fern team

Being hope

The reality of climate breakdown dawned for many in 2018. 

The Northern Hemisphere baked. The polar capsmelted. Forest fires raged. Meanwhile the global media broke its self-imposed climate omerta, as the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in their latest report that we have just 12 years left to avert disaster.

This same report highlighted that unless we harness forests’ awesome natural power, runaway climate change is inevitable.

Throughout 2018, Fern presented a positive vision for how to do so: one in which forests sequester carbon on a vast scale without threatening food security, causing ecological catastrophe, or trampling the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

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"Every year the world loses roughly 10 million hectares of forests. The EU is the biggest importer per capita of products which have caused deforestation so it bears a huge responsibility." Nicole Polsterer

NUMBER CRUNCHING: 2018 IN FIGURES

 

20

Blogs published by our campaigners and partners

30

Reports and briefing notes published by Fern

216

Times Fern appeared in the media (including BBC News, Le Monde, the New York Times, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, El Pais, Reuters, Politico and Climate Home)

20000

Impressions for our tweet commenting on the European Commission’s announcement of an action plan on deforestation

36000

Times our partner Sônia Guajajara’s interview with The Guardian (facilitated by Fern) was shared

211000

Number of people signing the Fern- initiated Petition calling for an EU Action Plan to halt deforestation

View Fern sources of income in 2018

FERN'S CAMPAIGNS IN 2018

FORESTS & CONSUMPTION

Petition in Brussels against deforestation

The EU Action Plan roller-coaster: "Personally I'm optimistic because it's clear that the public and some forward-looking companies are in favour of EU regulatory action to tackle deforestation linked to our consumption, and care passionately for forests"

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Cocoa tree

Campaigning for cocoa sector regulation: "For us, cocoa is a place to start the conversation on the need to regulate agricultural commodities in general, and to explore what that regulation could look like."

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Vansy Senyavong

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FERN PARTNER - VANSY SENYAVONG:

“We try to help build the capacity of poor rural people, particularly women, so that they can take control of their destinies in sustainable ways and improve their quality of their lives”

Vansy Senyavong is the director of Maeying Houamjai Phathana (MHP) (Women Participating in Development), which she founded in 2010. MHP works with indigenous communities in Bokeo, Laos’ northern province, specifically focusing on building poor rural women’s capacity.

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FORESTS & CLIMATE

Deforestation in finland

Forests must be at the heart of climate strategies: "I think that Fern played a fundamental role in getting the Commission to widen its perspective on how to tackle climate change"

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Forest with chopped down trees

It’s time for a modern vision for forests: "We need to present a new vision for forests that embraces the climate ambition that we have under the Paris Agreement, as well as forests’ other benefits, including providing jobs, enhancing our health and biodiversity protection"

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"I think that Fern played a fundamental role in getting the Commission to widen its perspective on how to tackle climate change." Kelsey Perlman

FORESTS & DEVELOPMENT AID

Fern team in the EU

Bringing marginalised communities’ voices to the EU: "Our local partners gave EU decision-makers first-hand information on the challenges on the ground, and the impact of EU policies on people and forests"
 

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Women travelling through the forest in Africa

Why benefits of community forestry outweigh those of industrial logging: "With the proper support and secure land rights, community forestry is better at providing income and food security than industrial logging. It’s also better at protecting forests for future generations"

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"We try to build bridges between what our partners do and what we do, so that we have a common and complementary strategy that achieves the same goal: protecting forests and people." Indra Van Gisbergen

FORESTS & TRADE

Cartoon showing deforestation

Improving EU trade policy to achieve social and environmental justice: "Trade is arguably the EU’s raison d’être. So if we change it, we can change a lot of things for the better"

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Richard Wainwright

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FERN COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER - RICHARD WAINWRIGHT:

“Fern is about opening the space for others to have their voices heard.”

Richard lived on a boat and worked at Oxfam, before joining Fern in 2007. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Birmingham, where he retains one of the world’s leading beer bottle top collections.

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