Green Echoes #48: ERC's grant programme deadline approaching, other opportunities and more
Welcome to the August edition of Green Echoes, your monthly newsletter from the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC). Our mission is to provide you with an all-encompassing update on the latest investigative stories, data sources, reporting and training opportunities, and noteworthy projects related to environmental issues across Asia and beyond.
♻️ Environmental reporting to take note of
For the first time, a newsroom outside India has documented on the ground the devastating impacts this “maladaptive” infrastructural intervention, set to open next year, has on Indigenous Koli fishermen -- and how they are fighting back. A report from Lotus Jetty, Mumbai, with words and images Kang-Chun Cheng and Alex Ip
Jyoti Madhusoodanan, highlights the use of hydroponics in India's Thar Desert to grow animal fodder, addressing water scarcity and improving livestock productivity. It follows Palu, a pastoralist, and her success in using hydroponic farming to sustain her cattle and preserve her traditional way of life in the challenging desert environment.
Annelies Vanbelle sheds light on the struggles faced by Ayetoro, Nigeria, a once-thriving fishing town. Rising sea levels and oil pollution are wreaking havoc on the community, jeopardizing the livelihoods of fishermen and highlighting the urgent need for environmental responsibility and sustainable water management.
In the Red Sea, the United Nations is attempting to prevent an environmental disaster by defusing a potential oil spill from the decaying FSO Safer, an abandoned oil tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude. Saqib Rahim discusses the efforts made by the UN and the challenges they face in mitigating the risk posed by the tanker, which could cause extensive ecological and economic damage if it spills its cargo.
In Nigeria's Cross River State, the Small Mammal Conservation Organisation (SMACON) is taking action to prevent wildfires caused by farmers during the dry season, which threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the area. Ekpali Saint highlights SMACON's dedication to protecting endangered species and preventing wildfire events in the region.
Grängesberg Exploration, a prospective owner of the Sydvaranger iron ore mine in Norway, is considering disposing of waste in a protected National Salmon Fjord, despite criticism from marine scientists. This article sheds light on the environmental concerns surrounding the mine's waste disposal plans.
🚀 ERC’s Collaborative Reporting Grants
The ERC Collaborative Reporting Grants 2023 is now open for application. Designed to support journalists working together on tracing environmental crimes across borders, we seek to support teams to bring out the most pressing environmental issues of our times.
In 2022, ERC supported nine teams of reporters working from more than a dozen countries to uncover environmental issues across the globe. In the latest round, ERC seeks to support similar stories as well as reports specific to sand mining as a follow-up to Beneath the Sands.
The grants are aimed at promoting collaborations to allow journalists from different countries to fill in gaps in each others’ reporting. Applications must include at least two journalists or news outlets from different countries or regions. Freelance journalists are welcome to apply.
If you’re interested and ready to apply, please prepare the following:
A one-page story proposal with details of your idea and reporting plan. The proposal must emphasize what will be new or revelatory about your story and how each reporter will contribute to the story.
A budget that lays out the anticipated expenses for the project. This may include fees for records requests, travel and lodging, and a stipend for freelance reporters. Please download and use ERC’s budget template here.
Resumes for each journalist with links to previously published reports and at least two professional references.
For media outlets, data about your reach, audience, and links to previous investigations. Note: News outlets are strongly encouraged to sign up as a partner newsroom with ERC before or when applying, but it's not required and will not jeopardize their application.
For staff writers, a letter of support from an editor in your newsroom.
For freelance journalists, a letter of interest from a news outlet willing or committed to publish your story.
Looking for inspiration? Check out some of our grant-funded stories from the last cohort:
Kenya, Uganda struggling to stop illegal fishing in Lake Victoria
How Unregulated Tourism Means for the Future of the Himalayas
Kashmir: How Glacier Melt Is Triggering a Change in Land Use Patterns
European green finance is paying for deforestation in Indonesia: the case of Michelin
The deadline for applications for Collaborative Reporting Grants is August 15, 2023. You may contact Karol Ilagan at contact@investigative.earth for additional questions.
Stay in the loop and join the ERC Slack community to connect with the ERC team and also meet and engage with fellow journalists and find journalists to collaborate with
⬆️ Opportunities, grants, training, jobs
Early-career environmental journalists can apply for the second cohort of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship. Apply here
Pulitzer Center is looking for a data-savvy journalist/ editor who wants to join our Environmental Investigations Unit to advise on data gathering and analysis strategies. Apply here
Climate Tracker is looking for eight journalists from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela who want to tell stories about those obstructing the energy transition in the region with a desire to continue improving and growing as professionals. Apply here
The Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) is offering scholarships to mid-career professionals to study in the Netherlands for mid-career professionals from one of these countries: Bangladesh • Benin • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Colombia • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) • Egypt • Ethiopia • Ghana • Iraq • Indonesia • Jordan • Kenya • Lebanon • Mali • Mozambique • Niger • Nigeria • Palestinian Territories • Rwanda • Senegal • Somalia • South Africa • South Sudan • Tanzania • Tunisia • Vietnam • Yemen. Apply here
Young and emerging photographers are invited to submit applications for the 2023 Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant. It will offer financial support, mentorship and ongoing assistance for the promotion of photojournalists’ work. Apply here
DW Akademie is looking for podcasting trainers and coaches for various countries and regions focusing on climate change or mental health. Apply here
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