The Eastern Himalayas is a connected ecosystem and an environmental and societal asset of global importance. It is home to the world’s tallest mountains, mighty rivers, the world’s largest mangrove forest, and incredible wildlife. But it is under critical threat. The people and species that live in this region are some of the most climate vulnerable on our planet, threatened by melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and ever more frequent and severe storms. Since 2000, this region has experienced significant deforestation, losing over 9.5% of its green cover.
One year ago, Conservation International stood with partners to launch an ambitious goal for this decade: to mobilize transformational finance of up to US$ 1 billion in order to plant one billion trees and restore one million hectares of forest across Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and parts of east and northeast India.
The rapid expansion of restoration efforts was made possible by extensive consultations with and involvement by governments and local communities in Mountains to Mangroves, Conservation International’s partnership with the people of the Eastern Himalayas. These included the training of young leaders to mobilize communities for restoration and agroforestry, and the launch of a “Stories from Mountains to Mangroves” campaign featuring people from the region who are protecting nature for the benefit of the planet.
A still from a video from the "Stories from Mountains to Mangroves" campaign, which features locals all across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and parts of India.
Following the announcement of the Mountains to Mangroves initiative in 2023, Conservation International and partners have rapidly scaled the work of communities across the region to restore lost ecosystems and promote sustainable livelihoods – including agroforestry, conservation training and careers, and more — using proven local methods.
The initiative lays the foundation for unlocking transformational public and private investment to address the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change in the Eastern Himalayas, home to 12% of global biodiversity.
In 2024, Conservation International and partners have:
- Raised US$9 million to kickstart the first wave of projects under the “Mountains to Mangroves – Rapid Scaling Portfolio” that will see more than 50,000 hectares of land protected and restored.
- Started implementation of projects and planted more than 555,000 new trees across 486 hectares of land, benefiting around 4,650 people.
- Consulted with governments and communities to identify sites for further conservation and restoration activities – on track to plant millions more trees in the years ahead.
- Supported the training of young people from across the region to mobilize communities around restoration and agroforestry.
- Launched “Stories from Mountains to Mangroves” – a new community led campaign featuring the perspectives of diverse people from across the region, sharing their personal stories around restoring nature and protecting their communities
Mountains to Mangroves is one of the largest reforestation and conservation projects in the history of South Asia, seeking to protect and restore 1 million hectares of forest spread across some of the most rugged, mountainous countries on Earth