Projects 2018

There is no changing the fact that the Sahel is very hot, very sunny and very dry. But even as climate change intensifies these challenging conditions, the Sahel need not become a desert. Unsustainable agricultural practices and overgrazing are among the main factors causing land degradation in the Sahel, which is threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Fortunately, organisations like CRESA in Niger – a long-term partner of Both ENDS – have shown that with the right approach, desertification of the Sahel can be reversed.

International trade and investment agreements set the conditions of international investment flows. Although they may make for dull reading, their content is critical and their impact enormous. Many countries are led to believe that signing a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) or international investment agreement will open the door to foreign investment that contributes to economic development and prosperity. But the evidence tells a different story.

Mining often has a huge and devastating impact on the environment, including water, air and forests. It can profoundly affect nearby communities, not only by harming local ecosystems, but also by exacerbating or provoking societal tension. In many places across the globe, women are leading resistance to mining and the ‘extractivist’ model that prioritises short-term profit over environmental sustainability and social equity.

Few people in the coastal fishing communities of northeastern Brazil may know what an export credit agency (ECA) is, but they know better than anyone what the impact of its decisions can look like. As the largest source of public support for the financing of infrastructure projects in developing countries, ECAs play a key role in facilitating global capital flows. On behalf of national governments, ECAs offer insurance, guarantees or credit to domestic companies to cover their financial risks of doing business abroad. Unfortunately, ECAs often underwrite projects that are opposed by locally affected people, and associated with human rights violations and environmental harm. The Brazilian fisherpeople whose livelihoods and way of life were devastated by the Port of Suape expansion project know all too well the story behind ECAs.

Around the globe, civil society organisations are engaged in local initiatives to help people and environments adapt to climate shocks and changes. Women are at the forefront of local efforts to protect and restore ecosystems, increase community resilience and ensure the right of all community members to actively participate in decision-making about the environment.

When it comes to tending the land and securing vitally important income from it, women often play a leading role in their communities. It is usually women who first signal the adverse environmental and health impacts of unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices. They know all too well how the conversion of forests for intensive monocrop and livestock farming leads to the devastating loss of healthy soil, clean air and water.

The La Plata Basin is the largest freshwater wetland in the world, extending into Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Around 160 million people rely on the wetland system as a source of water for consumption and irrigation. Although the basin covers a huge area – about one-fourth of South America’s surface – its jungles, savannahs, grasslands and wetlands have become fragmented islands. Monoculture, ranching, mining and infrastructure projects are among the many threats to the wetland system, its forests and rivers, and the livelihoods of the many people who depend on them.

Take a look at the overview of all of our projects in 2018, including funders and project partners.

Both ENDS takes part in two ‘Dialogue and Dissent’ strategic partnerships (2016-2020) with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Other projects and programmes:

Both ENDS manages two small grants funds: