Today marks the annual celebration of the one place we all call home. It is also a time to spotlight, appreciate and encourage nature stewards who are dedicatedly improving the ecosystems. Today we bring to you stories of five individuals from within the Restor community that inspire us with their unwavering determination in overcoming challenges and creating an impact.
Oday Qodariah
Ibu Qodariah, born on March 28 1954, is a practitioner and guardian of Indonesian medicinal plants. She speaks to Annisa, Regional Engagement Lead at Restor with a tearful eye. How could she not, in 1993, her life took a challenging turn when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Despite trying various treatments, her search for a cure seemed hopeless until her sibling introduced her to the Dayak Onion plant, a traditional herbal remedy. Miraculously, it worked. This was the start of her passion to protect indigenous medicinal plants. Kebun Tanaman Obat Sari Alam (KTO Sari Alam) in Bandung, West Java was created to find healing in the wisdom of nature. She says:
"Nature will provide goodness if we take care of it."
At KTO Sari Alam, they’re not just about herbal medicine but true stewards of the Earth's treasures. They honor their ancestors' wisdom by cultivating and using herbal remedies while safeguarding their land's botanical heritage. Oday has planted as many as 900 medicinal plants in her garden in Manggu Village.
As a medicinal plant activist, she experienced that people started consulting her during COVID-19. They started planting medicinal plants in their yards and using them properly; some tend flowers for decoration; to pay attention to each other and care for the environment. This is what makes her happy.
The Indonesian government awarded Oday Kadariyah the Kalpataru 2018 in the Environmental Pioneer category. She thinks it is for everyone who has contributed to their mission of healing and preservation.
Qodariah's story as Guardian of Earth is one of resilience and determination, reminding us of the importance of safeguarding nature's treasures for future generations.
Galgallo Roba Guyo
In the heart of Northern Kenya lies a haven of biodiversity, and a beacon of hope known as the Marsabit Botanical Garden. Galgallo Roba Guyo is a dedicated advocate of cultural heritage preservation while restoring nature. While writing to Restor, he mentions his aim is to protect the bond between humanity and nature. Galgallo's journey began with a vision of a world where indigenous flora thrives, ecosystems are restored, and communities live in harmony with their environment.
Today, Marsabit County is facing a grave crisis. Heavy rains have wreaked havoc, damaging crucial infrastructure like the Balali Bridge and cutting off these areas from vital supplies. The closure of the North Horr - Kalacha Road further exacerbates the situation, leaving pastoralist communities isolated and vulnerable. The consequences are dire. Starvation looms large over these communities as floods engulf their lands, disrupting livelihoods and access to food.
Yet, Galgallo is unstoppable. He works tirelessly to empower indigenous pastoralist communities at the Marsabit Botanical Garden with knowledge and skills through various programs to address the challenges. He leads initiatives to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems using a blend of traditional knowledge and scientific expertise. Programs such as Seed for Range provide pastoralist communities with the means to restore their lands and sustainably manage natural resources. Galgallo oversees the establishment of a seed bank, safeguarding genetic diversity and providing a lifeline for endangered plants. Ethno-Botanical Research sheds light on the intricate relationship between people and plants. Galgallo and his team document traditional knowledge held by indigenous communities, preserving age-old practices and unlocking the potential of natural remedies. Lastly, Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), Galgallo empowers communities to take charge of their own land restoration efforts. He says
“Indigenous people who are caretakers of flora and fauna should be engaged in the conservation and protection of Biodiversity.”
He is a champion of community empowerment and economic development. Galgallo dreams of a Research and Repository Center that will serve as a hub for indigenous studies, a place where knowledge is preserved, and wisdom is shared.
As the guardian of the Earth, Galgallo Roba Guyo's legacy is one of inspiration and hope. Through his tireless efforts, he has proven that a single individual can make a difference, and that the bond between humanity and nature is worth protecting at all costs.
David Ježek
David Jezek, also known as Farmer Jezek is a slightly different kind of farmer. Farming ecologically, without unnecessary chemicals and in harmony with nature. Jezek is managing the Cholupice Agroforestry Field in Prague, Czech Republic. With a backyard garden, Jezek started applying the permaculture concept of agriculture and started pitching to multiple farms to help in sustainable farming.
A large agricultural cooperative farmed the agricultural land in the Prague 12 district the usual, conventional way. This caused a reduction in biodiversity, soil degradation, desiccation and erosion by rain and wind. After torrential rains the peripheral streets of Cholupice were often flooded and covered with mud from the fields. The municipal district authority, therefore, decided to lease part of the land.
David Jezek was the first of the tenants who began to manage the land of the Prague 12 municipality in a sustainable way and started with the Cholupice Agroforestry project in Prague. Originally a degraded grassland transformed into a multifunctional agroforestry system. It now consists of a meadow, herb field with fruit shrubs, alley cropping (mostly Cydonia oblonga) and beehives.
Noemi Stadler Kaulich
Dr Noemi Stadler born in 1957, grandmother to four German-Bolivian grandchildren, has carried out agricultural projects all over the world. This gives her a unique wealth of experience in the application of agroforestry methods in a wide variety of climate zones. Her young grandchildren now are her drive to work towards ensuring that there is at least one small spot in the world where Andean biodiversity has been able to regenerate before it was completely destroyed by intensive agriculture. She says
“The earth is borrowed from our children.”
Around two thirds of the Cochabamba, Bolivia was burnt down in 2017 and 2023. Fires have always been a problem. She has therefore been able to develop concepts to minimize the damage caused by fire and initiated Mollesnejta – Center for Andean Agroforestry Systems that researches and provides space and equipment for interns as well as for students who wish to write their thesis.
Nelson Ole Reiyia
“This is the land of my boyhood. The land of my people. And the land of my children. It’s a critical place in the whole Mara Serengeti ecosystem. And it was about to be lost forever. Our community rose up to save this place and become its stewards for the generations to come.”
Nelson Ole Reiyia is an Indigenous Maasai leader for social change and biodiversity conservation. He is CEO and Co-Founder of Nashulai Maasai Conservancy in southern Kenya and a social entrepreneur. The award-winning not-for-profit Nashulai Maasai Conservancy, Nelson in 2016 created the first Maasai-led and -governed community conservancy, situated in a 10,000-acre area in Narok County in southern Kenya, abutting the famed Maasai Mara Reserve. Its interdependent mission: Conserve Wildlife, Preserve Culture, and Reverse Poverty. In 2020, Nashulai was awarded the UNDP Equator Prize for its “paradigm-shifting model” for conservation and for meeting a majority of the UN Social Development Goals (SDG), including social justice and women’s empowerment.
In 2020, during the pandemic, as many foreign investors fled the country, local Maasai communities stepped in and took the management and leadership of the conservancies into their hands. During this time, the community came together and created a unique conservation model that brought back the co-existence and harmony between local communities and biodiversity and also launched lifesaving feeding programs showing that when local communities are allowed to lead, a lot is possible.
Nelson says that Nashulai Maasai conservancy is the story of possibility. A place of balance and harmony where people and wildlife, and even livestock coexists. In the conservancy, their elders, the traditional knowledge leaders, work closely with the scientifically trained community rangers to coordinate balance and coexistence in the game reserve.
