Mangroves can withstand soil and water conditions that would kill most plants, and yet these hardiest of tropical forests are vanishing from the Earth so quickly that every effort to protect them is of value – both locally and globally.

This is because mangroves have an outsized environmental and economic impact wherever they grow. They protect against coastal erosion, help with flood control, act as carbon sinks, and are unique ecosystems that harbor a wealth of fish, insect, bird, and reptile species.

As a former environment minister from Costa Rica, a country more than half covered in trees, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez knows well the vital role forests can play in community life.

That is what stood out for the Global Environment Facility CEO from his visit to the village of Djilor Djidiack, Senegal, where residents have planted, managed, and protected a 20-hectare community forest with the support of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP).

Lauren Naville Gisnås is a Senior Advisor on environmental and climate-related issues at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and an Advisor to Norway’s GEF Council Member. In an interview, she reflected on the potential of global efforts to address marine litter, plastic pollution, and the impacts of climate change, and shared what inspired her from a recent visit to a GEF Small Grants Programme initiative in Indonesia.

As an advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, Joseph Itongwa works to ensure that planning around the Congo Basin’s natural resources involves those living in the forests. In an interview, he shared what his work as Director of the National Alliance for the Support and Promotion of Indigenous and Community Heritage Areas and Territories has taught him about community, leadership, adversity, and hope.