Projects
Amplifying the Impact of the Movement through Funded Projects
The Ecosystem Restoration Foundation has a proven track record of implementing successful, impactful funded projects in collaboration with the Ecosystem Restoration Community leaders and other strategic project partners.
14
Number of countries across five continents in which we've run funded projects
♾️
Number of people positively impacted through our funded projects
Over €2 million
Funds mobilised through funded projects
Marine Ecosystems Community of Practice
January 2026 - ongoing
Beneficiaries:
Our five-year Marine Ecosystems Community of Practice brings together four Ecosystem Restoration Communities working to restore coral reefs and mangroves: RegeneSEAS (a programme of ERC The Regenesis Project in the Philippines), ERC Mombassa Mangroves (Kenya), REEFolution (Kenya), and ERC Habiba Community (Egypt). Supported by the Naiad Foundation, this five-year collaboration also focuses on building regenerative, ocean-based livelihoods for local communities.
By connecting local innovators, the Community of Practice strengthens each restoration initiative through shared learning, practical exchange, and collective problem-solving – delivering greater benefits for both people and nature. And over time the collaboration will open to others, expanding its impact.
Erasmus More Trees Now
December 2024 - December 2026
Beneficiaries:
Across Europe, Ecosystem Restoration Communities and partners are rolling up their sleeves to restore ecosystems and take on climate change – together. The Erasmus More Trees Now Project – supported by Erasmus Plus+ via Léargas – brings six pioneering organisations from across the continent into one ambitious collaboration: ERC Foundation (The Netherlands), Stichting MEERGroen/More Trees Now (The Netherlands), ERC Siolta Chroi (Ireland), ERC Virsoleil (France), Regeneration Academy (Spain) and ERC Associazione Rocciaviva in Matera (Italy).
Using Stichting MEERGroen’s innovative approach, trees are harvested where they naturally sprout in abundance, and relocated to places of need where they can grow to maturity. By sharing knowledge, innovation and community-led action, we’re helping to build a future where forests thrive, biodiversity flourishes, and people are empowered – and encouraged – to take part in climate solutions.
Los Planes Watershed Community of Practice, Mexico
November 2023 - December 2025
Over the past twenty years, watersheds across Mexico have been drying up, and groundwater reserves have been rapidly depleting. In Baja California Sur alone, this had led to significant cattle deaths due to the worsening drought conditions, as well as accelerated habitat loss resulting in a major threat to biodiversity.
The Los Planes Watershed, a vital source of life for local communities and ecosystems near La Paz in Mexico, is the focus of an ambitious restoration effort. The Ecosystem Restoration Foundation is proud to have played a role, joining a growing Community of Practice to help drive lasting change in Baja California Sur, by providing monitoring, evaluation, and environmental expertise, while connecting the work in La Paz to a global network of ecosystem restoration practitioners and communities.
UNDP Regreen Syria
April 2021 - March 2022
Beneficiaries:
80+ Syrian organic agriculture extension agents together with rural development colleagues from UNDP Syria explored regenerative micro-farming as a means of increasing local food-security whilst transitioning farming away from extractive, anti-ecological methods and towards eco-social positivity. ERC Foundation is happy to have supported this initiative, along with their technical partner, Gaia U International based in Mexico.
Two well-developed and complimentary regenerative systems suited to micro-farming – Grow-Biointensive and Syntropic Agroforestry – provided the core technical content for 25 classes, delivered online to 8 locations.
These detailed systems were delivered with a focus on permaculture principles as part of the encouragement to the trainees to think broadly as regards the whole, local, eco-social field.
Funded by
Food Hub Roadmap
1 May 2022 - 30 April 2023
Beneficiaries: 15 direct + 60 indirect
ERC Foundation, together with ERC Siolta Chroi (Ireland), delivered a series of online and in-person workshops around developing local food hubs, with the aim of encouraging the establishment of regenerative communities to create fair, regenerative food system in communities, generate income and promote better livelihood.
The outcomes and many learnings and insights that came out of these trainings were shared during an online dissemination event. These included guidelines (best practices), important points regarding setting up a food hub, exploring food, regenerative food systems, lessons and learnings from running a local food hub and direct selling as a tool to support ecosystem restoration. The project culminated in the development of an open source Food Hub Guide.
ChangeX: Start an Ecosystem Restoration Project
April 2025 - ongoing
Beneficiaries: 10 new ERCs have started to date with ChangeX funding
We have an ongoing partnership with ChangeX – a fellow global non-profit organisation that is accelerating positive social and environmental impact by connecting funders with changemakers and social innovators, like Ecosystem Restoration Communities, to build more sustainable communities. To date more than €125,000 in micro-grants has supported 13 ecosystem restoration initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, enabling local communities to start restoration projects, establish nurseries, and train citizens in regenerative land stewardship. Through the partnership we’ve also increased the impact of ERCs already regreening our planet, while also contributing to ChangeX’s ambitious goal of positively impacting 1 billion people worldwide by 2030.
EU Vowers
1 December 2024 - 31 November 2026
This innovative project – in partnership with Ajeves Togo and Iroko DFS – aims to encourage young Europeans to engage in humanitarian aid in Togo, Ecuador and Peru through European Solidarity Corps placements. In Togo these volunteers are introducing are working with rural women in two villages – Agome Eyoh and Danyi Apéyemé – to help boost their income.
The project aims to develop a sustainable beekeeping program that increases women’s income while helping to restore and protect native forests; host hands-on permaculture workshops in collaboration with local partners, promoting climate-resilient farming techniques; raise awareness around water management and hygiene, especially for women and children; support community-led waste management, empowering women to lead local environmental efforts; and foster women’s entrepreneurship through training and small-scale income-generating and cultural initiatives.
This is more than a project – it’s a step toward long-term, community-driven change.
The first group of volunteers completed their deployment in October and November 2025, and the second group are due to travel to Togo in late 2026.
RestorAction
1 December 2023 - 31 March 2025
Beneficiaries: 357
ERC Rocciaviva in Basilicata, Italy, and the Ecosystem Restoration Communities Foundation teamed up to launch RestorACTION, a pioneering project funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. This inspiring collaboration brought together Rocciaviva’s focus on environmental and social regeneration in the Basilicata region with ERC’s mission to equip local people with the skills and tools needed to restore their own ecosystems. RestorACTION aimed to empower the local community in Basilicata, where farmers and landowners face growing challenges from land degradation, extreme weather, and declining soil fertility and livelihoods. The project engaged residents as citizen scientists, increasing their environmental literacy and training them to identify degraded areas and monitor ecosystem health. Using a simple smartphone app, participants collected reliable ecological data to establish baseline studies, enabling informed and effective restoration actions. By bridging the gap between restoration experts and local people, RestorACTION fostered a community-driven approach to reversing ecosystem degradation and securing a sustainable future for the region.