WWF NL & NCEA: Partnering for participatory landscape governance

‘Supporting voices for just climate action.’ Between 2022 and 2025, WWF-NL and the NCEA worked together towards this aim in Suriname, Zambia, Paraguay, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Congo, and Namibia.

As a neutral facilitator and advisor, the NCEA supported WWF Netherlands and its local partners under this programme to build dialogues between government, civil society and private sector in the context of decision making on sustainability challenges. This was mainly done through capacity building of relevant ministries to review ESIAs and carry out SEAs, and to engage and support civil society to participate in these processes. The strategic partnership between the two organizations started already in 2016, when WWF-NL asked for NCEA’s support under the Shared Resources Joint Solutions (SRJS) programme 2016-2020. A report of activities under both programmes can be found here This link opens in a new tab and here This link opens in a new tab.

Continued collaboration
WWF-NL and the various countries expressed their interest to continue NCEA’s support. This will take place under a new three-year cooperation agreement till 2028. The MoU for the renewed partnership was signed today at the NCEA office. The continued cooperation will build on the work over the past years and focus on ESIA and SEA in WWF Netherlands’ priority landscapes: KAZA (kavango-zambezi-transfrontier-conservation-area), including Namibia and Zambia, Central Africa/TRIDOM (Gabon, Cameroon, RDC), Borneo/Sumatra/Papua landscape, Coral Triangle seascape, Dutch Caribbean seascape, Pantanal, Cerrado and Amazon landscapes, and Greater Mekong landscape.

The aim: utilising ESIA and SEA in these countries towards better informed plans, increased transparency about large projects, improved protection for vulnerable nature and meaningful involvement of local communities in decision-making that affects them.