The Turing Foundation

NATURE

The Turing Foundation strives for healthy balance in our ecosystem. This means protecting our climate and protecting biodiversity in the sea. It requires a sustainable and respectful approach to nature that meets both current needs and those of future generations.

In trying to achieve these aims, the Turing Foundation limits its scope to the following areas:

- The protection of our climate

- The protection and sustainable management of the nurseries of the sea in developing countries, the areas in seas and along coasts that have the highest concentration of life and biodiversity.

Before 2023 we also supported sustainable land use projects.

Most recent projects:

July 2024	Accelerated transition Dutch aviation sector, Netherlands, 2024-2025 Natuur & Milieu is one of the biggest and most influential environmental organisations in the Netherlands. It... more	July 2024	'Together for a healthy and sustainable food system', Netherlands, 2024-2026 Our daily food choices greatly influence the climate, biodiversity, our health, animal welfare and... more
July 2024	Scaling up community-led conservation of marine ecosystems, Madagascar, 2024-2026 Blue Ventures is an organisation that campaigns for the preservation and protection of the sea, and... more	July 2024	Professionalisation of the Jonge Klimaatbeweging, 2024-2025 The Jonge Klimaatbeweging (Young Climate Movement campaigns for a world in which young people have a say in their future... more
July 2024	Long-term, adaptive management systems to promote resilient reefs and communities, Honduras, 2024-2025 Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) works with local coastal communities to protect... more	June 2024	Posters for the planet - a competition for a better world, The Netherlands, 2024-2025 Research shows that nearly 80 percent of Dutch people are concerned about rising temperatures... more

