01.

Editorial

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In Zoï’s livelong career in communication design in a UN environment we have encountered many clients, colleagues and friends suffering from what can be called ‘empty space phobia’, not permitting any blank space anywhere. As if the medium – also electronic – was something highly precious, ignoring that the audience’s need to relax may be invaluable, too.

Today’s state of the world actually leaves us speechless; one way to express this is through this blank page. Being Zoï, we nevertheless remain optimistic.
02.

Financial statement

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Stories in 2024 – 1

Glaciers:
The Visible Face of
Climate Change

Johanna Zwahlen

Not long after the disappearance of glaciers became a well-known symbol of climate change, the world is now facing the likelihood that the opportunity to preserve them may have already passed. The melting ice threatens water security, increases natural hazards, contributes to sea level rise, and disrupts ecosystems and livelihoods that depend on mountain resources. The entire cryosphere is threatened. To address the impacts of cryosphere loss, urgent action is required to build resilience in mountain communities and beyond.

Recognizing the important role of glaciers, the United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. Glaciers are the visible face of climate change, making them a powerful symbol for raising awareness,  but snow and ice in all their forms are also relevant. They play vital roles in water availability and landscape stability and demand attention as well. While “preservation” suggests safeguarding glaciers in their current state – which, with ongoing climate change, is no longer possible – I think the goal should be to ensure the continuation of the essential services on which people and ecosystems depend. 

In 2024, as part of Adaptation at Altitude, a collaborative Swiss programme focused on mountains, I continued to strengthen science-policy platforms and dialogue to enhance the resilience of mountain communities. In preparation for the International Year of Glacier Preservation, we focused on risk reduction of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods, and highlighted available solutions and recommendations from a global review of case studies in a communication campaign aimed at decision-makers. In 2025, I expect to continue this work with my colleagues at Zoï and Adaptation at Altitude, and to place greater emphasis on climate change adaptation related to the cryosphere as a whole.

https://zoinet.org/product/glof-brochure/

Stories in 2024 – 2

Zoï Maps

In my childhood, the old-fashioned, oversized world atlas we had in our house fueled my dreams of travelling to exotic territories. As a hiker and ski tourer in my teens, I used maps to navigate the Alps and to cross forests as a competitive orienteer. When I was a young adult studying geography, maps became something of an obsession. I learned to make them with geographic information systems, and later found my professional calling as someone who uses maps to communicate information about the state of the environment. In collaboration with the French cartographer, geographer and information designer Philippe Rekacewicz, I entered a world of geopolitically significant environmental maps. 

In 2009, Zoï started working with Matthias Beilstein, a young Swiss cartographer and probably among the last to still learn the craft of manual map making at Swisstopo – the Swiss national mapping agency. Since then, Matt has turned to digital tools, but precise Swiss handicraft remains at the centre of his work. Whether mapping global environment and security issues, the world’s mountains, Central Asia water cooperation or the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine, his map shave defined a recognizable Zoï style. 

This year, Zoï decided to acknowledge Matt’s contributions by featuring his work to tell the complicated story of climate change, water and energy in the Middle East in five maps. As the foreword to this high-quality printed book notes, the target audience includes “map lovers, aficionados, and all sorts of experts, scholars, politicians, dictators, autodidacts, artists, traders, students, cranks, and what not, or anyone really, who is simply interested in geography or geopolitics.” Thanks to a bookbinding innovation– the so-called flatbook technique – nothing of the beautiful maps is lost in the fold. The minimal explanatory text invites readers to dive into the maps to discover things for themselves, and maybe even dream about the possible futures for the region and for our planet.

https://zoinet.org/product/middle-east-nexus-maps/

Otto Simonett & Matthias Beilstein

Stories in 2024 – 3

Return to
the Caucasus

In my previous engagement in the South Caucasus, I worked in Armenia on a National Framework for Climate Services project where I enjoyed the enthusiastic participation of Armenian organizations, building networks based on trust. Earlier, I was engaged in Zoï’s groundbreaking work on environment and security and climate change and security in the Caucasus. Then came Covid, the new war in Nagorny Karabakh, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So, only in 2024 was I able to return to the South Caucasus, this time pleased to join a Swiss fact-finding mission for a new project on forest restoration and climate change in Armenia – FORACCA. This project will support the climate-smart management of Armenian forests in an effort to protect Armenian livelihoods and biodiversity.  

