Legado is
a women-led, global nonprofit that works alongside Indigenous and local communities in places important for biodiversity. We support communities to design and implement solutions of their choosing, benefiting people and landscapes alike—an outcome we call Thriving Futures.
Where We Work:
The Legado Approach
What We Do:
We Activate Legacy
We work alongside Indigenous and local communities to activate legacy. A legacy is a vision people set for themselves and their landscapes that builds on their communities’ already existing strengths.
How We Do It:
360° Community-Led Change
Working alongside communities, we take a 360° view of priorities, considering how all aspects of well-being intersect. We foster 360° inclusivity, centering traditionally underrepresented voices—particularly women and youth.
The Outcome:
Thriving Futures
The result of our approach?
91% of community priorities developed through Thriving Futures directly drive local government planning.
A Thriving Futures Timeline
3-6 Months
I have shared my vision for tomorrow
Stage 1:
Megantoni-Machiguenga, Peru
Melawi, Indonesia
6-12 Months
We are working together to put our plans into action
Stage 2:
1-5 Years
We are making our plans a reality by taking collective action and unlocking critical support from the government and funders on our terms
Stage 3:
Mucunha, Mozambique
Nkishon Supat E Ngilai, Kenya
Our
Partnerships
Ngilai Community Conservancy
The Megantoni National Sanctuary, National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP)
The Machiguenga Communal Reserve, National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP)
ECA Maeni
Namuli Wiwanana
The Pangolin Project
Planet Indonesia
Indonesia
The Spotlight
Reforesting Mount Namuli to protect native plants
Recently, Alvaro Caturia, a nursery volunteer in Mucunha, Mozambique told our team: “If only we could teach children all about the value of these plants and why they are disappearing!” This goal is at the heart of 360° Community-Led action to reforest Mount Namuli and protect native plants, especially those with cultural and medicinal value.
Reforesting the land around Mount Namuli is valuable for many intersecting reasons—from health to education, culture, and the environment. It's also a key part of the community priorities the people of Mount Namuli have set for themselves through the Thriving Futures process.
Quarterly Updates
New partnership launches in Indonesia
In August 2024, Legado officially began working with our newest partner, Planet Indonesia.
Our work together will take place in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, located on the island of Borneo. This is Legado’s first partnership in Southeast Asia, and we cannot wait to bring our Thriving Futures methodology to an entirely new landscape!
This partnership will work by integrating Legado’s Thriving Futures methodology into Planet Indonesia’s Core Model approach, which supports local solutions, needs, and values to enhance the potential of Indigenous and rural communities to restore and maintain the balance between humans and nature.
Local resident works toward land restoration in Indonesian Borneo | Planet Indonesia
New livelihoods program in Mozambique
A new Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) is beginning to create stronger livelihoods and more household resilience in Mozambique. After two months of training and community consultation, VSLA groups officially began meeting and saving money in three villages near Mount Namuli, Mozambique. After creating an official board last quarter, participating members have met twice monthly to contribute to the savings group and move toward their personal savings goals. We look forward to accompanying the community as it expands the project to more villages after the pilot project wraps up.
Village Savings and Loan Association meeting in Murrabue | Legado
"With this amount of savings I will increase the labor for my fields and I will buy material to rehabilitate my carpentry.”
Mucunha Community Plan celebration
In September, community members in Mucunha gathered to celebrate the completion of their Legacy Plan. The festive celebration also allowed the community to present their priorities to key allies and partners in the region, demonstrate their strengths and talents, and share the areas in which they need support from government and strategic partners—many of whom were present at the meeting. The celebration also served to recognize the community's efforts in the process of co-creation.*
“Thank you very much for sharing the Mucunha Community Plan. The document is very rich in detail and undoubtedly allows any reader to better understand the community of Mucunha, its challenges and dreams.”
* Curious why we’re celebrating Mozambique’s Legacy Plan when local priorities are already in action? In 2022, community members elected to go through the full Thriving Futures process, which they helped design from 2014-2022, and from which priorities and actions have already emerged.
Women-centered Legacy Planning in Saniriato
The July women’s convening in Saniriato, Peru, gave women the opportunity to share their hopes, thoughts, and insights about their community legacy in a space designed specifically for them. This convening was part of a series of community conversations, including multiple mixed-gender meetings throughout the summer, in which our local Futuros Vivos team learned more about community dynamics, helped identify potential community champions, and paved the way for more Legacy Planning in the months to come.
Children in Saniriato get a chance to share their vision for a better future for their community and the landscape they call home | H. Michell Leon/Legado
In Ngilai, community priorities drive regional partnerships
As communities in Ngilai, Northern Kenya, continue implementing their community-defined priorities—from resource preservation to maternal health to amplifying women’s leadership—they continue to find opportunities for their Community Conservancy Legacy Management Plan to drive regional partnerships.
Starting in July 2024, the Ngilai Community Wildlife Conservancy partnered with a community-based organization on the Samburu Restoration Project. The partnership means that community-led priorities resulting from the Thriving Futures process are now influencing planning for this new partner. As a result, Legado’s community-led approach is now playing a role in conservancy and water management group meetings, trainings on sustainable land and rangelands management, the formation of an environment club at Ngilai Mixed Secondary School, and more.
Northern Kenya sees growth in women’s and youth leadership
One of Ngilai’s community-led priorities for their Legacy Management Plan is to have more diverse representation in leadership—and change is happening! A recent board election for the Community Land Management Committee saw a 100% increase in women participating (from 4 to 8 women of a 18-person board). The board also welcomed four youth as new members. In addition, Ngilai Community Wildlife Conservancy worked with a partner to form a 50-member Youth Caucus with representatives from across Ngilai to bring more young voices into the planning process.
This type of representation is more inclusive of all the people deeply affected by community and environmental issues, ensuring a diverse group has a say in shaping and implementing local planning. It also helps involve a new generation of stewards in holistic conservation work, paving the way for future leaders who want to advance community-led change.
Landscape Legacy Management Plan nears completion in Southwest Kenya
Networking
Updates
In July, Legado Founder and CEO Majka Burhardt was featured on The Lead, a new podcast hosted by Nik Strong-Cvetich dedicated to sharing the stories of effective conservation, climate, and ocean leaders.
In September, Legado participated in NYC Climate Week for the first time. Throughout the week, Dr. Tita Alvira, our Chief Partnerships and Programs Officer, connected with thought leaders from around the world and forged connections aimed at advancing joint climate initiatives and community-driven sustainability efforts.
Legado was included as a featured grantee in Greenwood Place’s 2023/24 Annual Report. You can read the feature here, as well as profiles of many other high-impact organizations.
New
Staff
"Through its principles and approaches, Legado gives me the opportunity to continue with my work and build my personal legacy that I started more than 20 years ago with local communities in Loreto, Peru. Being part of the Futuros Vivos: Megantoni-Machigenga program inspires me to continue building opportunities with local communities who live with and protect their environment, so they can live well and achieve a Thriving Future for all"
Get
Involved
Join us for a Legacy Expedition
Learn
More
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Want to go deeper into Legado’s work? Know a funder or potential partner who might be interested? Feel free to contact Founder and CEO Majka Burhardt at 970-290-7822 or majka@legadoinitiative.org.