Climate


	Accelerated transition Dutch aviation sector, Netherlands, 2024-2025 Natuur & Milieu is one of the biggest and most influential environmental organisations in the Netherlands. It has various programmes with which it works on issues related to climate change. The aviation sector contributes 15% of the climate impact of the Dutch economy, but the sector's lobbying efforts, economic arguments against regulation and belief in future technological solutions are hindering effective climate policy. Natuur & Milieu has been campaigning for years for the reduction of the climate impact of aviation and works with policy makers, politicians and climate scientists to stimulate effective and ambitious policy. The goal of this project is to bring Dutch international aviation in line with the Paris climate goals (55% reduction in emissions in 2030 and 100% in 2050). By 2025, Natuur & Milieu wants the introduction of a cap on aviation CO2 emissions so that the level of CO2 emissions by aviation is 25% below the level in 2019, that at least 2% of aviation fuels is sustainable, and that people in the Netherlands fly less often and shorter distances than in 2019. To reach these goals the organisation is focusing on three main elements: influencing policy development, stimulating companies to reduce business travel and supporting the aviation sector's transition. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 300,000 towards this project (of which, € 100,000 in 2024) See also: Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Accelerated transition Dutch aviation sector
	'Together for a healthy and sustainable food system', Netherlands, 2024-2026 Our daily food choices greatly influence the climate, biodiversity, our health, animal welfare and global food security. For this reason, ProVeg Netherlands campaigns for more plant-based production and consumption patterns. The number of flexitarians has greatly increased in the last ten years, and people in the Netherlands eat more meat substitutes than anywhere in Europe. This project is focused on accelerating the protein transition in the Netherlands and reducing the consumption of meat and animal proteins. ProVeg wants to help the public permanently change in its diet. ProVeg wants to research the effects of its 'Veggie Challenge' and develop it further as an instrument for behaviour change for the most varied-possible target group. The organisation also wants to increase and professionalise its influence on Dutch politics. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 160,000 towards this project (of which, € 80,000 in 2024) See also: Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Together for a healthy and sustainable food system
	Professionalisation of the Jonge Klimaatbeweging, 2024-2025 The Jonge Klimaatbeweging (Young Climate Movement campaigns for a world in which young people have a say in their future and caring well for the planet is only natural. It is fighting for a future-proof society centred on justice and empathy. The Movement is based on a clear idea: young people deserve a voice to shape their own sustainable future. They are the generation which will have to live with the consequences of climate change. The decisions taken today will determine how tomorrow's world will be. In our society, tomorrow's world is in the hands of today's politicians, policy makers and business leaders. For this reason it is vital for young people's voices to be heard. The Turing Foundation's support will help the organisation professionalise. Volunteers' travel costs will now be reimbursed, the board will receive a higher remuneration and an office will be rented. In addition, the Turing Foundation's support will contribute towards circulating the vision document entitled 'de Jonge Klimaatagenda 3.0' (the Young Climate Agenda 3.0) amongst policy makers and a large group of young people. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 150,000 towards this project (of which, € 40,000 in 2024). See also: Jonge Klimaatbeweging: other projects Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Professionalisering Jonge Klimaatbeweging
	Posters for the planet - a competition for a better world, The Netherlands, 2024-2025 Research shows that nearly 80 percent of Dutch people are concerned about rising temperatures and declining biodiversity, but find it challenging to turn that concern into action. Posters for the Planet - a competition for a better world aims to bridge the gap between good intentions and actual change. The Turing Foundation calls on designers, artists, and other creative Dutch people to submit a unique poster image that exudes great urgency and has a clear call to action. In this competition, each creator is free to choose their own focus: what can be different, which themes are crucial, what makes people able and willing to contribute more? The winning designs will receive a generous cash prize, be exhibited in various Dutch museums and public spaces, and will form the basis for a national climate campaign that the Turing Foundation is developing together with a number of partners. Want to know more, submit a poster, collaborate with us? Go to postersfortheplanet.org. The Turing Foundation has made €400,000 available for this project. See also: Posters for the planet (WWF) Oproep Posters for the Planet (BNO) Posters for The Planet (RT) Turing Toekenning: other projects Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Turing Image Competition for a Climate Campaign, The Netherlands, 2024
	The big shift: financial institutions as drivers of change for the protein transition, 2024-2026 The Fair Money Guide is a website where you can find information about financial institution's social responsibility performance. The aim of the Fair Money Guide is to further promote sustainable financing and investments by banks, insurers and pension funds. This all is done with the help of consumers. During this three-year project, the Fair Money Guide aims to shift from investments that sustain the global livestock industry to investments that promote vegetable protein production. By conducting two case studies (in 2024 and 2026) the Fair Money Guide aims to show how insurers and pension funds perform. Thereby, they want to facilitate a race to the top and by doing this the financial sector can become a driving force in this transition. The Turing Foundation is contributing €165,000 to this project (of which €65,000 in 2024). See also: Other projects in Ghana The big shift: financial institutions as drivers of change for the protein transition
