Forming an unprecedented alliance with the government of California to auction carbon credits from their sustainably managed forests through the state’s cap-and-trade program, the Yurok Tribe has secured new finance to purchase over 22,200 hectares of their ancestral lands.

In the Yaeda Valley of Tanzania, the 10,000-year-old hunter-gatherer Hadzabe tribe has safeguarded over 20,000 hectares of territory through a historic land tenure campaign coupled with an innovative carbon offset scheme, effective community monitoring, and inclusive governance.

An innovative partnership involving the Kutkabubba aboriginal community in Western Australia, Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils Pty Ltd promotes cultural identity and supports local livelihoods through the sustainable harvest of sandalwood oil for the global luxury perfume market, including Estée Lauder.

A model for sustainable commodity supply chains worldwide, this indigenous social business enterprise has enabled 300 Asháninka families to break into the international market and directly export 90 tons of sustainably produced, organic cacao annually, while conserving their forests and creating a peaceful economic alternative in a previously war-torn land.

The first indigenous-owned accredited forest carbon project in the Pacific Islands, Ser-Thiac has reduced approximately 15,000 tons of CO2 emissions to date and offers a powerful new model for carbon credits based on indigenous land rights, stewardship, and climate resilience.

Environmental Management and Development Trust supports a dynamic network of women promoting cacao agroforestry and the production of the so-called “miracle fruit” as an alternative to single-use plastics for local markets in southwestern Nigeria.

In rural Kenya, this initiative is pioneering the production of portable solar cold rooms that reduce post-harvest losses of food grown primarily by women smallholder farmers by 90 percent, increase household incomes, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through food loss.

Live from the Town Hall Theater in Manhattan, New York City on 24 September 2019. Felixto Cabanillas Contreras, President, Producers' Association Kemito ‒ Ene, gives the community statement on behalf of all the prize winners in the New Economy category.