Women, youth, Afro-descendants and Indigenous Peoples join the GLFx network to expand the impact of their climate adaptation, ecopreneurship and conservation projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Bonn, Germany (19 February 2026) – The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), a leading knowledge-led platform and community on sustainable land use, welcomes 12 community-led initiatives to its global network of chapters, GLFx.
Selected from 818 applicants, these initiatives join 50 existing GLFx chapters spanning 33 countries, involving over 70,000 people across 400 landscape restoration activities, involving both the ecosystems and their inhabitants.
“GLFx is exceptional at connecting us with the key partners and institutions we need to talk about scaling our Food Forest project, and with landscape leaders who are eager to join us in restoring landscapes, which family farmers depend on.” – Gerald Nkusi, Coordinator of GLFx Virunga, a Uganda-based chapter active since 2024.
The new GLFx chapters are led by women, Indigenous people, youth and Afro-descendants, and their work focuses mainly on climate adaptation, ecopreneurship and biodiversity conservation within a variety of ecosystems across the globe.
These independent local organizations will gain new opportunities for partnerships, networking, learning, global exposure and participation in international events, as well as access to seed funding for sustainable landscape management.
📍Africa:
- GLFx Sidama is the first GLFx chapter in Ethiopia. Led by the Integrated Women’s Development Organization, the chapter connects this women-led initiative to a global network for the first time. Its approach involves restoring communal and private farmland while expanding women-based small farms management, and it aims to tackle land degradation, the climate crisis, gender inequality, high unemployment and poor farm productivity.
- GLFx Machakos, led by the Kijani Mtaani initiative in Kenya, is restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening livelihoods and enhancing wellbeing by focusing on local knowledge, inclusive participation and long-term stewardship. It co-designs nature-based solutions covering restoration, climate resilience, learning and care with young people and local communities.
- GLFx Sambirano, led by SoaRoots ReForest in Madagascar, is a women-led social enterprise restoring landscapes by designing and supporting reforestation initiatives. Working with farmers, children and schools, companies, associations, and local authorities, its approach covers the circular economy, agriculture, agroforestry, food security, improved livelihoods and sustainable activities in dry and moist forests.
- GLFx Msimbazi, led by the Environmental Conservation Community of Tanzania (ECCT), is a women-led initiative that aims to create lasting environmental and social impact by restoring degraded ecosystems, particularly through mangrove restoration and coastal regreening. Working with women and youth in ecosystem restoration and ecopreneurship, the initiative also tackles plastic waste and promotes sustainable fashion.
- GLFx Kalangala is led by Beautiful Periods Uganda and based on the Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria. Formed within the School Food Forest Initiative, it helps the community restore damaged land and improve nutrition and livelihoods through self-sufficient food systems. It works with youth and women in agroforestry, tree nurseries management and environmental education, while also addressing period stigmas and hygiene issues.
“This is the first time that our organization has had the chance to collaborate with different community-based organizations, associations, nongovernmental organizations, researchers and funding agents at the global level. It will help expand best practices and successful stories to other communities.” – GLFx Sidama team.
📍 Asia-Pacific:
- GLFx Buton, led by Sekolah Rakyat Butuni (SERABUT), is an Indigenous-led initiative based on the island of Buton in Indonesia. It implements community-driven ecosystem restoration while strengthening Indigenous rights, promoting regenerative agriculture and safeguarding forests, coastal zones and marine biodiversity. It aims to create a buffer against the expansion of mining projects on the island through agroforestry and restoration.
- GLFx Wabag-Enga is the first GLFx chapter in Papua New Guinea. Led by the Wabag District Coffee Growers Cooperative Society, it aims to help smallholders – particularly youth and women – transition from subsistence farming to sustainable commercial production. This initiative promotes sustainable coffee agriculture in climate-affected and HIV-and-conflict-prone areas in Enga Province while also addressing local food security challenges and improving rural livelihoods.
- GLFx Vanuatu, led by Mitingar Women & Girls Association is the first GLFx chapter in Vanuatu. Gathering nearly 500 women in 25 sister circles, and aiming to expand across the country, this initiative is fully women-based and specializes in teaching, finance and social development. Through local and national actions, it aims to connect more women and girls, focusing on education, health and climate-resilient agriculture.
“Joining the GLFx network isn’t just about gaining access to international collaborations; it’s about building bridges between grassroots communities and global knowledge. For us, it’s a way to showcase our work for Earth’s restoration.” – GLFx Buton team.
📍Latin America
- GLFx Wikina Wos, led by Alianza Wichi in Argentina, works with Indigenous Wichí, Nivaclé, Chorote and Guaraní people to restore the Gran Chaco ecosystem through agroforestry and agroecology. Drawing on ancestral knowledge, contemporary tools and multidisciplinary scientific research, it tackles several ecological and social challenges, including food sovereignty, water infrastructure and the legal defense of Indigenous territory.
- GLFx Cerrado Goiano is led by the Pró-Onça Institute in Brazil. This women-led initiative in the municipality of Cocalzinho de Goiás sustains strong partnerships with local community groups, national parks and universities. It conserves jaguar habitats and implements community-based ecological restoration by training women and youth in ecosystem monitoring and planting native species in degraded areas of ecological corridors.
- GLFx Napo-Cotopaxi, led by Fundación Ecosistemas en Acción (ECO-ACCIÓN), involves the Indigenous Kichwa community of Atacapi and the peasant community of Santa Elena de Cuchitingue in the Amazonian and Andean regions of Ecuador. It adopts community-based and participatory land use planning to promote landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, agroecology, agroforestry and food security.
- GLFx Sisal, led by the community youth group Reciclando Dunas in Mexico, aims to restore deforested coastal dunes in Sisal, Yucatán, by creating local capacity for their protection. This includes reforesting degraded areas with native plants and implementing environmental education programs, involving students, teachers, NGOs and the wider local community.
“Joining GLFx means amplifying the reality and potential of the Indigenous Peoples of Argentina and connecting our work in the Gran Chaco with a global community of learning and action. We see it as an opportunity to weave a network of interconnected, prosperous and resilient Indigenous territories capable of dialoguing with the world without losing their roots: sharing evidence, stories and regenerative models that inspire alliances and scale.” – GLFx Wikina Wos team.
“GLFx embodies the aspirations of locally-rooted organizations to connect, collaborate and restore the landscapes that sustain life and community wellbeing. Together, we are shaping a trust-based partnership model where tailored opportunities and resources go hand in hand with supporting and advocating for local agency and landscape leadership, ultimately making global restoration goals grounded and possible.” — Ana Yi, GLFx Coordinator at the Global Landscapes Forum.
Explore all the GLFx chapters here.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- Download photos of the chapters’ landscapes and communities here
- Download GLFx visuals from this Trello board
- For more information and to arrange interviews, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
ABOUT THE GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
ABOUT GLFx
GLFx is a network of independently organized, community-oriented and grassroots initiatives transforming their landscapes from the ground up and advocating for policy change. GLFx is designed to accelerate local action toward global landscape restoration by connecting members with the knowledge, tools and networks necessary to achieve lasting and holistic change. GLFx is supported by the German entities the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as the Robert Bosch Stiftung and International Model Forest Network (IMFN) in partnership with the Government of Canada. Learn more at globallandscapesforum.org/about-glfx/.
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