	Making the True Price Standard available worldwide, 2024 The True Price Foundation works on a movement to promote fair prices, which also takes into account the costs of the external effects of producing a product (both social and environmental costs). It is still a small foundation that is under development whilst the true price movement is growing rapidly. To continue to lead and facilitate this growth, the True Price Foundation must professionalize and expand in the short term. The Turing Foundation is contributing €75,000 to this project. See also: Other projects in Netherlands Making the True Price Standard available worldwide, 2024-2025
	Vote for a climate candidate, Young Climate Movement election campaign, 2023 Do you already know who you are going to vote for? That's fine, but then choose to vote for a climate candidate instead of the party leader! The Young Climate Movement has selected per political party the candidate who is most outspoken to tackle climate issues. If a political party receives for example more preferential votes for a climate candidate listed as number 10 than for candidate number 9, this gives a clear signal that its own supporters consider climate an important issue. The Turing Foundation is contributing €75,000 to the online campaign to draw attention to this list of climate candidates. See also: Jonge Klimaatbeweging: other projects Other projects in Netherlands Vote for a climate candidate, Young Climate Movement election campaign, 2023
	Industry agreement on the protein transition, the Netherlands, 2023-2024 Questionmark is an independent thinktank. Their mission is to ensure our food environment supports a healthy, sustainable, fair and animal-friendly food system. The aim of this project is to reduce the consumption of animal protein by making industry agreements with Dutch supermarkets. The range of products offered by supermarkets could support people to eat less animal products and thereby support the protein transition in the Netherlands. First of all, this project provides insights into how supermarkets are currently contributing to the protein transition. Subsequently, the project supports supermarkets to reduce the sale of animal-based proteins by trying to make joint industry agreements on this topic. The Turing Foundation is contributing €50.000 towards this project. See also: Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Industry agreement on the protein transition
	Restoration ARTIS-Aquarium, Amsterdam, 2023 Artis has committed itself to operating on a climate-neutral and fossil-free basis by 2030. Its almost 140-year-old Aquarium Building is in a poor state, caused by salt-water damage amongst other things. The Aquarium is being restored to preserve it for future generations. The plan involves completely restoring the building and making it sustainable. Problems such as salt-water corrosion and accessibility will also be solved. Restoring the Aquarium will not only make it sustainable but aims to inspire the public. The modernised Aquarium will tell an important story about the importance of healthy oceans. Biodiversity in the oceans is an absolute precondition for healthy oceans - Turing supports projects around the world related to this theme. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 50,000 towards this project. See also: Other projects in Netherlands Restoration ARTIS-Aquarium
	Protection and Restoration of the Mesoamerican Reef, Honduras, 2022 Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) has been working with local coastal communities since 1994 to protect 'their' reefs, creating a network of healthy and diverse reefscapes that will be able to adapt to climate change. The Mesoamerican region (MAR) has the second-largest barrier reef in the world, along the coast of Belize, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. This project is focused on the Tela Bay coastal area and its thirteen communities. CORAL is helping them strengthen their local management structures, improve monitoring and enforcement of rules, and find alternative sources of income that will reduce dependence on fish. These interventions will combat overfishing, especially of juvenile fish, allowing more fish to live in the reef and keep the coral free of algae. The Turing Foundation is contributing €66,000 towards this project (of which, €16,000 in 2022). See also: Coral Reef Alliance: other projects Other climate projects Protecting and restoring the Mesoamerican Reef, Honduras
	Public campaign 'Maak Toekomst', the Netherlands, 2020-2022 The Turing Foundation wants to reach more people and convince them in a positive way to make more conscious and thus better choices which benefit nature and biodiversity. Together with Greenpeace, we have investigated how this can be achieved. The communication agency Dawn has developed a plan for a campaign. We believe we can use this campaign to stimulate a large group of people in a catchy and positive way to make their voices heard and increase the pressure to 'make a future'. We feel that this is the moment to move from consumerism towards a movement ensuring that choices are made at system level for a better future. This will have a lasting impact, ultimately benefiting the earth and, in turn, people. The Turing Foundation is contributing €1,200,000 towards this campaign and is also doubling third-party contributions towards this campaign up to a sum of €500,000. See also: Greenpeace: other projects Other projects in Netherlands Other climate projects Publiekscampagne 'Maak Toekomst', Nederland, 2020-2021

