## local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow

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**Canonical URL:** [local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow](https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/december/fr/local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow.pdf)

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---

### Rajendra Singh — "Waterman of India" and johads (Rajasthan)
- Background and motivation:
  - R. Singh left a government job in 1983 to apply his Ayurvedic training and serve villagers; initial aim to treat héméralopie (vitamin A deficiency) shifted when villagers flagged a water crisis.
  - India: 17 percent of the world population, but only 4 percent of global freshwater resources.
- Intervention:
  - First johad built in 1985 with friends and village volunteers; construction took more than eight months.
  - First johad specifications: depth of 4.50 mètres on an area of about 4,000 m2.
  - Funding sources: sale of personal belongings; donations of cereal shipments from Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action used to pay workers.
- Scale and impact:
  - Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) has built more than 11,800 johads, providing sufficient water to 1,200 villages.
  - TBS staffing: originally a handful of students and professors; now employs 62 people full time, 3,000 people part time, and more than 10,000 volunteer workers.
  - Organizational leadership: now led by his son, Maulik.
- Outcomes and rationale:
  - Johads recharge groundwater aquifers, reverse declines in water tables, and enable regeneration of trees in drought-affected regions.
  - Community mobilization: persuaded villagers to overcome caste divisions and treat water as a collective, community-owned resource.
  - R. Singh’s view: local recovery projects are more effective for water conservation and aquifer recharge than large infrastructure projects to pipe water long distances. Quote: “D’où viendra l’eau coulant dans ces tuyaux?” and “La population devrait s’approprier ses ressources en eau, sans quoi les efforts de conservation ne dureront pas.”
- Current focus:
  - Climate adaptation through water management in thirty villages in a Rajasthan district where the majority belong to the most marginalized and poorest communities.

### Anaa (Tuamotu, French Polynesia) — fishery recovery, rāhui, and ecotourism
- Local challenges:
  - Rising pest populations (chenilles) threaten the coprah/noix de coco industry; warming contributes to pest growth and weakens plant resistance.
  - Fish stocks decimated by indiscriminate fishing practices; population of the atoll fell from 2,000 to 500 after an 1980s cyclone.
  - Limited education and employment opportunities exacerbate pressures on natural resources.
- Community response and strategy:
  - Pa’umotu of Anaa rejected large-scale commercial development (rejected proposal to build an island hotel) and opted for sustainable coexistence with nature.
  - Creation of an aire marine éducative protégée and transition of fishers to ecotourism and catch-and-release fly-fishing.
  - Central local actor: Raphael Ravieno, guide who transformed the shallow lagoon into a global fly-fishing destination for species including baliste, carangue and the local kiōkio (banane de mer).
- Scientific input and conservation measures:
  - Alex Filous (ichthyobiologist) estimated viable juvenile (alevin) production from spawning stock was too low to sustain populations because many reproductive females were being caught.
  - Reinstatement of the traditional rāhui (prohibition on fishing during reproductive season) as the key conservation measure.
  - Children from the local school were engaged to persuade adults to adopt rāhui; schoolteacher is the wife of R. Ravieno.
- Economic and institutional supports:
  - The Island Initiative provides compensation to fishers for income lost during rāhui periods.
  - Island Initiative established guaranteed income for local artisans and fly-makers through fixed contracts with foreign tourism operators.
  - Local justification: approach aligns with Pa’umotu traditional values for sustainable sharing of scarce resources and makes ecotourism a valuable revenue source (Moana Kauti).
- Constraints and uncertainties:
  - Climate variability has altered timing of biological seasonal events, making prediction of spawning less reliable and diminishing rāhui effectiveness.
  - Despite challenges, local actors believe ecotourism (fly-fishing tourists) can form a significant part of the economic solution. Quote: “J’ai confiance en l’avenir… l’ensemble de cet atoll est un paradis géant pour la banane de mer.”

