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On South Choiseul in the Solomon Islands, tribes from the Babatana language group are choosing to protect their rainforests and support their community.
This is a region where logging and land-clearing is a constant threat for forests, biodiversity and communities. We’re supporting local tribes to move away from these destructive practices and towards ecosystem conservation. The Sirebe Tribe were the first tribe to participate in the Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project. In 2019, they became the first tribe in the Solomon Islands to establish an official Protected Area under the Solomon Islands Protected Areas Act. Since then, they have protected 806 hectares of rainforest, built a team of six dedicated Indigenous Rangers, formed a strong women-led savings group and led on decisions about how their forests are managed. Following the leadership from Sirebe, other Indigenous communities have joined the Babatana Project. Sipore, Vuri, Padezaka, Garesa and Lukulombere are all in the process of developing their forest conservation and carbon projects. Siporae, Padezaka and Vuri lands are now official Protected Areas and one step closer to a verified forest carbon project. |
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Since becoming verified, Sirebe Tribe has used the income from credit sales to provide financial stability and resilience during Covid 19 and for their urgent livelihood needs, school fees and much-needed sanitation facilities. |