Supported projects

MANILA - The Philippines is one of the 17 megadiversity countries on the planet. In terms of biocultural diversity and natural resources, it is an Ali Baba's cave. But not for much longer. Its biocultural heritage is being destroyed on a massive scale by mining, biofuel plantations and illegal deforestation. Sand mining, dredging and land reclamation are also contributing to this destruction.

ROSIA MONTANA - The Romanian village of Rosia Montana has been a site of historic gold and silver mining for over two millennia. Now, mining company Rosia Montana Gold Corporation plans a massive mining project, which is dividing the village into supporters and opponents.

SAMARINDA - About one third of the natural vegetation on the island of Borneo, one of the most biodiverse places in the world, was lost in the past thirty years. Through the decades, scientists and conservationists working on the island have grown a thick skin, and came to realize that reserves will not suffice to save the rainforest.

NAIROBI - The idea that electronic waste is carelessly dumped in the remote corners of the globalised world is outdated. Everyone wants to get the materials out of our old computers and televisions, including the EU. Arthur Debruyne and Sam Sermon investigated illegal export, e-waste recycling in Kenya and Belgium, and the built-in obsolescence that gives electro-appliances an ever shorter lifespan.

GHENT - In the region of the port of Ghent, the emission of CO2 and harmful particulate matter is related to the failure of European and international climate standards.

SALERNO - A great amount of capital is invested in agriculture and gains juicy but illegal returns. Nearly one in three 'Made in Italy'-labeled goods sold in Italy or exported elsewhere are produced with non-Italian products.

DESSEL - It is likely that the Belgian government will give the green light for the final underground disposal of nuclear waste before the end of the year. Cost: several billion euros. The taxpayer pays almost half of that. It remains to be seen whether the largest waste producer Electrabel will pay the rest.

CUIÚ CUIÚ - Today’s society relentlessly pushes us to live life in the fast lane. Reacting to this, photographer Guido Sterkendries has developed an alternative vision. Accustomed to working in extreme habitats, he has spent most of his life exploring and discovering the unknown and the people who live there. By focusing on threatened tribes and endangered life forms, he opens a window on a world that many thought had vanished.

SALVADOR - NGOs, city administrations and publishers worldwide switch to FSC-certified paper. Ordinary consumers can buy copy and printing paper as well as paper towels and even wallpaper bearing the tree logo. But is the paper's green image justified?

SALAR DE UYUNI - Uyuni is a backward region in the South of Bolivia. Bult the salt lake of Uyuni is rich with lithium, the commodity for the production of batteries, soon also for batteries for electrical vehicles. For this raw material a game of chess is being played between some multinational companies, the people of Uyuni and Bolivia's government.