### Marlene and Patrick Anderson — forest regeneration and carbon credits (New Zealand)
- Property and goals:
  - Own 884 hectares near Shannon, about one and a half hours north-east of Wellington; objective is returning land to natural forest and stream protection.
- Land-use history and transition:
  - In 1987 the land had been cleared for sheep farming; the Andersons planted trees persistently and removed stock when the site was found unsuitable for livestock.
  - From 2001 they leased paddocks as pasture to generate income; earlier attempts at sheep farming were difficult for 14 years.
- Policy environment and incentives:
  - In 2007 Prime Minister Helen Clark established an emissions trading system to fight climate change.
  - In 2008 the program extended to forestry, allowing landowners to earn income from carbon absorption by trees planted since 1989.
  - Implication: planting native forest can be more profitable than raising sheep; carbon credits are used to support regeneration of natural forest rather than monocultural pine plantations.
- Ecological actions and biodiversity outcomes:
  - Andersons planted a diversity of indigenous trees: kamahi, hêtre pourpre, and tawa, rather than solely fast-growing pin radiata.
  - Stream conservation: engaged a freshwater ecologist in 1996; discovered native fish populations and removed livestock to protect aquatic habitat.
  - Stream species supported: kokopu à mâchoires courtes et à bandes, koaro, torrentfish, and red fin bully.
- Social and family outcomes:
  - Children raised with strong environmental values; son Luke preparing a documentary on waterways from spiritual and ecological perspectives; David works for a stamp manufacturer; Monique runs a microenterprise producing jams, chutneys, and pickles with support.

### Clelia Maria Rossi — protecting the Atlantic Forest (Brazil)
- Context and scale of loss:
  - Five centuries ago the Atlantic Forest covered 1.3 million kilomètres carrés of what is now Brazil; today only 12 percent remains.
- Personal transition and local action:
  - C. M. Rossi left a high-rise life in São Paulo (city of 12 million inhabitants) five years ago, gave up a high-school biology teaching job, and moved to Juquitiba, 80 kilomètres south.
  - Purchased six hectares of native forest that were part of a larger parcel threatened by real-estate development (country houses with pools and tennis courts).
- Conservation practices:
  - Property hosts wildlife including howler monkeys, tamarins, tree frogs, tapirs and capybaras; Rossi used old fire hoses to fence the property to avoid injuring migratory animals (instead of barbed wire).
  - Early detection of tapir tracks marked a meaningful conservation milestone for her.
- Community engagement and education:
  - Works to educate local residents and children on the value of native woods, clean water sources, and remaining Atlantic Forest fragments.
  - Active in small rural communities and public schools in Juquitiba and São Lourenço da Serra; involved in a citizens’ group that stopped river diversion projects on the rio Juquiá.
  - School programs: gives lessons and seminars; designs leisure activities and contests teaching waste sorting and treatment, riverbank cleanups, planting native seedlings, and soil preparation for cultivation without burning.
- Conservation message:
  - Emphasis on respect for residual forest reserves, rivers, and clean water sources as a pathway to preserving the Atlantic Forest and its biodiversity.

### Parcours personnel et enseignement
- « Maintenant, j’enseigne à des couples qui étaient mes étudiants  et  dont  les  enfants  viennent  suivre  mes  programmes.  Enseigner  la  préservation  de  l’environnement  est la plus grande réussite de ma vie. »
- Formation universitaire en biologie; initialement souhaité devenir chercheuse, n’a pu trouver du travail que comme enseignante.
- Constat: « les gens qui apprennent à aimer la nature quand ils sont enfants deviendront des adultes respectueux de l’environnement. »

### Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) — mission et implantation
- RNI lancée en 2016.
- Jusqu’au lancement, aucune station ne s’adressait aux populations vivant en bordure du lac Tchad; auditeurs se tournaient vers la BBC et Radio France Internationale sur ondes courtes.
- RNI a commencé à émettre à Maiduguri (Nigéria) et à N’Djamena (Tchad).
- L’effectif: « elle compte une cinquantaine d’employés et de correspondants, principalement nigérians et tchadiens, au Cameroun et au Niger. »
- Partenariats et appuis: Commission du bassin du lac Tchad; appui politique de l’Union africaine; soutien des Pays-Bas, du Royaume‑Uni et d’autres donateurs.
- Émetteurs situés au large de la côte atlantique pour les protéger des attaques; la radio à ondes courtes reste une source d’information essentielle en raison de la faiblesse des infrastructures et de l’instabilité.

