Soil biodiversity remains one of the least systematically studied components of global biodiversity, largely invisible in policy agendas. A coordinated soil biodiversity monitoring approach is urgently needed to enable national-level action.
Tag: biodiversity
Inbreeding depression, functional traits and phenotypic plasticity in an endangered tree species with a mixed mating system
Pericopsis elata, a highly logged African timber species, shows unusually high self-fertilization (54%) and suffers from poor natural regeneration. To understand how inbreeding depression (ID) affects growth and functional traits, 540 seedlings were monitored for four years in a Nelder-type density gradient. Nine morphological and eight chemical leaf traits were measured, alongside growth metrics, with paternity analyses distinguishing inbred vs. outbred plants. Results revealed that outbred plants consistently grew faster than inbred ones, confirming ID across competition levels. While mean leaf trait values did not differ significantly between inbred and outbred plants, plasticity in traits such as chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, and leaf fresh mass was higher in outbred individuals. This suggests that ID in P. elata growth is linked not to trait averages but to reduced adaptive phenotypic plasticity. The study highlights the need for further intraspecific research to clarify how ID interacts with functional traits and plasticity, informing silvicultural strategies for sustainable management.
A global biodiversity use data infrastructure acknowledging indigenous and local knowledge
Many global biodiversity datasets overlook or misrepresent the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Afro-Descendants (IPLCAD). We propose minimum data and metadata standards for a global data infrastructure on biodiversity knowledge and use, co-designed with IPLCAD, including information on language, community attribution and consent, to ensure data traceability and ethical use. This initiative integrates ancestral and academic sciences to advance inclusive biodiversity governance, addressing historical inequities for global sustainability.
Agroecology for sustainable development: evidence on multidimensional performance from a cross-country TAPE assessment in Africa
Introduction: Agroecology is increasingly recognized as a pathway for transforming agrifood systems and advancing progress toward the SDGs. Yet, large-scale, cross-context evidence on its multidimensional performance as framed holistically by the FAO’s 10 Elements remains limited. Methods: The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) and the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) were applied on 839 farming households in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Madagascar. Correlation analysis was used to quantify relationship between agroecological integration and multidimensional performance key drivers were identified through regression analysis. Results and Discussion: Higher levels of agroecological integration are significantly positively correlated with higher performance across economic, environmental and social domains. This implies that the environmental benefits of agroecology do not come at the cost of reduced productivity and profitability and suggests that agroecology significantly contributes to sustainable development in Africa. Sociocultural Elements of Agroecology, including human and social values, culture and food traditions, and knowledge co-creation, emerged as key drivers of agroecological transitions and multidimensional performance. However, barriers remain, such as high input costs, insecure land tenure (particularly for women), and low youth engagement in farming. The study emphasizes the need for enabling policies that support agroecological business models, secure tenure rights, and foster equitable, labor-saving innovations. By providing multi-country evidence, it underscores the value of systemic, holistic food system assessments to guide agroecological transitions.
Demystifying the Romanticized Narratives About Carbon Credits From Voluntary Forest Conservation
Carbon offset projects aimed at avoiding deforestation and forest degradation, generally labeled “REDD+,” are frequently promoted as a pivotal tool to mitigate climate change, promising to offer additional co-benefits for biodiversity and local communities. Despite this optimism, most positive impacts claimed by these initiatives in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) lack empirical support and are instead based on the hopeful narratives of stakeholders with clear conflicts of interest. We critically examine the scientific theories, concepts, and evidence regarding VCM’s REDD+ projects, highlighting limitations on the quantification of their purported benefits that are inherent to the current design of carbon markets. Independent studies consistently point to shortcomings in the rigor and credibility of crediting methodologies and other procedures, which market players have been slow or reluctant to address. There is accumulating evidence that projects’ climate and social impacts are often exaggerated due to a range of technical and practical shortcomings. We hope this work clarifies widespread misconceptions associated with REDD+ projects in the VCM and assists organizations and policymakers in their efforts to meaningfully mitigate climate change.
Contributions of ICRAF to the implementation of the global plan of action for the conservation, sustainable use and development of forest genetic resources
The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources, submission by ICRAF.