The project will bring the country Swiss climate research, hands-on experience in forest management and in adaptation to climate change, and support for Armenia’s climate policy actors. The Zoï team will play its particular role by bringing climate data, scenarios and other useful knowledge to practitioners, economic sectors and communities. As a member of the team, I look forward to my return to the Caucasus after a four-year absence.  

This work is one of many responses to the urgency of the climate crisis, discussed again last year for the first time in the South Caucasus, in Azerbaijan, at the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Despite criticism on political and human rights grounds, the Baku COP 29 reached agreement among UN members.  In November 2026, Yerevan, Armenia, will host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. After having been at the climate COP in Baku, we will surely be at the biodiversity COP in Yerevan. After all, international diplomacy remains an essential if weak tool of multilateralism.

https://www.wsl.ch/en/projects/foracca/

Nickolai Denisov

Stories in 2024 – 4

­Nature Conservation
in Central Asia  

One of my ongoing assignments is to help popularize information on conservation through simplified maps, posters, cartoons, games and web resources. I also work on more serious stuff: conservation science and finance analysis, policy recommendations, and contributions to national biodiversity strategies and processes under conventions. The conservation community comprises organizations of every type –civil society organizations; government departments and ministries; academies of science and university groups; foundations and the private sector. My role entails bringing together diverse groups to collaborate on finding or promoting solutions to the many problems – large and small – confronting the conservation of our natural heritage.  

Zoï works in Central Asia to support the contribution and visibility of civil society and public organizations in conservation, to introduce novel concepts, and to provide visual and analytical input on risks and solutions. Together with Conservation International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, I led the 2016–2017 Ecosystem Profile project, which introduced the concept of Key Biodiversity Areas and resulted in USD 8 million grant programme and other funding. The Ecosystem Profile is currently being updated in consultation with more than 100 partners. I also enjoy regular, albeit small, engagements with the OSCE and OECD teams, to promote awareness and action at the local and policy level, and to demonstrate the vast diversity of actors and opportunities for conservation.  

You might ask: Do the plants and animals notice a difference from conservation efforts? In my opinion, yes, they do. We can measure the progress by the status of species on the Red List or the extent of forests and protected areas. We canal so use other metrics to understand how many people and civil society groups are aware of species and conservation needs, and to know how many companies respect the safeguards.

https://zoinet.org/product/osce-biodiv/

Viktor Novikov

Stories in 2024 – 5

Towards a sustainable
future of fashion and construction   

In 2024, one of my projects called for me to design a report that examines the relationship between the fashion industry and land degradation, and another had me designing an exhibition that explored the potential of LC3 cement – a low-carbon alternative to conventional cement. The fashion and construction industries create huge environmental impacts worldwide, and each has a role to play in the transition toward a more sustainable and responsible future. These projects combined my interests in design and the environment, and both made a Zoï kind of contribution to our understanding of environmental connections. 

In collaboration with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Zoï produced a report revealing the environmental impact of the fashion industry on land.Fibre and textile production affects soils, forests, and biodiversity. The massive diversion of water for cotton cultivation in the 1960s, to name a stunning example, reduced the amount of water in the Aral Sea by 90 per cent, an environmental catastrophe for the local population. Textile waste presents another environmental challenge. In Chile, about 70 per cent of imported second-hand clothing ends up in landfills or illegal dumps, and the Atacama Desert has become the dumping ground for tens of thousands of tonnes of textile waste. The report was launched at the desertification COP 16 in Saudi Arabia, and the report’s images, infographics and text drew considerable attention among the participants. 

