Our projects

In 1954, at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Giulio Natta invented polypropylene. Since that time, global plastic production has increased twenty-fold, reaching a total of 322 million tons in 2015. Plastic pollution represents a difficult and demanding challenge: we need unconventional and communal solutions to solve this problem. Milan is already tackling the problem of […]

‘Kisima’ in Swahili means ‘source’ and contains the names of the territories where our work is focused: Kiteto and Simanjiro, in the Manyara Region. Here the services related to water supply are limited, because the institutional support is weak, the management committees (CBWSO) have rather scarce capacities and the operating and maintenance costs are high.  […]

Greater Kilimanjaro – an area of 15,500 km2 which includes 16 protected areas – is home to more than one million mammals of 28 different species, that share the same territories with over 30,000 families of pastoralists, especially Maasai. The survival of the communities, as much as the one of local wildlife, is based on […]

Mediterranean forests are valuable allies in the fight against climate change. Yet, these ecosystems are amongst the most vulnerable, threatened by natural disasters and especially human activities. Our most extensive reserves of biodiversity are increasingly jeopardized by livestock, agriculture, fire and overexploitation of forest resources. Medforval is the Network of Mediterranean forests of high ecological […]

Thanks to the support of the Audemars-Watkins Foundation, we are committed to reduce climate vulnerability and protect natural resources in the province of Cabo Delgado. In this area the consequences of climate change are increasingly severe and extreme. To meet this challenge it is necessary to strengthen the skills of local institutions. We do this […]

New tools and knowledge for local administrations We want to make practical and effective information available to the four parks and their 26 municipalities for a sustainable land management. We will do this by writing guidelines on the protection of urban biodiversity. They will also be useful to citizens, especially from small municipalities. In fact, […]

In the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, extreme weather variations, exacerbated by climate change, make subsistence pastoralism a high-risk economic practice. Wildlife populations decline and with them vegetation balances. Pastures are no longer nutritious and new plants invade the most degraded areas of pasture. Subsistence agriculture expands, further exacerbating degradation. Savannas, generally unsuitable for agriculture, once cultivated, are […]

Technical support and specialized training are the tools we use to empower communities in forest management. This process fosters social inclusion and helps protect fragile coastal natural resources. How do we achieve this? The first step is a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders in the two provinces: civil society organizations, community groups, and private companies involved […]

The name Makilenga carries a story of participation: it comes from the initials of the most important rural areas which, through the support of Istituto Oikos and the Meru District, were involved in a participation process that led to the creation of 24 village committees for water management, elected by 54 sub-villages. These 24 committees […]

Adolescents, teachers, trainers and local government officials: everybody can become actors of change. We are working together to strengthen the knowledge of causes and effects of a phenomenon that affects us all closely. Coping with the consequences of climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. To face it, it is necessary […]

Women are the supporting element of the Maasai community. They keep cultural traditions alive, and they allow their families to satisfy their basic needs: in fact, women are responsible for the domestic management of water, food and wood for cooking and heating when the weather gets colder. Yet, a strongly patriarchal society forces them into […]

Flooding and soil and coastal erosion are just some of the most severe consequences of climate change in the Mecufi and Metuge Districts. Small farmers and rural communities in the area are paying the heaviest damages. Mangroves, key allies against coastal erosion, are being cut or poorly managed. This exacerbates the effects of sea level […]

The 500 thousand Maasai pastoralists living in the steppe in Northern Tanzania can no longer rely on the rains. Strong showers followed by long draughts are bringing to their knees whole populations who normally depend on the resources provided by these lands: livestock, the only source of livelihood for the Maasai tribes, has been wiped out […]

Due to the current humanitarian crisis, Ibo Island is now a very isolated area. The island is militarized, and the population therefore has very little access to sources of livelihood. The conflict has forced the 15,000 residents and 35,000 displaced persons to depend on humanitarian aid. However, this is not a sustainable practice in the […]

Among the consequences of the continuous increasing of the internal migration, the lack of appropriate sanitation services is one of the most pressing issues. Lack of suitable facilities causes an increased spread of serious waterborn diseases, including cholera, which is often lethal, especially among children. To reduce this risk, our priority is to increase the […]

In an area already severely compromised by ongoing humanitarian and environmental crises, there is also a lack of space for discussion between civil society and public institutions. This is why we are committed to supporting local communities in creating opportunities for dialogue between citizens and institutions, an essential element in promoting inclusive and participatory development […]

It is essential that the communities of Cabo Delgado know the effects of climate change and how to respond to, so that they become stronger in the front of the threats of a more and more unpredictable climate. That is because extreme natural events, which are becoming increasingly intense and frequent, endanger not only the […]

The SDG2 of 2030 Agenda aims to eradicate hunger in the world and to guarantee the access to healthy and sufficient nutrition to everyone. The ETHAKA project wants to contribute to this goal with several integrated actions. The traditional agricultural techniques used in these areas are not very sustainable and resilient to the effects of […]

Concrete actions Istituto Oikos Onlus, StelvioNational Park, AdamelloBrentaNaturePark and University of Sassari laid the groundwork for ibex conservation trans-regional initiatives, focusing on Central Alps. In particular, the document "Initiatives to promote the conservation of the species in Central Italian Alps" analyzes data made available by Group Ibex Europe relating to 24 colonies in the central […]

The protection of urban greenery is not only a civic responsibility, but it can also become a tool for aggregation, in a context where the social relations seem to be getting thinner and thinner. Environmental sustainability has become a central theme in the international debate and it is touching the conscience of many people all […]

Between 2016 and 2017, in Italy, the winter loss of bee colonies was 19.2%, 7% more than the previous year. Protecting these precious insects is more urgent than ever for their extremely high ecosystemic value. We do this by combining the promotion of ecological agriculture and social inclusion, creating synergies with local authorities, local beekeepers […]

Networking and sharing good habits: these are the fundamental principles of the Green School initiative in Lombardy. The project was inspired by the success obtained by the Province of Varese, where, since 2010, 160 schools have been developing sustainable practices and decreasing their environmental impact. The Green School model is now ready to spread in […]

Young people are the protagonists of a society that is changing and growing rapidly: globalization, climate change, the increase in world population and migration make the scenario of the planet of today and tomorrow critical. Creating the conditions for the development of a fair, inclusive society, which is also respectful of human rights and the […]

Realising fruit gardens in 18 schools within the Arumeru District, in Northern Tanzania, means that we can guarantee a healthy and balanced diet  to 8,600 children that, due to the lack of nutrient food, suffer from malnutrition and other disorders as a consequence of a diet poor in proteins, sugars and micro-nutrients. The body suffers […]