ICRAF was established in 1978 to promote agroforestry research in developing countries. A Genetic Resources Unit was added in 1990 and the work on tree genetic resources (TGR) further strengthened with the establishment of the ICRAF genebank in 1997, which now hosts the world’s largest holdings of agroforestry tree genetic resources. ICRAF is an article 15 Centre under an MoU with FAO on behalf of the governing body of the International Treaty On Plant Genetic Resources For Food And Agriculture (ITPGRFA) with regard to ex situ collections of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture held in trust by ICRAF. ICRAF was part of the CGIAR Genebank Platform 2011-2021. Of the eleven CGIAR Genebanks, the ICRAF Genebank is the only one primarily conserving tree genetic resources. ICRAF led the global research programme “Tree Genetic Resources to bridge production gaps and promote resilience” 2017-2021, which was a flagship project under the CGIAR Research Programme (CRP) on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). ICRAF merged in 2019 with CIFOR to become CIFOR-ICRAF while maintaining also separate legal entities. Trees and forest genetic resources, and biodiversity is one of CIFOR-ICRAFs research for impact themes 2020-2030.
To see the full FAO report, please read it here .
Becoming Nature Positive: Transitioning to a Safe and Just Future
As humanity sits at an existential crossroads, this book introduces the need to build a nature-positive future to secure the functioning and stability of Earth systems essential to the survival and wellbeing of present and future human generations as well as the rest of Earth’s amazing diversity of life.
Alongside the change in climate, a more silent but equally terrifying crisis is unfolding: the loss of nature and biodiversity. These twin crises are in fact interconnected. After decades of ignoring our impacts on the natural world, we are beginning to realise that nature conservation is a security issue for humanity, and an imperative for intersectional and intergenerational justice. For these reasons, we must embrace a transition from a nature-negative to a nature-positive society, one that ensures human development and addresses today’s inequality, while conserving, restoring and sustainably benefiting from nature’s resources and services. A Nature Positive future is one with more nature than today: more forests, more fish, more pollinators, more soil biodiversity, with benefits for the Planet and for us. In this book we define what becoming Nature Positive means from a variety of perspectives, what it takes to deliver it and why it is possible and, most importantly, necessary.
This book is essential reading for those concerned with conserving nature and securing a safe future for humanity in the face of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and ecological collapse. The future can be bright. The choice is ours.
Effectiveness of the global protected area network in representing species diversity
The Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, announced in September 2003 that the global network of protected areas now covers 11.5% of the planet’s land surface1. This surpasses the 10% target proposed a decade earlier, at the Caracas Congress2, for 9 out of 14 major terrestrial biomes1. Such uniform targets based on percentage of area have become deeply embedded into national and international conservation planning3. Although politically expedient, the scientific basis and conservation value of these targets have been questioned4,5. In practice, however, little is known of how to set appropriate targets, or of the extent to which the current global protected area network fulfils its goal of protecting biodiversity. Here, we combine five global data sets on the distribution of species and protected areas to provide the first global gap analysis assessing the effectiveness of protected areas in representing species diversity. We show that the global network is far from complete, and demonstrate the inadequacy of uniform—that is, ‘one size fits all’—conservation targets.
Conservation and sustainable management of below-ground biodiversity in Indonesia in the context of the global CSM-BGBD project
On August 1, 2002, the Project Document was signed, marking the official start of the project “conservation and sustainable management of below-ground biodiversity” with the acronym CSM-BGBD. The project is generally referred to as the BGBD project, and has a lifespan of 5 years. The Project Objective is ‘to enhance awareness, knowledge and understanding of below-ground biological diversity important to sustainable agricultural production in tropical landscapes by the demonstration of methods for conservation and sustainable management’. Project Components include:1)Internationally accepted standard methods for characterization and evaluation of BGBD, including a set of indicators for BGBD loss.2)(a) Inventory and evaluation of BGBD in benchmark sites representing a range of globally significant ecosystems and land uses; and (b) developing a global information exchange network for BGBD. 3)Sustainable and replicable management practices for BGBD conservation identified and implemented in pilot demonstration sites in representative tropical forest landscapes in seven countries. 4)Recommendations of alternative land use practices and an advisory support system for policies that will enhance the conservation of BGBD. 5)Improved capacity of all relevant institutions and stakeholders to implement conservation management of BGBD in a sustainable and efficient manner.
Wildlife boost in African forests certified for sustainable logging
Tropical forests stand out as being the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems. They provide essential ecosystem services, such as supplying wild meat for consumption by millions of forest dwellers, and they sequester carbon — some estimates suggest that tropical forests store 25% of global carbon and host 96% of the world’s tree species. Despite their ecological importance, tropical forests face severe threats as a result of human activities, including deforestation by small farmers, the conversion of forest to industrial agriculture and unregulated commercial logging. Writing in Nature, Zwerts et al., provide insights into the consequences of managing timber from tropical forests in a sustainable manner through a certification process.