A large portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry comes from material production, with cement production alone accounting for 8 per cent of global emissions. In response, the Swiss Federal Technology Institute developed LC3 cement – an alternative that reduces emissions in cement production by up to 40 per cent. In collaboration with the LC3 project team, Zoï mounted an exhibition at the Mextropoli festival of architecture in Mexico City. The exhibition raised awareness among architects and urban planners about the adoption of materials that minimize the environmental impact of production.

https://zoinet.org/product/unccd-fashion-land/
https://zoinet.org/product/mexico-cement-exhibition/

Carolyne Daniel

Stories in 2024 – 6

Waste and Chemicals
in Palestine  

Over the past several years, I have been part of the team assisting the Environment Quality Authority in Palestine with its implementation of international agreements on the management of waste and chemicals. Palestine's political situation has always complicated the project in unexpected ways. At a workshop, for example, we spent a good chunk of time discussing how to report on transboundary waste movements that are illegal under the Basel Convention even though the Palestinian government has no control of its own borders and imports.

 That the war in the Gaza Strip has presented much greater challenges for implementing the project was no surprise, but the lesson I learned in resilience was. Zoï has seen a fair few projects screech to a halt in times of war, but we were surprised and impressed by the eagerness of the Palestinian team in the West Bank to continue the work despite the uncertainties. “We’re used to war,” one of our Palestinian partners explained. “It’s always been apart of our lives.” For them, the work of protecting their ecosystems and reducing the threat to their people’s health had to continue. It’s their job.  

And so, the work continued. We drafted plans for new institutional structures that better reflect the need to monitor waste systems and regulate chemicals, with the caveat that we don’t know what the government will look like in a year’s time. Training sessions turned hybrid, with Zoï hosting Geneva experts to share their expertise on Zoom while the Environment Quality Authority hosteds take holders in Ramallah. In some ways, the Covid-19 crisis prepared the Zoï team to make the changes needed to finish the work. But the resilience and enthusiasm of the Palestinian people is what kept the project rolling despite all odds. 

https://zoinet.org/product/palestine-chem-waste/

Alex Mackey

03.

People

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Alex Mackey – Project management and analysis – Geneva

Alexandra Povarich – Graphic design, climate and biodiversity – Taskhent

Camila Ponte – Content creation and social media management – Geneva

Carolyne Daniel
– Print and digital design, artistic direction – Geneva

Defne Salli – Analysis and communication internship  – Geneva

Dina Adylova – Graphic design  – Tashkent

Dmytro Averin – War impact analysis and data management – Irpin

Firuza Illarionova – Field and policy support Central Asia – Nicosia, Dushanbe

Geoff Hughes – Policy analysis, writing and editing – Port Townsend

Johanna.Zwahlen – Project management and analysis – Geneva

Karma Denisov
– Webmaster and social media – Himalayas

Lesya Nikolayeva
– Project management and communication greater Europe – Geneva

Lilia Wong 
– OSINT monitoring and analysis – Northampton

Maria Libert – Illustrations and graphic design – Stockholm

Maria Ziaja – Intern – Krakow

Marianne Gémin – Finance and administration – Geneva

Matthias Beilstein – Cartography – Schaffhausen

Nickolai Denisov, Deputy director – Environment and conflict  – Geneva

Otto Simonett, Director – Creative thinking and leadership – Geneva

Rebecca Jiménez – Project management and communication – Geneva

Viktor Novikov – Project development and management Central Asia – Geneva

Yevheniia Averina – OSINT monitoring and analysis – Irpin

04.

Board members

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Jörg Balsiger, President – Professor, Environmental Governance and Territorial Development, Université de Genève – Geneva

Yvan Rochat – Secrétaire général, Commune de Genthod – Geneva

Karen Landmark – Director, GRID-Arendal – Arendal
05.

Associates

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Aigerim Abdyzhaparova – BRI, climate, ecosystems – Moscow

