Cléusia Cardina is a 24-year-old environmental organizer from Mozambique restoring degraded riverbanks with farmers in Chizombero through buffer planting and a community tree nursery.

Cardina’s project restores riparian habitat along a river in Chizombero, where declining rainfall and water scarcity have led farmers to cultivate and clear riverbanks. The work covers a 200-meter stretch on both banks, establishing a buffer more than 30 meters wide while helping farmers improve production on suitable land away from the water. A community tree nursery will supply seedlings for continued restoration and generate income by selling them to other projects. The program also introduces low-cost irrigation systems made with recycled PET bottles, linking watershed repair with practical support for local agriculture.

Cardina founded and coordinates the project, overseeing planning, partnerships, community engagement, nursery development and monitoring. She works with farmers to keep both the restoration strategy and its agricultural support grounded in local conditions.