Biodiversity in the sea


	Scaling up community-led conservation of marine ecosystems, Madagascar, 2024-2026 Blue Ventures is an organisation that campaigns for the preservation and protection of the sea, and puts people first. It supports coastal communities in remote and rural communities to rebuild fisheries, restore ocean life and develop sustainable ways of generating income for the local community. This project focuses on protecting 557 km2 of marine area in the Bay of Tsimipaika, in the north-west of Madagascar, based on community-led marine conservation. This is being reached by supporting the Miaramientagna Federation's coordination of bay management. Fishing restrictions are being implemented, and sea grass reserves and no-take zones are being established to improve biodiversity and increase fishing yields. In addition, 21 members of the community are being trained to monitor the marine ecosystems and use their data to show the local community the advantages of complying with the sustainability measures. Various aspects of local communities' decision-making are being improved and local support is being fostered for new and larger marine reserves. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 193,000 towards this project (of which, € 50,000 in 2024) See also: Blue Ventures: other projects Other projects in Madagascar Other climate projects Scaling up community-led conservation of marine ecosystems, Madagascar
	Long-term, adaptive management systems to promote resilient reefs and communities, Honduras, 2024-2025 Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) works with local coastal communities to protect 'their' reefs, to create a network of healthy and diverse reef formations that can adapt to climate change. CORAL is working on the preservation of the second-largest barrier reef in the world, the Mesoamerican Reef. This project is focused on the Caribbean coast of Honduras, and requires strengthening corals and promoting the herbivorous fish population. Without herbivores, macroalgae can grow unchecked, which can smother coral reefs and disturb the delicate ecosystem balance. Thanks to an earlier project supported by the Turing Foundation, the fish biomass in Tela Bay has almost quadrupled and the positive effect of Marine Protected Area (MPA) patrols on herbivorous fish populations has been demonstrated. Using this knowledge, CORAL now wants to scale up to sustainable fisheries along the north coast of Honduras. Activities include standardising measurement methods of fishing activities and socio-economic data, conducting a socio-economic evaluation of the new area, expansion of aquaponics (sustainable food production at sea), strengthening fishermen's unions and improving the exchange of knowledge. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 95,000 towards this project (of which, € 30,000 in 2024) See also: Coral Reef Alliance: other projects Other climate projects Protecting and restoring the Mesoamerican Reef, Honduras
	The Blue North: regeneration of the northern coastline of Mallorca, 2024-2025 Commonland focuses on the holistic restoration of land and sea ecosystems worldwide. Active in 23 countries, Commonland has the ambitious goal of sustainably restoring 100 million hectares of land globally, primarily by promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration with local communities. Due to the poor ecological state of the Mediterranean Sea, Commonland is supporting the Mallorca Land and Sea Alliance in Mallorca, a collaboration of various NGOs focused on the regeneration of seagrass meadows, the development of Marine Protected Areas and increasing local awareness and involvement in nature restoration. This project marks the initial step towards a collective approach with NGOs on the island recognising the significant interdependence of their work. This underscores the importance of cooperation to mitigate the impact of tourism and protect the vulnerable marine ecosystems around the island. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 50,000 towards the first year of this project. See also: Other projects in Spain The Blue North: regeneration of the northern coastline of Mallorca, 2024-2027
	Protection of the Wadden Sea, Advocaat van de Aarde, 2024-2026 Advocaat van de Aarde (Lawyer of the Earth) aims to support citizen initiatives that seek to compel better nature conservation through legal means. This project concerns the Wadden Sea, the only Dutch nature reserve with UNESCO World Heritage status. The Wadden Sea is severely threatened by pollution and plans for gas drilling. Various sources, including industrial discharges, agricultural activities and shipping, contribute to pollution because of inadequate enforcement of existing laws and regulations aimed at protecting the area or because existing laws and regulations are insufficient. For this reason, Advocaat van de Aarde and Stichting Mobilisation (MOB, Mobilisation Foundation) are joining forces to take legal action to protect the Wadden Sea, with the support of the Waddenvereniging (Wadden Sea Association) and PAN NL. Advocaat van de Aarde is giving MOB financial support and expertise. Collaboration with other organisations is being considered to strengthen the approach. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 100,000 towards this project (of which € 50,000 in 2024). See also: Other projects in Netherlands Chemical pollution in the Netherlands (Source: Environmental Data Compendium)