### Approche locale, contenu et engagement communautaire
- M. A. Mouta parle le kanembu, l’une des trois langues de la région.
- Il apprend aux nouveaux collègues de Kanembu à mettre en commun les meilleures pratiques en matière de pêche, d’agriculture et de pastoralisme.
- Contact permanent avec le public: téléphone, réseaux sociaux, travail sur le terrain.
- Exemple d’animation: entretien avec un pêcheur travaillant dans les eaux tchadiennes du lac puis diffusion des enseignements aux auditeurs.
- RNI consacre ses programmes aux partenaires humanitaires qui veulent atteindre efficacement la population locale, « dans une langue qu’ils comprennent. »
- M. A. Mouta fait venir en studio des spécialistes: agriculture, vétérinaires, experts des organismes humanitaires des Nations Unies pour compléter les connaissances acquises sur le terrain.
- Objectif d’incitation à la pensée régionale plutôt que locale; messages diffusés en kanembu comme « prendre soin de notre environnement, c’est prendre soin de notre avenir et de celui de nos enfants ».

### Contexte régional, défis et rôle de la radio
- Contexte: lac Tchad parmi les endroits les plus dangereux, les plus ravagés par les conflits et les plus sinistrés sur le plan environnemental.
- Boko Haram opère dans une zone à cheval sur le Cameroun, le Niger, le Nigéria et le Tchad; une force multinationale mixte est souvent la seule présence de l’État autour du lac.
- Problèmes structurels: analphabétisme, croissance démographique et chômage parmi les plus élevés du monde; désert du Sahara qui grignote du terrain; hausse des températures et diminution des précipitations réduisent la superficie du lac.
- Conséquence: environnement favorable à la violence et à l’instabilité, compliquant la résolution des problèmes liés au climat, au développement, à la santé et à l’éducation.
- Rôle de la radio: outil pour stimuler le dialogue entre les principales victimes de l’instabilité et de l’aggravation de la crise climatique; composante de la stratégie visant à faire de la région du lac Tchad « une région stable, prospère et pérenne », en montrant que cela est possible à travers des initiatives locales et la participation communautaire.

### Portrait et symbolique
- Âgé de 29 ans, M. A. Mouta incarne l’exemple vivant d’un acteur local qui utilise la radio pour mobiliser et informer.
- Message central: mobilisation des connaissances locales et approche régionale pour élaborer des solutions au niveau local.

*Source: local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow - Section 1 and Section 2 (PDF).*

### Section 1

### local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow - Section 1

### Rajendra Singh — "Waterman of India" and johads (Rajasthan)
- Background and motivation:
  - R. Singh left a government job in 1983 to apply his Ayurvedic training and serve villagers; initial aim to treat héméralopie (vitamin A deficiency) shifted when villagers flagged a water crisis.
  - India: 17 percent of the world population, but only 4 percent of global freshwater resources.
- Intervention:
  - First johad built in 1985 with friends and village volunteers; construction took more than eight months.
  - First johad specifications: depth of 4.50 mètres on an area of about 4,000 m2.
  - Funding sources: sale of personal belongings; donations of cereal shipments from Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action used to pay workers.
- Scale and impact:
  - Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) has built more than 11,800 johads, providing sufficient water to 1,200 villages.
  - TBS staffing: originally a handful of students and professors; now employs 62 people full time, 3,000 people part time, and more than 10,000 volunteer workers.
  - Organizational leadership: now led by his son, Maulik.
- Outcomes and rationale:
  - Johads recharge groundwater aquifers, reverse declines in water tables, and enable regeneration of trees in drought-affected regions.
  - Community mobilization: persuaded villagers to overcome caste divisions and treat water as a collective, community-owned resource.
  - R. Singh’s view: local recovery projects are more effective for water conservation and aquifer recharge than large infrastructure projects to pipe water long distances. Quote: “D’où viendra l’eau coulant dans ces tuyaux?” and “La population devrait s’approprier ses ressources en eau, sans quoi les efforts de conservation ne dureront pas.”
- Current focus:
  - Climate adaptation through water management in thirty villages in a Rajasthan district where the majority belong to the most marginalized and poorest communities.

