By Bruno Vander Velde, originally published at Forests News Early successes in Brazil and Indonesia are proof positive that low-emissions sustainable development is practicable, according to a land-use policy expert. Speaking to more than 1,000 participants at the Global Landscapes Forum—organized by the Center for International Forestry Research on the sidelines of the UN climate […]
By Kate Evans, published originally at Forests News Scientists and indigenous leaders at a gender session at the Global Landscapes Forum—on the sidelines of the annual UNFCCC climate change conference in Lima, Peru—stressed the need to consider how climate change might affect men and women differently, and to incorporate gender into studies of both mitigation […]
By Barbara Fraser, originally published at Forests News African herders who have traditionally moved livestock from place to place, following seasonal forage and water supplies, increasingly find their old paths blocked by land speculators and investors, experts say. In other parts of the world too, similar problems plague indigenous people who practice shifting cultivation in […]
By Barbara Fraser, originally published on Forests News In an indigenous village deep in the Amazon forest, a family clears a small plot in the forest, plants cassava or other crops for a couple of years, and then moves elsewhere, leaving the plot to be overtaken by forest. “Slash and burn,” as it is sometimes called, is […]
By Kate Evans, originally published on Forest News Paola Agostini, Coordinator of TerrAfrica at The World Bank, said at the Global Landscapes Forum in Lima that the message coming from Africa is that there is huge demand on the ground for implementing landscape approaches. “Yesterday we had a meeting of TerrAfrica with representatives from 24 […]
The video shows key aspects discussed during the Discussion Forum on Building a Global Alliance for Resilience, organized by the World Bank and TerrAfrica at the 2014 Global Landscapes Forum. The video has also been presented during the December 6 Opening Plenary, where World Bank Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, Rachel Kyte, […]
By Barbara Fraser, originally published at Forests News As a warming climate shrinks the land area suitable for growing potatoes, Quechua farmers high in the Peruvian Andes say the change is a sign that Mother Earth is angry, said Alejandro Argumedo, director of the non-profit ANDES Association. In the “Potato Park” near Cusco, Peru, farmers […]
By Bruno Vander Velde, originally posted at Forests News This month in Lima, experts are debating how to safeguard the rights of local communities in global forest-carbon initiatives. Half a world away, a new study has drawn lessons from such initiatives on the ground in Indonesia—and are painting a more nuanced picture of the conditions […]
By Barbara Fraser, originally posted at Forests News Although land managers and policy makers increasingly talk about the use of landscapes for conserving biodiversity, and for reducing poverty and deforestation while ensuring an adequate food supply, preliminary results from a new study have turned up little hard evidence about whether that approach is effective. “Despite […]
By Kate Evans, originally posted at Forests News Jane Goodall is known worldwide for her decades of work with chimpanzees in the Gombe forest of Western Tanzania. It’s less well known that the NGO she founded, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), has been experimenting with how REDD+—touted as the next big idea for tackling climate […]
Forests are an important link in the food chain, especially for women and children and others at high risk of hunger and malnutrition, early results from ongoing research shows. But land rights are a crucial enabling factor in the food security of forest people, experts say. “Forests and trees alone will not achieve global food security, but […]
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) aims to achieve both mitigation and adaptation goals. So far CSA has been an exercise that is focused on agriculture technologies, with the underlying assumption that higher yields take pressure of forests. However, this cannot be taken for granted and deserves a closer look from science, policy and investment perspectives. If implemented […]
Studies have confirmed shifting cultivation still plays an important role in providing livelihood and food security in many communities. It is the pivot around which annual work and ritual cycles revolve and thus an intricate part of their life and closely tied to their cultural identity. The case studies also showed that indigenous women perform […]
Governments can make better decisions if they are more aware how forest ecosystems contribute to their economy and employment, and how forests benefit human well-being. This information could provide all concerned ministries with the necessary knowledge to decide how tropical deforestation rates can be reduced as part of a transition to a green economy. This […]