	Boosting the habitat of hammerhead sharks, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, 2024-2025 Misión Tiburón is an NGO set up by two marine biologists. During their work they discovered that the hammerhead shark is one of the planet's most endangered species. They also realised that in the last decade insufficient attention has been paid to the species' nursery grounds and that protecting mangroves is essential to this shark's reproduction. A particularly important nursery ground is Golfo Dulce, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and one of only five tropical fjords in the world. Whilst Misión Tiburón's task was originally research, it now mostly focuses on protecting and restoring mangroves, involving local communities in this protection, and collaborating with the Costa Rican government to achieve goals in the climate agreement. In recent years, the mangroves in the region have been threatened by urban growth, sea-level rise, erosion and sedimentation. For this reason, the Misión Tiburón team decided to integrate an ecosystem approach in its work. The team now consists of eight members, with the founders still actively involved in the organisation's work. It collaborates closely with the local and national government in Costa Rica and with international organisations such as UNEP and IUCN. This project will support the Costa Rican government in meeting its international obligations to protect and maintain 100% of its coastal areas, ensure management and effective monitoring of the wetlands and develop mechanisms to sustainably use mangroves for locals' livelihoods. The organisation started restoring mangrove areas in the last year and now needs additional financing to increase the scale of its restoration work. Misión Tiburón will continue to involve local communities and promote alternatives for their livelihoods. The aim of the project is to strengthen the hammerhead shark reserve in Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica by protecting and restoring mangrove areas and reducing local communities' ecological and social-economic vulnerabilities. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 200,000 towards this project (of which, € 60,000 in 2024). See also: Other mangrove projects Other climate projects Versterken van het leefgebied van de hamerhaai, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
	Zeegrasherstel in de Oosterschelde, Oosterschelde, 2024-2026 The Sea Ranger Service> wants to enable marine biodiversity recovery on a greater scale by developing maritime innovations and training young people as Sea Rangers to carry out operational nature restoration activities. In collaboration with the University of Groningen, which has been a prominent competence centre in research into and implementation of seagrass restoration for several years, this new project has been initiated to involve Sea Rangers in implementing sea grass restoration at a greater scale. The aim is to restore seagrass in the Eastern Scheldt and thus develop a method which can be replicated in large-scale restoration projects outside Europe. Actively restoring seagrass will contribute towards the reintroduction of the plant in the Eastern Scheldt. Seagrass can help improve greatly local biodiversity. Restoration can be achieved quickly, as seagrass restoration research in the Wadden Sea has demonstrated. Researchers documented a positive biodiversity impact within two years, with 30% more bottom-dwelling creatures in the seagrass than outside the test field. Most were herbivores such as snails, periwinkles, amphipods, sea isopods and mussels. These species are the base of a rich food web and are eaten by many fish and birds. Moreover, restored seagrass meadows can also reduce coastal erosion by stabilising sand with their network of roots and rhizomes, as well as acting as carbon sinks by absorbing CO2 from the water and storing it in the seabed. In short, seagrass meadows play an important ecological role, and in north-west European seas they have a comparable diversity of marine life as tropical coral reefs. This ecosystem engineer is a key component of a rich ecosystem. Not only on a local level but impacting mobile species such as fish and birds too. The lessons learnt from seagrass restoration projects will contribute towards new internationally recognised standards for seagrass restoration by the Consortium for European Seagrass Analysis and Restoration (CESAR). The Turing Foundation is contributing € 150,000 towards this project (of which, € 50,000 in 2024). See also: Other projects in Netherlands Other seagrass projects Zeegrasherstel in de Oosterschelde, Oosterschelde
	Protection of the Dogger Bank, the Netherlands, 2023-2026 Blue Marine Foundation is established in 2010 with the objective to protect and restore marine life. The organization was founded by the team that created the award-winning book and documentary "The End of the Line', a story that showed the damage that is caused due to overfishing marine environments. The Doggerland-project is a continuation of the important court case that was won in June 2022. This case enforced the protection of the British part of the Dogger Bank. Building upon this case, Blue Marine wants to put more legal pressure on both the EU Commission, the Netherlands and Germany to enforce the adoption of more ambitious protection decisions that will protect the European part of the Dogger Bank. The Turing Foundation is contributing €200.000 towards this project (of which, €50.000 in 2023). See also: Other projects in Netherlands Bescherming Dogger Bank, Nederland, 2023-2026
