The performance of the REDD+ program, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, has been put under the spotlight recently. It’s celebrity is not only for its progress in reducing deforestation, but also because of the challenges the program faces in ensuring that its benefits are distributed equitably, effectively, and efficiently. At a special session of […]
$30 billion dollars. That is the total negative economic impact of this year’s forest fires in Indonesia. These costs do not hit Indonesia alone—Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and even the Philippines have been affected, according to data presented by Herry Purnomo, Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research and Professor at Bogor Agricultural University. “In fact, 43 million people […]
During the Global Landscapes Forum’s first Pecha Kucha Style Night, seven presenters took the stage to share their stories in a new format. Each presenter could use 20 slides, for 20 seconds each – no breaks, no opportunity to switch between slides. Slides were restricted to images and graphs only, avoiding long texts and endless […]
“It takes just one road to destroy a forest.” David Cooper, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Several multi-lateral agreements on climate change include the issue of deforestation as a critical component of strategies aimed at reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The Strategic Plan for Aichi Biodiversity Targets Convention calls for halving the rate of deforestation by […]
In Paris I bought an apple for 50 cents. I paid both for the apple and the chain of actions that brought it to me; the growing of the apple, the transport of the apple, and the sale of the apple. By the end of the chain growers of some products may receive only 1-2% […]
Predicting the future isn’t easy, just ask the makers of Back to the Future II. Their leftfield vision of 2015 from the ‘80s amused the internet for days earlier this year. However, our generation’s prediction of the next 30 years has much higher stakes attached. In 2050 we’ll have over 9 billion people to feed […]
More than 150 organizations joined forces for the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum – not only for the days of the event, but all year round through partners’ blogs and opinion pieces on landscapes.org See some of the most popular ones below: 5. Frank Hajek, Nature Services Peru – The Missing Middle: why market-based-efforts to sustain […]
The 2015 Global Landscapes Forum brought together more than 250 speakers in 40+ sessions. Only two weeks after the event, videos have been watched more than 15,000 times. See the five most popular ones below: 5. Summary video: A Collection of Connections 4. Mark Burrows Closing Keynote 3. Pecha Kucha Style Night: Stories […]
At the heart of the landscape approach is the idea that everything is connected. Natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystem services and the actions of various people all influence each other and their larger context. Mindful interventions, those that are designed to be sustainable in the long term, take this interdependence into account. That’s why a successful […]
True or false?: Extraction of wood energy is a threat to forested landscapes. Extraction of wood energy is an opportunity for forested landscapes. That was the opening question at a discussion forum on sustainable wood energy at the Global Landscapes Forum held on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Paris. The mixed responses […]
Imagine a room filled with coffee experts and a heavily caffeinated Social Reporter, dependent on the brew but without much background on how it travels from cherry to cup. That was the setting of the session I attended at the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum. To spread the word I’m sharing my main takeaways—the kind that aren’t […]
Helping smallholder oil palm farmers become more sustainable will be crucial in resolving differences between the Indonesian government and palm oil exporters over zero-deforestation pledges, participants at the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum in Paris heard on Saturday. A total of 188 companies in Indonesia’s palm oil sector—the world’s largest—have made some form of sustainability commitment, […]
The so-called landscapes approach, the unifying theme of the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum in Paris, appears to encompass every conceivable environmental and agricultural activity. The approach attempts to bring together, “multiple land uses in an integrated manner, considering both the natural environment and the human systems that depend on it.” Central to the approach is […]
Landscape restoration has long been overshadowed by forest conservation when it comes to ecosystem-based strategies for tackling climate change. But now scientists and climate strategists are calling for greater recognition of the contribution of landscape restoration to climate change mitigation and adaptation. “Let’s stop calling them ‘co-benefits’,” said Stewart Maginnis, the Global Director of Nature-based […]
With more than 3,200 participants from 135 countries making the connections through policy and science discussions, thematic pavilions, knowledge-sharing activities, launches, exhibitions, tech demonstrations, competitions, networking and social media, the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum was the most dynamic yet. Discover or relive the energy of the event with this highlights video, squeezing 1.5 days into 3.5 minutes!