### Anaa (Tuamotu, French Polynesia) — fishery recovery, rāhui, and ecotourism
- Local challenges:
  - Rising pest populations (chenilles) threaten the coprah/noix de coco industry; warming contributes to pest growth and weakens plant resistance.
  - Fish stocks decimated by indiscriminate fishing practices; population of the atoll fell from 2,000 to 500 after an 1980s cyclone.
  - Limited education and employment opportunities exacerbate pressures on natural resources.
- Community response and strategy:
  - Pa’umotu of Anaa rejected large-scale commercial development (rejected proposal to build an island hotel) and opted for sustainable coexistence with nature.
  - Creation of an aire marine éducative protégée and transition of fishers to ecotourism and catch-and-release fly-fishing.
  - Central local actor: Raphael Ravieno, guide who transformed the shallow lagoon into a global fly-fishing destination for species including baliste, carangue and the local kiōkio (banane de mer).
- Scientific input and conservation measures:
  - Alex Filous (ichthyobiologist) estimated viable juvenile (alevin) production from spawning stock was too low to sustain populations because many reproductive females were being caught.
  - Reinstatement of the traditional rāhui (prohibition on fishing during reproductive season) as the key conservation measure.
  - Children from the local school were engaged to persuade adults to adopt rāhui; schoolteacher is the wife of R. Ravieno.
- Economic and institutional supports:
  - The Island Initiative provides compensation to fishers for income lost during rāhui periods.
  - Island Initiative established guaranteed income for local artisans and fly-makers through fixed contracts with foreign tourism operators.
  - Local justification: approach aligns with Pa’umotu traditional values for sustainable sharing of scarce resources and makes ecotourism a valuable revenue source (Moana Kauti).
- Constraints and uncertainties:
  - Climate variability has altered timing of biological seasonal events, making prediction of spawning less reliable and diminishing rāhui effectiveness.
  - Despite challenges, local actors believe ecotourism (fly-fishing tourists) can form a significant part of the economic solution. Quote: “J’ai confiance en l’avenir… l’ensemble de cet atoll est un paradis géant pour la banane de mer.”

### Marlene and Patrick Anderson — forest regeneration and carbon credits (New Zealand)
- Property and goals:
  - Own 884 hectares near Shannon, about one and a half hours north-east of Wellington; objective is returning land to natural forest and stream protection.
- Land-use history and transition:
  - In 1987 the land had been cleared for sheep farming; the Andersons planted trees persistently and removed stock when the site was found unsuitable for livestock.
  - From 2001 they leased paddocks as pasture to generate income; earlier attempts at sheep farming were difficult for 14 years.
- Policy environment and incentives:
  - In 2007 Prime Minister Helen Clark established an emissions trading system to fight climate change.
  - In 2008 the program extended to forestry, allowing landowners to earn income from carbon absorption by trees planted since 1989.
  - Implication: planting native forest can be more profitable than raising sheep; carbon credits are used to support regeneration of natural forest rather than monocultural pine plantations.
- Ecological actions and biodiversity outcomes:
  - Andersons planted a diversity of indigenous trees: kamahi, hêtre pourpre, and tawa, rather than solely fast-growing pin radiata.
  - Stream conservation: engaged a freshwater ecologist in 1996; discovered native fish populations and removed livestock to protect aquatic habitat.
  - Stream species supported: kokopu à mâchoires courtes et à bandes, koaro, torrentfish, and red fin bully.
- Social and family outcomes:
  - Children raised with strong environmental values; son Luke preparing a documentary on waterways from spiritual and ecological perspectives; David works for a stamp manufacturer; Monique runs a microenterprise producing jams, chutneys, and pickles with support.

### Clelia Maria Rossi — protecting the Atlantic Forest (Brazil)
- Context and scale of loss:
  - Five centuries ago the Atlantic Forest covered 1.3 million kilomètres carrés of what is now Brazil; today only 12 percent remains.
- Personal transition and local action:
  - C. M. Rossi left a high-rise life in São Paulo (city of 12 million inhabitants) five years ago, gave up a high-school biology teaching job, and moved to Juquitiba, 80 kilomètres south.
  - Purchased six hectares of native forest that were part of a larger parcel threatened by real-estate development (country houses with pools and tennis courts).
- Conservation practices:
  - Property hosts wildlife including howler monkeys, tamarins, tree frogs, tapirs and capybaras; Rossi used old fire hoses to fence the property to avoid injuring migratory animals (instead of barbed wire).
  - Early detection of tapir tracks marked a meaningful conservation milestone for her.
- Community engagement and education:
  - Works to educate local residents and children on the value of native woods, clean water sources, and remaining Atlantic Forest fragments.
  - Active in small rural communities and public schools in Juquitiba and São Lourenço da Serra; involved in a citizens’ group that stopped river diversion projects on the rio Juquiá.
  - School programs: gives lessons and seminars; designs leisure activities and contests teaching waste sorting and treatment, riverbank cleanups, planting native seedlings, and soil preparation for cultivation without burning.
- Conservation message:
  - Emphasis on respect for residual forest reserves, rivers, and clean water sources as a pathway to preserving the Atlantic Forest and its biodiversity.