	Investigation into the Illegal Shark Fin Trade, 2024-2026 The Wildlife Justice Commission's mission is to disrupt and help dismantle the transnational criminal networks that trade in wildlife, timber and fish. They do this by gathering evidence and to use the collected materials to enforce governments to take more responsibility. This project specifically targets the shark fin trade, which is responsible for the death of an estimated 100 million sharks per year (approximately 10% of the global population). The unregulated shark fin trade is the biggest threat to sharks. The aim of this project is to disrupt global illegal networks and to prevent the export of shark fins. Another outcome will be that global intelligence services will obtain an increased understanding about shark fin trade, and thereby contribute to the protection of these vulnerable species. The Turing Foundation is contributing €150.000 towards this project (of which €75.000 in 2024). See also: Wildlife Justice Commission: other projects Investigation into the Illegal Shark Fin Trade
	Sustainable mangrove conservation, Liberia, 2023-2024 Conservation International is one of the world's largest international nature conservation organisations and has been working for over 30 years towards a healthy and prosperous world in which society values and protects nature. The Turing Foundation has previously supported one of its mangrove projects in the Philippines. The organisation has 27 country offices, including Conservation International Liberia since 2002. This country office aims to improve management of five protected mangrove nature reserves and increase their number to fourteen protected nature conservation areas in Liberia, including the Marshall coastal area. They want to enable 34 communities to protect this area through conservation agreements in exchange for support in a jointly chosen area. This project is making this process possible and enabling them to conduct two surveys that are required for the government to consider giving the area a protected status. An ecotourism plan is being developed to generate income needed to properly manage the area. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 300,000 towards this project. See also: Conservation International: other projects Other projects in Liberia Other mangrove projects Sustainable mangrove conservation, Liberia
	Unlocking knowledge on mangrove recovery, Guinea Bissau, Tanzania, Indonesia, Philippines, 2023 Wetlands International is the global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands, their resources and biodiversity. Wetlands International is one of the five founders of the Global Mangrove Alliance and aims to improve knowledge sharing about effective mangrove restoration. It is working with international, national and local partners on best practices, starting in Guinea Bissau, Tanzania, Indonesia and the Philippines. With these best practices they are helping governments create good mangrove policy at landscape level. This will be followed by developing a communication strategy to mobilise the global mangrove community, which will ultimately contribute towards more effective restoration of 30,000 hectares of mangrove area in ten countries. The Turing Foundation is contributing € 300,000 towards this project (of which € 30,000 in 2023). See also: Wetlands International: other projects Other projects in Guinea Bissau Other projects in Tanzania Other projects in Indonesia Other projects in Philippines Other mangrove projects Passing on knowledge about mangrove restoration, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Indonesia and the Philippines
	Collaborating with coastal communities in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to protect marine resources, 2023 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been working on nature conservation in the Coral Triangle for 20 years: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands. Turing has already given a great deal of support to their work in this region. The WWF wants to stimulate community-led conservation by giving coastal communities the skills, capacity, resources and mandate to effectively protect their marine and coastal areas themselves. The organisation identifies and trains community facilitators, who function as contact people and enable their community to take the lead in conservation. The WWF is assisting fifteen existing community facilitators in PNG in efforts to gain more independence and adding fourteen new community facilitators in the Solomon Islands. Best practice exchanges at a regional level are promoting the adoption of best practices in other areas. This is contributing to the WWF's goal of training 5,000 community facilitators by 2025 to enable coastal communities to protect 'their' nature. The Turing Foundation is contributing €150,000 towards this project (of which, €50,000 in 2023). See also: Wereld Natuur Fonds: other projects Other projects in Papua New Guinea Collaborating with coastal communities in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to protect marine resources
	REEFolution sustainable use of restored coral reefs, Kenia, 2022 In Mkwiro village in the south of Kenya, Wageningen University & Research is collaborating with the active Beach Management Unit and the local community on coral reef restoration. A special foundation was established for this purpose in 2016: the REEFolution Foundation. REEFolution wants to develop Mkwiro village into a regional role model for sustainable coral reef use, which other villages and areas can emulate, restoring and protecting a larger coastal area. As well as restoration, REEFolution and the local community are developing livelihoods which contribute to sustainable use of the reef. A 200-metre tourist reef is being constructed so that people can learn about marine life and pay for a diving experience but stay away from the natural reef. A processing machine is also being purchased which will be used to process seaweed into products such as soap and skin creams. The Turing Foundation is contributing €40,000 towards this project (of which, €10,000 in 2022). See also: Other projects in Kenya Mkwiro village, rolmodel voor duurzaam gebruik van hersteld koraalrif

