Indigenous fruit trees and shrubs (IFTS) are essential for food security, nutrition, and livelihoods in the drylands of Tigray, Ethiopia. This study assessed the diversity, distribution, and traditional management of 44 edible IFTS species across agroecological zones and land use types using surveys with 495 respondents. Species richness was highest in lowland areas and communal forests, while home gardens in midlands showed the greatest diversity. Cordia africana was the most widespread species. Management practices such as protection, watering, and pruning were influenced by the perceived value of each species. The findings underscore the need for conservation strategies and highlight agroforestry as a viable in-situ approach for sustaining IFTS in human-impacted landscapes.
Tag: biodiversity conservation
Multistakeholder Engagement to Scale Soil Health Globally: The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health
Healthy soil plays a vital role in ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, water cycling, farmer livelihoods, and food security. Despite its significance, soil health has often been overlooked, though recent global initiatives, such as the Nairobi Declaration and the EU Soil Mission, signal growing momentum. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration launched in 2021, alongside the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which advocated for coalitions of action to transform food systems. In response, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) was established to raise awareness, enhance collaboration, and scale healthy soil practices. Since its inception, CA4SH has expanded to nearly 200 members across public and private sectors, NGOs, research institutions, and farmer organizations, with a strong focus on gender equity and social inclusion (GESI). The Coalition builds partnerships to overcome economic, technical, and institutional barriers, facilitating evidence-based policy implementation and supporting financial investment in soil health. Through multinational dialogues, CA4SH has contributed to key climate policy frameworks, including COP27, COP28, and the UNCCD COP16 Riyadh Action Agenda. Positioned within the global environmental transition, CA4SH aims to drive soil health improvements for food systems transformation, economic resilience, and climate adaptation.
How uneven access shapes the socio-economic and environmental potential of game meat value chains: The case of legal game meat in Zambia
Game meat plays a significant role in human nutrition, food security, and cultural traditions worldwide, yet it also carries risks such as overharvesting and exposure to zoonotic and food-borne diseases. These risks are particularly pronounced in complex value chains where game meat moves from rural to urban areas. Enhancing regulation of the game meat sector is a key strategy to mitigate these challenges. This study focuses on Zambia’s game meat value chain, employing semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including government regulators (n = 9), game ranchers (n = 31), licensed resident hunters (n = 20), game meat retailers (n = 25), and retailers not selling game meat (n = 15). Zambia is actively working to regulate its game meat sector to meet consumer demand, curb illegal hunting, mitigate health risks, and support socio-economic development. The study examines sectoral changes, key actors’ involvement in value chain activities, and barriers to participation and benefit distribution. Grounded in political ecology, the analysis applies the concept of access—defined as the ability to benefit from resources, land, institutions, and governing regulations—offering deeper insights into the intersection of biodiversity conservation, socio-economic development, and public health. Despite advancements, access to the value chain remains inequitable, with existing ranches benefiting the most while communities that rely on game meat for food security and nutrition face significant barriers. Persistent unmet demand raises concerns about illegal hunting and health risks. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for robust frameworks that strengthen community and customary institutions’ roles in the legal game meat market, particularly in areas where riskier hunting practices occur due to demand pressures. Strengthening equitable access and regulatory mechanisms will be essential in fostering a sustainable and inclusive game meat sector.