Aleh Cherp – Sustainability and energy – Lund

Alex Kirby – Environmental journalism – Lewes

Alexandra Sternin – Graphic design – Konstanz

Amangul Ovezberdyyeva – Climate change and biodiversity – Ashgabat

Anvar Homidov – Climate change, environment and hydrology – Dushanbe

Carolyn Drake – Photographer – Vallejo

Dasha Mokhnacheva – Climate migration, disaster risk reduction – Incheon

Denis Sorokin – Water and communication – Tashkent

Doug Weir – Conflict and environment – Hebden Bridge

Ecaterina Melnicenco – Climate and DRR – Chisinau

Elena Kreuzberg – Ecosystems – Ottawa

Emmanuelle Bournay – Cartography and statistical analysis – Crest

Eoghan Darbyshire – Conflict and remote sensing – Hebden Bridge

Eric Nanchen – Sustainable mountain development – Sion

Florian Wüstholz – Journalism – Bern

Gamal Soronkulov – Local development – Chatkal

Hasan Abdel Fattah – Chemicals and waste – Nablus

Hermine Cooreman – Web development – Ghent

Hongqiao Liu – Environmental safeguards China – Paris

Irina Bekmirzaeva – Climate change – Almaty

Isacco Chiaf – Interactive design – Rome

Iskander Beglov – Water and communication – Tashkent

Jalil Abuduwaili – Geography and ecosystems – Urumqi

John Bennett – Environmental journalism – New York

John Cole-Baker – Mining – Trient

Joel Rabjins – Animations – Ghent

Julia Rende – Graphic design – Stockholm

Kanybek Isabaev – Environmental information – Osh

Katy Ayres – Legal analysis – Strathblane

Liesbeth Eeckman – Animations – Ghent

Lusine Taslakyan – Environmental information – Yerevan

Mamuka Gvilava – Environmental impact assessment – Tbilisi

Mamuka Khurtsidze – GIS entrepreneur – Tbilisi

Mazin Qumsiyeh – Biodiversity and sustainability – Bethlehem

Marina Denisova – Copy-editing – Lancy

Mikko Halonen – Environment and mining – Helsinki

Mila Teshaieva – Photography – Berlin

Mohammad Hassouna – Environmental engineer – Marseille

Mohammad Najajrah – Entomology – Bethlehem

Myriam Steinemann – Climate change – Zürich

Oleg Lystopad – Media and communication – Kyiv

Pavlo Bystrov – IT and data management – Kyiv

Oli Brown – Security and environment – Samoëns

Oxana Huliayeva – Water ecology and hydropower – Kyiv

Penny Langhammer – Key biodiversity areas – Portland

Peter Speelman – Legal analysis – Geneva

Rasul Ryskulov – Animations – Bishkek

Robert Bartram – Editing, writing – Geneva

Roman Kashkarov – Biodiversity – Tashkent

Ruslan Valitov – Cartoonist – Bishkek

Samual Gardaz – Red Sea corals – Geneva

Sergiy Zibtsev – Wildfire mapping and research – Kyiv

Sophie Thirion – Chemicals and waste – Geneva

Stefan Ruchti – Cryosphere – Laupen

Stefan Schwager – Climate finance – Gümligen

Stephen Graham – Copy-editing and storytelling – Berlin

Susanna de Panfilis – Physics – Geneva

Svein Tveitdal – Climate change activist – Froland

Talaibek Makeyev – Climate change and water – Bishkek

Tamar Bakuradze – Environmental information – Tbilisi

Tamara Mitrofanenko – Intergenerational learning – Vienna

Vafadar Ismaiyilov – Environmental information – Baku

Vahagn Tonoyan – Water management – Yerevan

Valentina Grigoryan – Climate services – Yerevan

Vicken Cheterian – Research and journalism – Geneva

Vera Mustafina – Waste management – Almaty

Yaroslav Tartykov – Graphic design – Bishkek

Yusup Kamalov – Local development – Nukus

Zurab Jincharadze – Caucasus environment – Tbilisi

06.

Zoï partners

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Memberships

Consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and accredited with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Member of the Swiss NGO DRR Platform, NDC Partnership, BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC) and Associated Programme of Flood Management (APFM) of the World Meteorological Organization and the Global Water Partnership. We are also a partner of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)—Barcelona Convention of the UN Environment Programme.

ABOUT US

Zoï 2024

Zoï Environment Network consists of over a dozen staff and consultants with expertise in geography, environmental science, engineering, cartography, design, copywriting and filmmaking. We work with an extensive network of local experts and recurring contributors whom we engage according to project-specific needs.

This year, our annual Zoï  retreat took place at l'Aubier the 28 and 29 November 2024.