Action for climate change mitigation and livelihood improvement must be synergized to ensure its sustainability. A community-based mangrove restoration activity has been piloted in Marga Sungsang Village, Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra, Indonesia since late 2023 and adopted a crab silvofishery as a business model. In the last three decades, mangroves in the village have been degraded mainly due to agricultural expansion, and it often occurs in the frontier of the protected forest area. This paper aims to analyze the potential benefit of the mangrove crab silvofishery model for livelihood an ecosystem. The study was using the Business Model Canvas and Five Livelihood Capital as framework for business model development. According to cost-benefit analysis to the pilot action arena, the NPV for the model is USD 5,080/ha with investment support and USD 2,241/ha without investment, for 4 years period of business. The results shows that the model is profitable and has potential to provide additional income for the community compared to depend on carbon business model that provide negative NPV. Silvofishery contributes to ecosystem rehabilitation and climate change mitigation efforts through monitored and maintained mangrove planting, as well as to avoid disturbance to the protected areas through active roles and presence of community in the frontier. Institutional development and capacity building, including in business literacy, are identified as a key success factor for community-based intervention besides the technical assistance. This local evidence provides a global narrative for combating climate change and livelihood improvement.
Tag: climate change mitigation
Bridging Technology and Local Participation: A Collaborative Approach for Peatland and Mangrove Restoration
Nowadays, global advancements in technology have revolutionized natural resource management and conservation efforts, offering new tools and frameworks to monitor and manage ecosystems. The integration of satellite imagery, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), drones, and mobile applications has facilitated real-time environmental data collection and analysis, enabling more informed decision-making. An effective monitoring system is recognized as essential to successful restoration and conservation efforts, as it allows to support adaptive management by measuring progress and helping to identify corrective actions needed for a long-term process. Learning from requirements, problems, limitations, and the emergence of new technologies, we develop a Community Based Restoration Monitoring System (CBRMS). The system is designed to be flexible, accessible, cost-effective, and user friendly. By utilizing affordable technologies, it ensures adoption by communities with limited resources also requires minimal technical expertise to maintain the system. The system can be adapted to different ecological and social contexts, ensuring its scalability and sustainability. It empowers local communities for an active role in monitoring environmental conditions and fostering local awareness that led to enhanced conservation efforts. This paper demonstrates the value of the CBRMS in supporting sustainable resource management and conservation efforts through combining participatory monitoring, science and technology. CBRMS serves as a bridge between local participation and modern ecological practices according to evidence of its application for community-based mangrove and peatland restoration in Indonesia. It measures the survival and growth of planted trees and related carbon sequestration. This system also demonstrates local participation in contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Multispecies allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass in plantation and natural dry Afromontane forests in northcentral Ethiopia
Dry Afromontane forests in Ethiopia are vital carbon sinks, yet accurate biomass and carbon stock assessments have been hindered by the lack of site-specific models. This study developed and validated multispecies allometric equations for Wof-Washa plantation and natural forests using biometric data from 127 trees across seven dominant species. Models incorporating diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height (H) explained up to 95% of aboveground biomass variation and outperformed pan-tropical models in accuracy and bias reduction. These findings provide robust tools for national carbon accounting and support sustainable forest management, contributing to climate mitigation and improved land-use planning in Ethiopia’s highland ecosystems.
Editorial: Socioeconomic implications of forests and forestry in a changing climate and governance
Forests provide critical ecosystem services—provisioning, regulating, and cultural—that support biodiversity, human well-being, and climate resilience. While wood remains the most documented forest product, non-wood forest products and services such as wild foods and recreation are increasingly recognized for their cultural and economic value. This special topic highlights the importance of viewing forests as multifunctional landscapes and underscores the role of governance in shaping forest use. Studies from Ethiopia and Malaysia illustrate how household fuelwood use and indigenous land rights intersect with carbon emissions and climate policy. Strengthening inclusive governance frameworks is essential to ensure forests contribute equitably to climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.
Are traditional agroforestry systems nature-based carbon sinks? Empirical evidence from Tanzania
Traditional agroforestry systems (TAFS) in Tanzania—Alalili, Ngitili, and Faidherbia parkland—play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, rural livelihoods, and climate change mitigation. This study quantified their carbon sequestration potential using field data from 48 plots. Results showed significant variation in total carbon stocks, with Faidherbia parkland storing the most (151.91 Mg C ha⁻¹) due to large-diameter trees, while Ngitili stored the least (17.96 Mg C ha⁻¹) despite higher stem density. These findings highlight TAFS as valuable nature-based carbon sinks and support their integration into climate strategies such as REDD+ and carbon farming. Strengthening TAFS can yield co-benefits for carbon storage, ecosystem services, and sustainable development.
Reduction of deforestation by agroforestry in high carbon stock forests of Southeast Asia
Agroforestry is widely practiced for its socio-economic and ecological benefits, but its effectiveness in reducing deforestation at the landscape scale remains uncertain. This study applied causal inference methods to analyze agroforestry’s impact across 38 subnational regions in Southeast Asia, including areas with high carbon stock forests and deforestation hotspots. The findings indicate local variability but an overall net reduction in deforestation of 250,319 hectares per year, translating to 58.8 ± 15.5 megatonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually (P < 0.05). These results highlight agroforestry’s role as a natural climate solution, particularly in the biodiverse forests of Southeast Asia, which store significant amounts of carbon. This study underscores the nuanced relationship between agroforestry and deforestation reduction, offering valuable insights for conservation and climate mitigation strategies.
Protect young secondary forests for optimum carbon removal
Avoiding severe global warming requires large-scale removals of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Forest regeneration offers cost-effective carbon removals, but annual rates vary substantially by location and forest age. Here we generate grid-level (~1-km2) growth curves for aboveground live carbon in naturally regrowing forests by combining 109,708 field estimates with 66 environmental covariates. Across the globe and the first 100 years of growth, maximum carbon removal rates varied 200-fold, with the greatest rates estimated in ~20- to 40-year-old forests. Despite a focus on new forests for natural climate solutions, protecting existing young secondary forests can provide up to 8-fold more carbon removal per hectare than new regrowth. These maps could help to target the optimal ages and locations where a key carbon removal strategy could be applied, and improve estimates of how secondary forests contribute to global carbon cycling.
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.
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.
Séquestration du carbone et provision d’autres services écosystémiques des parcs agroforestiers à karité au Burkina Faso [Carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services provided by shea-tree agroforestry parks in Burkina Faso]
Shea-tree agroforestry parks play a crucial role in climate mitigation and ecosystem services in West Africa, yet their carbon sequestration potential remains poorly documented. This study assesses the contribution of shea-tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) agroforestry parks in Burkina Faso, using household surveys and field inventories across three phytogeographical sectors. Findings indicate that over 89% of surveyed households have shea trees in their fields, which provide fuelwood, timber, improve soil fertility, and help control erosion. Tree density varies from 32 to 45 individuals per hectare, with an average height of 7.93 meters and a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 31.9 cm. Above-ground biomass estimates range from 15.5 to 42.8 Mg/ha, averaging 25.7 Mg/ha or 12.8 Mg of carbon per hectare. The study highlights the significant carbon sequestration potential of these agroforestry systems, though benefits vary based on tree DBH and regional factors. Notably, all surveyed trees had a DBH greater than 24 cm, indicating a lack of young trees and an urgent need for regeneration through assisted natural regeneration, planting, or a combination of both.