Biodiversity on land

Green Desert Initiative phase II, Mali, 2023-2025
This is the Turing Foundation's second donation towards the Green Desert Initiative of Partners Pays-Dogon. The first projects supported by Turing were focused on countering environmental degradation: planting trees, planting Euphorbia on dunes to stabilise them, preventing erosion using dams made of sandbags, making agreements with farmers to protect areas from tree felling, trees on farmers' fields, tree nurseries, wood-saving ovens, teaching people how to harvest wood without killing trees - everything to kickstart regeneration. Restoration is still the core of the Green Desert Initiative; it has been expanded over the years with projects focused on food supply - in this region that is dependent on natural conditions. Market and school gardens, coupled with education, are used to disseminate ecological techniques amongst the people; nurseries not only help restoration but increase economic activity.

The Turing Foundation is contributing €150,000 for three years. Turing's contribution has enabled various subprojects to be implemented, creates continuity for the local organisation and expands the impact of past achievements.

Green Desert Initiative phase II, Mali, 2022-2025

Conserving the forest ecosystem of Wologizi-Wonegizi, Liberia, 2023-2025
Two rainforests, Wologizi and Wonegizi in northern Liberia, are seriously threatened by poaching, mining and rapidly increasing agricultural activity. As local communities have few alternatives, there is increasing interest in commercial activities that will damage the rainforest further. Fauna and Flora International, the only nature conservation organisation working in the area, wants it to be given formal protected status. It also wants to support local communities in demanding their rights and improve policing capacity to ensure that the forests are not exploited illegally. The two rainforests are essential for conserving biodiversity and retaining CO2. Wologizi currently retains 100,000 tonnes of CO2 and Wonegizi 35,000 tonnes. Preventing deforestation will avert the release of this CO2.

The Turing Foundation is contributing €150,000 (of which €60,000 in 2023). Turing's support will contribute towards the protection of threatened species and reducing poaching. In the long term it will contribute towards recognised rights for the local communities by adapting national legislation.

The Wonegizi mountain range, Liberia

Building an independent and sustainable community forests database, DR Congo, 2023-2024
The British arm of the Rainforest Foundation, Rainforest UK, campaigns for the preservation of the rainforests in the Congo Basin and has been working on the development of community forestry since 2010: an effective way of preserving rainforests by granting local communities land rights (concessions). This is of growing importance and potential. In the Congo Basin, more than 75 million hectares of rainforest is eligible for this kind of forestry. With assistance from the Turing Foundation, Rainforest UK developed a database to record all concessions transparently in 2019. The ultimate goal is for this database to run independently, which requires software development and training, as well as guidance in fundraising and lobbying government. The capacity of the database has been increased greatly now, and it is much more user-friendly. Training sessions have been held (in Equateur province, North Kivu and Kinshasa) for organisations at national and provincial level. Materials have been bought for the governmental organisation responsible for Community Forestry (DFC). The DFC has minimal resources and more of Rainforest UK's involvement and time is needed before structural financing can be arranged. This financing is expected in 2024. For this reason, the Turing Foundation supported them in 2021 and in a follow-up project in 2022, and now we are supporting the final bridging phase.

The Turing Foundation is contributing € 120,000 towards this project (of which, € 50,000 in 2023).

Building an independent and sustainable community forests database, DR Congo

Forest Gardens, Mali, 2023
Trees for the Future aims to alleviate small-scale farmers' poverty and hunger by helping them revitalise land and plant trees. The organisation developed the forest garden approach by which a farmer develops an area of 0.5 hectare into an agroforestry area. It will help 500 farmers in Mali set up a forest garden over the next three years. The farmers will be given intensive training in cultivation, sustainable farming techniques and materials such as seeds and tools with which to grow plants. Each area will have a living fence installed, consisting of three rows of plants and trees (2,000 in total) to protect livestock and prevent erosion. In this enclosure the farmers will plant another 1,000 fruit, nut and leafy trees, as well as food crops such as tomatoes, onions, cabbages and peppers. A total of 250 hectares of degraded land will become more productive and richer in biodiversity and 500 farming families' incomes will be increased.

The Turing Foundation is contributing €40,000 towards this project (of which, €20,000 in 2023).