Nutritional Diversity in Native Germplasm of Maize Collected From Three Different Fragile Ecosystems of India
Native maize germplasm is uniquely adapted to specific ecological niches, having been preserved over generations due to local communities’ preference for their distinct taste, culinary utility, and low cultivation costs. These varieties hold promise for addressing malnutrition and serve as valuable genetic resources for trait-linked improvements. This study examines thirty-three native maize germplasm collected from Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, spanning altitudes from 386 to 2,028 meters. Their nutritional profiles—including moisture (7.16–10.9%), ash (0.73–1.93%), crude protein (8.68–12.0%), crude fat (3.72–8.03%), dietary fiber (5.21–11.2%), and available carbohydrates (60.6–69.8%)—were compared against the Indian Food Composition Table 2017 (IFCT2017). Notably, three accessions—Malan 11 (7.06%), Malan 24 (7.20%), and Yellow Chamba Local 02 (8.03%)—exhibited nearly double the crude fat content reported in IFCT2017 (3.77%). Additionally, all germplasm except Yellow Chamba Local demonstrated higher protein levels than IFCT2017 values, with Sathi, Safed Chamba Local, and Ragal Makka reaching nearly 12%. Iron deficiency remains a global concern, and this study found that several germplasm contained iron levels nearly three times higher than IFCT2017 values. A negative correlation was observed between altitude and available carbohydrate content, while dietary fiber, protein, and fat showed inverse relationships with carbohydrate availability. These findings underscore the potential of native maize germplasm for nutritional enhancement, food labeling, and crop improvement initiatives.
Carbon pricing: Approaches, lessons and recommendations for blue carbon in Vietnam
Vietnam possesses significant potential for blue carbon development, offering opportunities for climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic growth. This report examines the critical role of carbon pricing mechanisms in unlocking this potential, focusing on both compliance and voluntary carbon markets.
Species-Poor Mangrove Forests also Provide Rich Ecosystem Goods and Services
Mangrove forests provide a wide range of services to coastal communities worldwide. These services include carbon sequestration and coastal protection, both of which are critical in the context of climate change. However, these wetlands are still experiencing destructive anthropogenic impacts in many areas. Senegal and Colombia, two countries in the Atlantic-East Pacific biogeographic region, both have abundant mangrove cover and share several mangrove species. This study assessed the use of mangrove resources (fuelwood, timber, and other non-timber forest products) by local communities in both countries. A total of 210 semi-structured ethnobotanical questionnaire-based interviews were conducted in Sokone and neighboring villages bordering the Sine-Saloum Delta in Senegal (110) and in the Cispata lagoon system in Colombia (100). The results for Senegal indicate that individuals residing near the Sine-Saloum Delta in neighboring villages rely more on mangroves compared to those living in Sokone. In Colombia, reliance on mangroves was associated with occupational activities. Despite lower species diversity compared to the Indo-West Pacific biogeographic region, mangroves provide various services in both areas, underscoring their significance to local communities and their livelihoods. Finally, the Indigenous and local knowledge emphasizes the need for alternatives to mangrove resources and the promotion of sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the conservation of mangroves and the continued provision of essential services.
Restoring forest cover at diverse sites across Canada can balance synergies and trade-offs
Swift action to restore forests is critical for mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity. Canada has an ambitious program to plant two billion trees to help exceed the country’s emissions targets while restoring forest habitat and providing social and economic benefits. We conducted a systematic analysis of where new tree cover can maximally achieve these benefits while minimizing implementation costs. Accounting for critiques of global restoration mapping that include the overestimation of mitigation potential and inadequate biodiversity and social safeguards, we find that 19.1 Mha are available, which is much more than the approximately 1.2 Mha needed to plant two billion trees. Optimization scenarios for 1.2 Mha revealed synergies and trade-offs. Scenarios prioritizing low costs, accessibility, and high growth are concentrated in temperate and coastal areas, overlapping partly with biodiversity scenarios, but with trade-offs of higher costs. A diverse portfolio of regionally restored sites, each tailored for specific attributes, is most likely to deliver multiple benefits at the pace demanded by the current crises.
Effectiveness of farmer-managed natural regeneration as a restoration technique
Trees on farms as a nature-based solution for biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes
For the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, it will no longer be sufficient to seek to limit biodiversity loss through agriculture. Instead, agriculture must become an integral element of sustainable landscapes a force for conserving biodiversity and providing vital ecosystem services to local populations and securing livelihoods.
Trees on Farms for Biodiversity
Increasing both the number of trees and species on farms helps conserve and restore biodiversity and improves agricultural productivity. We work with communities, governments and NGOs to promote this approach in Honduras, Indonesia, Peru, Rwanda and Uganda.