Partnering with local communities to build resilience for people and ecosystems
Local knowledge and stewardship are crucial for creating lasting and meaningful environmental change. Since 1979, community development has been central to our mission. Resilience means thriving despite challenges; encompassing socio-economic stability, local leadership, and adaptive capacity.
We link global climate goals with locally defined socioeconomic priorities. Our benefit-sharing mechanism channels carbon credit revenue into community-led socioeconomic development in our project areas. These initiatives include educational programs, cash-for-work activities, infrastructure improvements, crab nets for rearing, ice plants for fisheries, clean water wells, increased access to educational facilities, scholarships, village revolving funds, and environmental conservation education. We conduct full socioeconomic baselines, and development priorities are defined by independent village development committees. We work to ensure local decision-making and on-the-ground project execution are driven by the communities themselves.
Thriving ecosystems are necessary to sustain healthy livelihoods in communities. And ecosystems thrive only when communities are committed to conservation.
Our community development activities
Read more about our community-driven development activities for lasting environmental and social impact.
The Mangrove Transformation of Salone Chaung
Sustainable livelihoods and healthy ecosystems go hand in hand. In Salone Chaung, people chose to stop burning mangroves for coal.
Charcoal burners, now destroyed by the people who once used them
Charcoal burners, now destroyed by the people who once used them
The village of Salone Chaung lies on the western coast of Myanmar, nestled between jungle hills and the Bay of Bengal. Once home to lush mangrove forests teeming with elephants, crocodiles, dugongs, and an incredible variety of marine life, these forests have seen significant degradation over decades, mainly due to the expansion of underserved communities. The locals, living far from population centers, often have no access to electricity and basic infrastructure. They rely mainly on fisheries and seasonal farm work. For those unable to support themselves as fishermen, charcoal burning has been a desperate means to make some extra cash.
Charcoal production is hard work. The process involves collecting wood from mangrove trees, burning it in earthen furnaces, and cooling and packaging it for transport. The charcoal might end up as barbecue fuel in Asia or Europe, but the locals see little of the profit. This labor-intensive work offers little income and traps villagers in a cycle of debt, borrowing from agents and repaying through future charcoal production. This story mirrors that of many across coastal Southeast Asia—men and women toil in coal production, driven by necessity rather than choice.
However, destroyed mangrove ecosystems offer little else to local communities. At Worldview International Foundation, we know healthy mangrove ecosystems can provide much more when given the chance. Mangrove forests support sustainable livelihoods that make environmental conservation a viable and attractive option to the locals. The only way to stop the felling of mangrove forests for charcoal is to offer locals a better choice.
In Salone Chaung, our mangrove restoration project, led by U Win Maung, offered villagers a chance to work with mangrove restoration. Many locals began collecting and selling seeds and propagules to WIF for mangrove plantations. The transition to a new livelihood wasn’t immediate—we had to earn the villagers’ trust and prove that we were committed to providing a steady income, not just short-term benefits.
As more locals joined the restoration efforts, they began to see tangible benefits. Those involved in the project earned a daily wage significantly higher than what charcoal burning provided. This steady income not only allowed them to repay their debts but also invest in their future. By 2022, the people of Salone Chaung earned 60 million kyats from seed sales, rising to 100 million kyats in 2023.
In March 2022, the villagers made a historic decision: they dismantled their charcoal kilns, marking a pivotal shift for their economy and the health of their mangrove forests.
With the income from mangrove restoration work, many in Salone Chaung could now invest in farmland, homes, fishing boats, and crab-catching businesses. Profits from blue carbon credit investments enabled our foundation to support the village further, providing clean drinking water, distributing water dispensers, and supplying fuel-saving stoves. Several villagers took on roles as forest guards and boat drivers, working to protect the forests they once had to cut down for survival.
When offered a sustainable alternative, the people of Salone Chaung embraced new livelihoods and secured a brighter future for themselves and the endangered local ecosystems. Since then, the increased biodiversity has led to recovering fish and crab stocks in the area, bringing more wealth and opportunities for sustainable growth.
We at WIF know nature-based solutions can transform lives, fostering environmental health and community well-being. Thriving ecosystems are essential for sustaining healthy communities.
