Cath Traynor is a highly experienced professional in the field of ecosystem management and rights-based environmental advocacy. Since August 2019, Cath Traynor has served as Programme Officer and Regional Coordinator for Asia at The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility, facilitating grants and technical support to strengthen communal land and forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Prior roles include Programme Director for Climate Change at Natural Justice, where Cath Traynor developed strategic initiatives and secured funding for community-based climate advocacy, and Ecosystems Advisor at Peace Parks Foundation, providing technical guidance on biodiversity and sustainable land use in Africa. With a robust academic background, including a PhD from the University of Liverpool, Cath Traynor has contributed to research projects and implemented education and training programs across various international contexts.
The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility
The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility (Tenure Facility) is the first and only international, multi-stakeholder financial mechanism exclusively focused on securing land and forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It provides grants to implement tenure rights under existing law and policy and shares the knowledge, innovations and tools that emerge. The Tenure Facility is dedicated to scaling up recognition of collective land and forest rights globally. This helps reduce conflict and further the achievement of global human rights, environment, and development goals. The Tenure Facility is an international foundation registered in Sweden. The Tenure Facility is supported by several donors, including the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Good Energies Foundation, Mulago Foundation, the European Commission, Global Wildlife Conservation, and the Ford Foundation.