Our Network demonstrates how environmental collaboration can support peacebuilding

A joint learning process captured lessons from these efforts resulting in five key insights for integrating peacebuilding into environmental work:

1. Conflict sensitivity is foundational – A strong contextual understanding helps mitigate risks and foster social cohesion.
2. Inclusive governance strengthens outcomes – Involving women, youth, and marginalized groups improves decision-making and conflict resolution.
3. Environmental collaboration fosters peace – Joint resource management helps prevent disputes and build trust.
4. Traditional knowledge plays a key role – Customary institutions provide legitimacy and continuity in peacebuilding.
5. Cross-learning accelerates impact – Sharing experiences across landscapes strengthens strategies for sustainable governance.

Impact Stories

As part of the network-wide learning process, we have published nine impact stories from different landscapes, each highlighting key lessons and efforts to mitigate conflict:

• Ecological Trends Alliance (Uganda) developed a locally led conflict management strategy to reduce human-wildlife conflict and foster community support for forest conservation.
• IBIF (Bolivia) supported women’s organisations to participate in shaping Monteverde’s Life Plan, ensuring gender-sensitive inclusion in forest governance.
• PENHA (Ethiopia) worked with the traditional Abogerebs to support the inclusion of women and youth in natural resource management and conflict resolution.
• Tropenbos Colombia facilitated intercultural dialogues between Indigenous and peasant communities to develop joint agreements on land use and environmental management.
• Tropenbos DR Congo helped mediate a leadership dispute over community forest management using customary mechanisms to rebuild trust.
• Tropenbos Ghana developed formal contracts for sharecropping agreements to reduce disputes and promote climate-smart cocoa farming.
• Tropenbos Indonesia supported participatory boundary mapping to prevent conflict between three communities with overlapping forest claims.
• Tropenbos Suriname organized community-led trainings in conflict resolution, strengthening local cohesion and leadership capacities.
• Tropenbos Viet Nam facilitated a participatory process between Indigenous Peoples and local authorities to develop a risk-benefit sharing mechanism and reduce land-use conflict.

Together, these stories show how investing in inclusive, context-specific, and locally-owned solutions can contribute to more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable landscapes.

>>> Find the Report here.