Global Ideas | Deutsche Welle

The cotton-top tamarin is at risk of extinction due to deforestation in its habitat, the Colombian rainforest. The NGO Proyecto Tití is fighting for their survival.

In Serbia, Mangalitsa pigs dig up forest floors in search of acorns, helping create fertile alluvial soil. But pig herders are a dying breed. Is the tradition at risk?

Gourmets in China pay crazy prices. One kilo of dried sea cucumber fetches up to 1-thousand US dollars. Breeders in Madagascar earn an extra income while at the same time protect the marine ecosystem.

Southwestern Morocco has a huge industrial parc with more than 400 small and medium sized enterprises. 25,000 people are working in agriculture. The companies produce fruits, fish or argan oil. 90 percent of Morocco's agricultural exports come from here. But climate change is a threat for the firms. An insurance against damages through extreme weather may bring support.

The elephant population in South Africa's Kruger National Park is growing by the year – which is good news. But there’s a problem. The elephants are devouring the park’s precious marula trees. So the park has enlisted some bees to help protect them.

Members of Nepal's lowest castes have few opportunities to change their standing in life. The caste system was officially abolished in the 1960s, but little has changed since then.

In northeastern Colombia water is extremely scarce. People in the La Guajira region send their children to a catholic boarding school where they can eat and drink for free. They have enough water there but it is much too salty. A small desalination plant from Germany may be the solution.

In the Monolian steppe, almost 50 million sheep and goats graze the grass to its roots. A new system is aimed at managing use sustainably so vegetation has time to recover.

An energy cooperative gives solar-powered water heaters to a village in Georgia. This should reduce deforestation, because locals traditionally burn wood for heating.

Weather extremes threaten the livelihood of small farmers and fishermen worldwide. On the Caribbean island of St Lucia, a unique Livelihood Protection Policy provides help. After a heavy storm, the insurance make sure that people get back on their feet.