This study mapped mangrove vegetation and associated land use land cover types in Ghana and The Gambia using remote sensing and participatory geographic information system (PGIS) techniques. These coastal ecosystems are vital for shellfishery activities, yet mangrove loss threatens biodiversity, ecosystem functionality, and local livelihoods. Findings indicate that mangroves in Ghana are increasingly fragmented and declining, whereas in The Gambia, they remain extensive and stable, with distinct zonation of Rhizophora and Avicennia species. PGIS data highlight differences in how communities value mangrove species, shaping their management strategies. In Ghana, Avicennia species—more abundant in study sites—are primarily used for fuelwood and fish trap construction. Meanwhile, Rhizophora species dominate The Gambia’s sites, offering better oyster attachment due to their root structures, making them particularly valuable to shellfishing communities. Integrated findings from remote sensing and PGIS identified several drivers of mangrove degradation, including mangrove dieback, illegal harvesting, soil salinity, land-use changes, waste dumping, pollution, and climate change. Key lessons for sustainable mangrove co-management include implementing context-specific interventions that align with community livelihood needs, raising awareness, strengthening capacity-building efforts for conservation and restoration, and promoting livelihood diversification. Additionally, fostering an enabling policy environment—through strengthened co-management frameworks, improved governance, and enforcement mechanisms—will be crucial for sustainable mangrove conservation. This study underscores the value of integrated resource mapping and stakeholder engagement in validating results, ensuring that both users and managers actively participate in the conservation process.
Tag: conservation
Balancing conservation and traditional use of yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) in Southern Rupununi, Guyana
The yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) is found across the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo River basins, serving as an important resource for local communities through food, income, and cultural traditions. While studies from the Amazon and Orinoco regions highlight conservation challenges, less is known about its population dynamics in the Essequibo River basin. This study assesses turtle and egg consumption, population trends, and sustainable management strategies in South Rupununi River, Guyana, focusing on how conservation can align with community needs. Interviews with 125 Wapichan households in Sand Creek reveal that 12.0% of households collect an average of 41.87 eggs annually, while 22.4% of households harvest an average of 3.32 turtles per year. Larger households tend to consume more turtle eggs and meat, and those engaged in turtle harvesting report higher consumption levels. Most turtle captures occur for food consumption, particularly during cultural events, though turtles are also used for local trade, pets, and shells.
Challenges of collaborative governance peatlands in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Key messages
- Bureaucratic inefficiency continues to obstruct collaborative peatland governance, preventing effective stakeholder engagement.
- Limited data on peatlands are shared due to information silos, hindering informed decision making.
- It is crucial to strengthen local government autonomy for sustainable peatland management, reducing dependence on external facilitators and fostering long-term capacity.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Indonesia: options and challenges for fair and efficient payment distribution mechanisms
The objective of REDD payment distribution mechanisms is to support policies and measures that reduce deforestation and degradation through transfer of revenues from international REDD funds or carbon markets to (or within) national levels. This may provide benefits of three types: a) shared responsibility for reducing a major driver of global climate change, b) financial payments and co-investment that exceed the economic opportunities foregone from decisions to maintain carbon stocks, and c) co-benefits through the other environmental service functions that well-maintained forests can provide. Given its track record of high emissions from land use and land use change of an estimated 2.5 Gt CO2e year-1, Indonesia provides a huge opportunity as well as serious challenge to reduce emissions. We report here on a series of stakeholder consultations and focus group discussions to identify options and challenges. To ensure demonstrable results on emission reduction, REDD mechanisms must be effective in targeting the wide range of agents involved in deforestation and degradation, learning lessons from past and ongoing conservation efforts that have apparently failed. They must reward good performance and incentivize improved performance compared to reference scenarios, and adequately compensate agents that suffer losses from changed practices. International payments are likely to be performance based, both in terms of emission reduction at national scale and the environmental and social impacts of the system, meaning that accountability, transparency, risk management, adequate benefits transfer and administration mechanisms will be essential for attracting investment. Indonesia will be effectively competing for attention and REDD funds with other countries with currently high pemissions and/or large forest areas. A strong international ‘bargaining position’ requires that internal conflicts and strategic positioning be overcome
O que acontece depois que os pagamentos para a conservação são encerrados? Resultados sobre REDD+ no Brasil
Mensagens-chave
- Avaliamos os impactos de um projeto de REDD+ que pagou pequenos agricultores para reduzirem o desmatamento na Amazônia brasileira. A avaliação foi feita durante e após os pagamentos.