*Source: local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow - Section 1 (PDF).*

### Section 2

### local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow - Section 2

### Parcours personnel et enseignement
- « Maintenant, j’enseigne à des couples qui étaient mes étudiants  et  dont  les  enfants  viennent  suivre  mes  programmes.  Enseigner  la  préservation  de  l’environnement  est la plus grande réussite de ma vie. »
- Formation universitaire en biologie; initialement souhaité devenir chercheuse, n’a pu trouver du travail que comme enseignante.
- Constat: « les gens qui apprennent à aimer la nature quand ils sont enfants deviendront des adultes respectueux de l’environnement. »

### Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) — mission et implantation
- RNI lancée en 2016.
- Jusqu’au lancement, aucune station ne s’adressait aux populations vivant en bordure du lac Tchad; auditeurs se tournaient vers la BBC et Radio France Internationale sur ondes courtes.
- RNI a commencé à émettre à Maiduguri (Nigéria) et à N’Djamena (Tchad).
- L’effectif: « elle compte une cinquantaine d’employés et de correspondants, principalement nigérians et tchadiens, au Cameroun et au Niger. »
- Partenariats et appuis: Commission du bassin du lac Tchad; appui politique de l’Union africaine; soutien des Pays-Bas, du Royaume‑Uni et d’autres donateurs.
- Émetteurs situés au large de la côte atlantique pour les protéger des attaques; la radio à ondes courtes reste une source d’information essentielle en raison de la faiblesse des infrastructures et de l’instabilité.

### Approche locale, contenu et engagement communautaire
- M. A. Mouta parle le kanembu, l’une des trois langues de la région.
- Il apprend aux nouveaux collègues de Kanembu à mettre en commun les meilleures pratiques en matière de pêche, d’agriculture et de pastoralisme.
- Contact permanent avec le public: téléphone, réseaux sociaux, travail sur le terrain.
- Exemple d’animation: entretien avec un pêcheur travaillant dans les eaux tchadiennes du lac puis diffusion des enseignements aux auditeurs.
- RNI consacre ses programmes aux partenaires humanitaires qui veulent atteindre efficacement la population locale, « dans une langue qu’ils comprennent. »
- M. A. Mouta fait venir en studio des spécialistes: agriculture, vétérinaires, experts des organismes humanitaires des Nations Unies pour compléter les connaissances acquises sur le terrain.
- Objectif d’incitation à la pensée régionale plutôt que locale; messages diffusés en kanembu comme « prendre soin de notre environnement, c’est prendre soin de notre avenir et de celui de nos enfants ».

### Contexte régional, défis et rôle de la radio
- Contexte: lac Tchad parmi les endroits les plus dangereux, les plus ravagés par les conflits et les plus sinistrés sur le plan environnemental.
- Boko Haram opère dans une zone à cheval sur le Cameroun, le Niger, le Nigéria et le Tchad; une force multinationale mixte est souvent la seule présence de l’État autour du lac.
- Problèmes structurels: analphabétisme, croissance démographique et chômage parmi les plus élevés du monde; désert du Sahara qui grignote du terrain; hausse des températures et diminution des précipitations réduisent la superficie du lac.
- Conséquence: environnement favorable à la violence et à l’instabilité, compliquant la résolution des problèmes liés au climat, au développement, à la santé et à l’éducation.
- Rôle de la radio: outil pour stimuler le dialogue entre les principales victimes de l’instabilité et de l’aggravation de la crise climatique; composante de la stratégie visant à faire de la région du lac Tchad « une région stable, prospère et pérenne », en montrant que cela est possible à travers des initiatives locales et la participation communautaire.

### Portrait et symbolique
- Âgé de 29 ans, M. A. Mouta incarne l’exemple vivant d’un acteur local qui utilise la radio pour mobiliser et informer.
- Message central: mobilisation des connaissances locales et approche régionale pour élaborer des solutions au niveau local.

*Rédigé par ASHLIN MATHEW à New Delhi (Inde), DAPHNE EWING-CHOW en Polynésie française, ANNA JAQUIERY à Wellington (Nouvelle-Zélande), DENISE MARÍN à São Paulo (Brésil) et DAVID SMITH à N’Djamena (Tchad).*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/december/fr/local-activists-fighting-climate-change-ewing-chow.pdf_