin Management
With economic growth increasing demands on Lao PDR’s rivers, we help communities and local agencies protect water resources that sustain health, commerce, and livelihoods.