Priority 07
Protecting Natural Resources
Healthy land sustains a community.
Caring for trees, soil and water supports the resources families depend on for food, health and livelihoods.
Nature is part of everyday survival
Forests and farmland are closely connected. Trees help soils retain moisture, while households depend on land and natural resources for food and fuel. Conservation and livelihoods must be considered together: protecting an ecosystem is difficult when families have few alternatives for meeting basic needs.
Context: UNEP · Farming and forests in DRC, 2024
Why it matters
For PALPER, environmental care belongs inside community development. A project should consider the water sources, waste and land around it, so solving one problem does not create another for the people who live there.
What PALPER does
We include tree planting in our field activities and environmental considerations in project planning. Our teams identify potential impacts, choose practical safeguards and follow up during delivery, including concerns about water-source contamination and waste.
Everyday practice matters too. Our offices sort waste, and organic material is composted for trial gardens. These are practical connections between caring for the environment and the resources communities use to grow food.
What more we can do
Further support could expand community environmental training and strengthen follow-up after planting or other activities. Tracking what survives, what is maintained and what residents find useful would help focus future work on practices that last.