From their 214-metre long house in West Kalimantan, the Dayak Iban have protected an estimated 1.31 million tons of carbon in their 9,504-hectare customary forest. For decades they have fought against corporate interests, following the dictate that nature is more important than monetary wealth.

Ejecutor de Contrato de Administración Tuntanain brings together 23 indigenous groups and the Peruvian government to co-manage 94,967 hectares of forest in an impressive partnership that has increased local income 160 percent, protected the headwaters of three rivers essential for regional water security, reduced food insecurity, and fostered climate resilience.

Guardians of the largest Communal Reserve in Peru, Ejecutor de Contrato de Administración de la Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri demonstrates the power of indigenous-government co-management for climate change mitigation by successfully protecting 402,335 hectares of forest while providing alternative livelihoods to local communities.

Harnessing innovative satellite and mobile phone technology for community-led monitoring, these two indigenous Shipibo Peruvian communities have secured rights to 15,000 hectares of ancestral lands and completely eliminated illegal deforestation.

Located in one of Brazil’s most deforested states, this association of Kisêdjê indigenous people has transformed the status quo by reclaiming their traditional lands and developing an innovative entrepreneurial model that uses the native pequi tree to restore landscapes, foster food security, and develop products for local and national markets.

In the Kilum-Ijim Forest of Cameroon, the Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW) organization has planted over 75,000 bee-friendly African cherry trees, trained 1,700 farmers in beekeeping and agroforestry, and empowered over 1,500 women to lead their own businesses, providing locally-grounded solutions for economic development, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation.

By creating a successful value-added market model for Chilghoza pine nuts, this group has conserved 26,000 hectares of vulnerable forest in the Sulaiman Range of Pakistan and sustained the well-being of approximately 12,000 people from 100 villages.

In the Bijagós Archipelago off the western coast of Guinea-Bissau, this management council uses traditional knowledge to protect 54,500 hectares of critical marine and mangrove ecosystems in order to mitigate climate change, reduce coastal erosion, and ensure sustainable livelihoods for the Bijagós indigenous community.

Live from the Town Hall Theater in Manhattan, New York City on 24 September 2019. Ernestine Leikeki, Social and Environmental Officer, Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW) gives the community statement on behalf of all Equator Prize 2019 winners in the Climate Change Mitigation prize category.

Putting youth at the centre of efforts to mitigate climate change and promote community resilience, CREDI-ONG has created an agroecological farm and 67,000-hectare Community Natural Park to enable 150,000 people to live in harmony with nature in South Benin.

In the mountains of Ecuador, this public-private-community partnership uses innovative financial mechanisms to conserve the paramo ecosystem, ensure water security, store carbon, and enhance the quality of life for indigenous communities.

In the Roraima state of Brazil, this indigenous alliance has secured rights to 1.7 million hectares of traditional land for 55,000 indigenous peoples while promoting ecological and social resilience through the conservation of traditional crop varieties.

In the Zaheerabad region of India, Deccan Development Society promotes women-led regenerative agriculture and community-seed banks to empower Dalit and tribal women, promote sustainable land use, and achieve food security.

Hui Mālama o Moʻomomi, a native Hawaiian grassroots initiative on the island of Molokai, uses traditional ecological management practices such as the art of kilo and pono fishing to sustainably manage their nearshore fisheries in the face of climate change for generations to come.

This native Hawaiian grassroots initiative has woven together traditional, place-based knowledge and policy advocacy to sustainably manage their near-shore fisheries, resulting in the official designation of the first community co-managed fishery in the state of Hawai’i.

As climate change impacts the communities and ecosystems of the Pacific, this organization fosters ridge-to-reef climate resilience through watershed-wide restoration, family farming, a community nursery, and systematic marine conservation planning.

Live from the Town Hall Theater in Manhattan, New York City on 24 September 2019. Rosa Elena Jerez Mazaquiza, Indigenous Leader of the Kichwa and the Campesino Peoples of Tungurahua gives the community statement on behalf of all the prize winners in the Climate Change Adaptation category.

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.