On this edition of People Fixing The World we meet people who’ve helped overcome long-standing cultural biases to create better outcomes for everyone. In India we hear about the social media campaigns which have helped city dwellers in Bengaluru see those who pick waste from rubbish dumps not as dangerous and dirty but as invaluable recyclers. In Nigeria we meet a traditional healer and a health worker who are collaborating to help improve the treatment of psychosis and break down some of the unhelpful attitudes towards severe mental health problems.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Chief Mukaila Yusuf, BBC)

From beavers in the UK to bison in Romania and jaguars in Argentina, ecologists around the world are reintroducing animals that once flourished in particular areas. The theory is, if done correctly, they can boost biodiversity and restore ecosystems with benefits ranging from reducing forest fires to tackling invasive species. But the strategy is controversial. Opponents say some species are no longer suited to certain areas and cause conflict with farmers, adding there is little evidence it works. Proponents admit some well-meaning projects haven’t worked in the past, but insist properly planned rewilding, which has involved all the stakeholders from the start, can be very successful. We take a close look.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

The Amazon is the largest forest in the world, spread across nine countries in South America and home to 47 million people. It’s crucial for the planet’s biodiversity and in the fight against climate change. But vast numbers of trees have been cut down for logging, construction, mining and farming. On this edition of People Fixing The World we meet those who are making a living from the Amazon while keeping the trees standing - through rubber tapping and fruit picking - as well as big companies looking to make more of the fruits, nuts and other natural products.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Brazilian entrepreneur Francisco Samonek, BBC/Julia Carneiro)

This week we have a host of great ideas inspired by solutions we've told you about in 2023.

We find out how scientists are using fake birds to help populations of seabirds to recover. By putting out model birds in restored habitats they trick the real ones into nesting there.

Then we have the heartwarming tale of Theo – a man in his seventies - and Bickel the dog. We look at how dog sharing can deal with loneliness and bring improved health and happiness.

And we uncover an innovative way of dealing with the scourge of Japanese knotweed - by turning it into paper.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

(Image: Jessica Vagg with a tern decoy, BBC/Richard Kenny)

Landfill sites are an icon of our wasteful society and the harm we cause to Planet Earth.

But around the world, people are trying to make these filthy places a little bit better.

We visit the human-built island in Singapore made of burned waste that has become a thriving ecosystem.

And in France, we hear how gas leaking from landfill sites is being collected as a source of energy.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

(Image: Semakau island, Singapore National Environment Agency)

Loneliness affects millions of people around the world and can have a significant impact on our mental and physical health.

In the Netherlands, they are taking the problem seriously, with a national coalition of organisations all trying to bring people together and build connections.

We visit a youth club teaching teenagers how to overcome shyness and social anxiety. Plus, we drop in on a soup-making session that's bringing the generations together, and breaking down stereotypes.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

(Image:Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at Oma's Soup)

How do you stop people chopping down precious rainforest? In the Indonesian part of Borneo, researchers for a conservation charity discovered that local people were chopping down the rainforest around them for an incredibly understandable reason – they needed to pay for medical treatment for themselves and their children.

So they started a project that would hopefully protect the forest and help the local communities at the same time. They built a health centre and gave people a big discount on medical care if they stopped chopping down the trees. Ten years on, we visit the forest to see what happened next.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

Image: Baby orangutan in Borneo forest

Every year the world produces 400 million tonnes of plastic – the same weight as all the humans on earth.

Only a small proportion of this is recycled, and this isn’t proper recycling but “downcycling” – the new plastic is of a lower quality, meaning that almost all plastic eventually goes to waste.

But now French company Carbios is using enzymes to break plastic down into its chemical building blocks – which can then be used to make high quality plastic again.

So is plastic on the brink of becoming a resource like glass or aluminium, that you can keep on moulding and recycling again and again?

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

Millions of women around the world lack access to safe and hygienic menstrual products. But there are people trying to change that.

We meet the British student who learned to sew in lockdown and started making reusable sanitary pads for refugees. She’s helped distribute tens of thousands of pads and is now training refugee women in Lebanon how to make money by sewing the pads themselves.

We hear about a design project inspired by tea cups which has created an efficient way of washing reusable pads.

And in India we meet the woman who is challenging the stigma around periods with a comic book that’s being read in thousands of schools around the country.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

email: [email protected]

Image: Reya, a student in Beirut who is sewing period pads

In the farming community of Los Negros in rural Bolivia, the river is their life and livelihood. So when that river started to dry up, it made life very hard. They blamed the villages upstream for not looking after their precious water.

This conflict could have turned ugly. But with the support of a local charity, what came out of it instead was a ground-breaking agreement. After years of negotiations, the town at the bottom of the river agreed to support the communities upstream to protect their forests and keep the river healthy.

The idea is now the blueprint for water sharing agreements between communities across the continent.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

Email: [email protected]

Image: Senor Rogelio Valverde sits by his water source