East Africa

East Africa is home to some of the continent's most remarkable ecosystems — the Great Rift Valley, the East African Rift lakes, expansive forests, and the Indian Ocean coastline. These environments support millions of people and extraordinary biodiversity, but they are under increasing pressure from extractive industries, agricultural expansion, and climate change. Environmental defenders protecting these ecosystems are among the most at-risk on the continent.

ERA's East Africa hub, anchored by Defend Defenders in Uganda, brings together civil society organizations working on a spectrum of environmental justice issues — from oil extraction in the Great Lakes region to land rights disputes on the coast. The hub connects regional voices to the broader continental campaign for a binding environmental rights agreement, while also building rapid-response capacity for defenders under threat.