Celebrating Earth Day with Global Forest Generation

Celebrating Earth Day with Global Forest Generation: Growing Forests, Resilience and Community Stewardship

Avery Dennison Foundation

April 21, 2025

Celebrating Earth Day with Global Forest Generation

(Photo courtesy of ECOAN, in Vilcanota, Peru.)

"Acción Andina is not just about producing and restoring young trees. It’s about working hand-in-hand with the local communities."
— Rosmery Ayala, Executive Director of Faunagua, Acción Andina partner, Bolivia

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating the work of Avery Dennison Foundation (ADF) grantee Global Forest Generation, which co-founded a Latin American-led native forest landscape restoration initiative, Acción Andina.

Acción Andina was born out of the vision of biologist and Incan descendant Constantino (Tino) Aucca Chutas, who has worked with Indigenous communities to restore and protect native forests in Peru’s high Andes for more than 20 years.

Acción Andina is harnessing local and Indigenous principles of “Ayni and Minka,” which, in high-Andean cultures, are closely tied to the meaning of “reciprocity and shared communal work.” Using a forest conservation model driven by and for local and Indigenous communities, the initiative approaches restoration as a communal service where every villager participates, making it cost-effective and deeply respectful of local cultures.

(Left to right) Abdias Villoslada Taipe of Huascarán National Park, Florent Kaiser, CEO of Global Forest Generation, Adán Damian, President of Aquia Community, and Constantino Aucca Chutas, President of Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos and Acción Andina at a recent tree-planting in Vilcanota, Peru.

A grant by ADF has been instrumental in advancing the goals of Global Forest Generation’s Acción Andina, which aims to protect and restore ecosystems in the high-Andean forests. The work of Acción Andina aligns with ADF’s Environmental Sustainability pillar, which supports efforts to improve environmental sustainability through climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation. It also touches on ADF’s Secure Livelihoods work. The people who benefit from Acción Andina’s program primarily live in rural, Indigenous communities in the high Andes, spread across multiple countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Deeply connected to their land, these communities are collaboratively restoring and protecting their environment to ensure long-term sustainability and preserve their unique cultural identity for future generations.

According to Kathleen McGibbon, development officer of Global Forest Generation, “Receiving the ADF grant has been incredibly meaningful for Acción Andina. The grant has helped provide essential resources for seedling production, tree planting, and long-term forest protection, benefiting the environment and those who depend on these ecosystems.”

(Left to right: Alexandra Calero and John Paredes in San Isidro de Patulu, Chimborazo Province. Photo courtesy of Wilton Alcivar)

“I feel hope because we see that by planting Polylepis, we are planting life. The Polylepis is helping us protect water resources and replenish wetlands so that we can achieve a better quality of life.”
— Alexandra Calero, Andean Adventures, Acción Andina partner, Ecuador

The impacts of the grant are impressive, bolstering the restoration of the forests and the health, economic resilience, and job opportunities for local communities. Specifically, the grant enabled the Acción Andina initiative to:

Restore thousands of hectares of high-altitude forests across South America, where 12 million native saplings have been planted.
Provide local communities with a holistic approach to training. By integrating modern restoration techniques with ancient Incan wisdom, communities are adapting to environmental challenges and reclaiming and revitalizing their natural heritage.

Address water security in the high Andes by enabling the construction of water catchment systems, which ensure that local families have access to clean water and clean cooking stoves that help improve indoor air quality and reduce deforestation caused by firewood collection.

(Photo taken in Aquia, Peru)

“For us, water is a source of life…there is no other institution that helps us in this way.”
— Justina Quispe Taco, Member of Rumira Sondormaor Native Community, Peru

The ADF grant has also helped to empower 35 project leaders, 210 project coordinators and nursery staff, creating job opportunities that strengthen the local economy and reduce out-migration.

“Beyond the financial support, being an ADF grant recipient affirms the importance of our mission and the impact of community-led conservation,” added McGibbon. “It allows us to expand our reach, empower more local leaders, and accelerate the restoration of critical water sources in the Andes. We are deeply grateful for this partnership, as it fuels not just tree planting but also long-term environmental resilience and community stewardship.”

Acción Andina was named a United Nations World Restoration Flagship in 2024 and honored with Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in 2023, marking a significant milestone. Both honors acknowledged Acción Andina for its transformative work restoring ecosystems, highlighting the program as a model for others to follow.

As we celebrate Earth Day, we’re reminded that environmental sustainability is inseparable from community sustainability. ADF’s support of Global Forest Generation and its Acción Andina initiative exemplify the bold, collaborative philanthropy needed to protect our planet and uplift the people who care for it. By investing in ecosystem restoration, local leadership, job creation, and cultural knowledge-sharing, ADF is supporting a future where environmental action is inclusive, rooted in community, and lasting. It's a celebration of Earth and all who steward it—today and for generations to come.

Acción Andina at a recent tree-planting event in Aquia, Peru.

Back to all blogs

Celebrating Earth Day with Global Forest Generation: Growing Forests, Resilience and Community Stewardship

You may also like

The Avery Dennison Foundation Celebrates International Women’s Day

Celebrating the 2024 Avery Dennison Foundation Leadership Excellence Awardees

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Avery Dennison’s Voz Latina ERG Uplifts Hispanic and Latinx Voices