- Descobrimos que os pagamentos foram eficazes na redução do desmatamento, mas apenas enquanto duraram.
- Após o término dos pagamentos, o desmatamento foi retomado, mas não a um ritmo que eliminasse os resultados anteriores de conservação.
- A redução do desmatamento, portanto, dependia da continuidade dos pagamentos. Porém, os ganhos ambientais foram mantidos mesmo após seu encerramento.
Que se passe-t-il après l’arrêt des paiements de conservation? Principales conclusions de la REDD+ au Brésil
Messages clés
- Nous avons évalué les impacts d’un projet REDD+ comportant des paiements aux petits exploitants pour réduire la déforestation en Amazonie brésilienne, pendant et après ces paiements.
- Nous avons constaté que les paiements ont été efficaces pour réduire la déforestation, mais seulement pendant qu’ils étaient en cours.
- Après la fin des paiements, la déforestation a repris, mais à un rythme qui n’annulait pas les résultats précédents en matière de conservation des forêts.
- Pour réduire la déforestation, les paiements étaient nécessaires, mais les gains environnementaux ont perduré.
¿Qué sucede después de que se detienen los pagos para la conservación? Conclusiones principales sobre REDD+ en Brasil
Mensajes clave
- Evaluamos los impactos de un proyecto de REDD+ que pagó a pequeños agricultores para reducir la deforestación en la Amazonía brasileña, durante y después de los pagos.
- Hallamos que los pagos fueron efectivos en reducir la deforestación, pero solo mientras estuvieron en curso.
- Después de la finalización de los pagos, se reanudó la deforestación, pero no a un ritmo que eliminara los resultados de conservación anteriores.
- Se requieron pagos para reducir la deforestación, pero los beneficios ambientales perduraron.
Apa yang terjadi setelah pembayaran konservasi berhenti? Sejumlah temuan kunci dari REDD+ di Brasil
Pesan Utama
- Kami menilai dampak proyek REDD+ yang membayar petani skala kecil untuk menurunkan deforestasi di Amazon Brasil, selama dan setelah pembayaran.
- Kami menemukan bahwa pembayaran efektif dalam mengurangi deforestasi, tetapi hanya ketika program sedang berlangsung.
- Setelah pembayaran berakhir, deforestasi dilanjutkan, tetapi tidak pada tingkat yang menghilangkan hasil konservasi hutan sebelumnya.
- Penurunan deforestasi membutuhkan pembayaran, tetapi keuntungan untuk lingkungan tetap ada.
Conservation agriculture with trees in Rwanda: A training manual
Rwanda is a small country with a surface area of 26,338 square kilometres, which is characterized by very small landholdings at an average of 0.7 hectares per household. The majority of the land is mountainous and subject to soil erosion, which causes the loss of key soil nutrients and organic matter, leading to soil acidification and land degradation. Due to the small size of most farms, there is no fallow, so the soil is overcultivated through conventional agriculture which exposes soil organic matter to oxidation and accelerates soil erosion.
Does the gender composition of forest and fishery management groups affect resource governance and conservation outcomes: a systematic map protocol
In the fields of environmental governance and biodiversity conservation, there is a growing awareness that gender has an influence on resource use and management. Several studies argue that empowering women in resource governance can lead to beneficial outcomes for resource sustainability and biodiversity conservation. Yet how robust is the evidence to support this claim? Here we focus on the forestry and fisheries sectors to answer the primary question: What is the evidence that the gender composition of forest and fishery management groups affects resource governance and conservation outcomes? Our objective is to produce a systematic map of the evidence highlighting, inter alia, the geographic distribution and quality of the evidence, the consistency and robustness of the findings, and where further research is needed.