The HerVoice Project in Madagascar, a fictional documentary under the broader EcoShe Project led by Ms. Nancy Barisoa, is a powerful narrative shedding light on the often-overlooked experiences of women in conflict zones. Financed by The Maypole Fund, a small grant-giving organization committed to supporting feminist activism against militarism and war.

The documentary is a poignant exploration of the intersection between gender, conflict, and environmental sustainability. Through evocative storytelling and vivid cinematography, the film delves into the struggles, resilience, and agency of women whose lives have been irrevocably altered by conflict, revealing the unique ways in which they navigate and respond to the challenges posed by war and militarization.

By highlighting their stories, the HerVoice Project seeks to amplify the voices of women who are often marginalized in global discourses, ensuring that their perspectives are integral to the conversation on peace and sustainability.

The post HerVoice: The Untold Story – Impact of War on Women in Africa appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Protecting peatlands in Ukraine

Ukraine has roughly 1 million hectares of total peatland area, yet the regions of Volyn and Chernihiv are deemed inaccessible due to military actions from the 2022 occupation. Yet, even before the invasion, Ukrainian communities suffered from the annual burning of peatlands and the disappearance of groundwater in the landscapes, the result of the drainage of wetlands during Soviet times. Roman Shakhmatenko, team lead, UNDP Ukraine Energy and Environment Portfolio, speaks on the role of peatlands in the country and national measures to protect these areas.

The post 2024 the “Year of Climate Dialogue in Ukraine” appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

The report begins by examining the state of the resource, which is increasingly recognized across the world as a forest area crucial for carbon sequestration and for the conservation of biological diversity. The Congo Basin forest ecosystems are then put into perspective within the global context of discussions that can guide the management and governance of the entire world’s tropical forests for decades to come.

The report addresses topical issues such as peatland management and the relationship between the biodiversity management and the emergence or re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. And COVID-19 features notably in the chapter on this topic. Finally, the report identifies the main challenges that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the Congo Basin, with the goal of ensuring that management contributes to improving the livelihoods and living environment of local communities and indigenous peoples.

The post The Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forests 2021 appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

About GLF Nairobi 2023: ‘A new Vision for Earth’

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference, held on October 11 and 12, convened global thought leaders to set the stage for COP28, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference. This pivotal event mobilised action on critical issues affecting humanity, biodiversity, and our planet.

The conference featured two focused days: Day 1 centered on “Africa’s Sovereign Solutions,” exploring pathways to a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent. Day 2, dedicated to climate, aimed to craft a “Survival Guide for a Planet in Crisis,” paving the way for a fairer world ahead of COP28.

GLF Nairobi brought together a diverse coalition of influential voices, ranging from scientists, activists, and Indigenous leaders to financiers, women, youth, policymakers, and private sector representatives. As a united front, we collectively championed change and passionately advocated for meaningful action in these pivotal times.

Behind the scenes of Between the Rains

Meet Andrew and Samuel and discover the ‘behind the scenes’ of Between the Rains, awarded Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival 2023. Learn why one of the most critical aspects of this film is telling the human story beyond tribal conflicts and how the creators show a complicated human interaction through the eyes of the community, their experiences, their strengths and their challenges in a world in climate and biodiversity crisis on this Q&A moderated by Salina Abraham, GLF Africa Hub Manager.

The post Between the Rains: Q&A with the Filmmakers appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

• Indonesia’s legal system favors state land ownership, marginalizing Indigenous Dayak communities and disrupting traditional practices.
• Economic development prioritization over conservation results in a limited understanding of the value of peatland ecosystems for the Indigenous Dayak.
• Community-led solutions, like a peatland zonation system, reveal policy challenges, including conflicts from the lack of informed consent and weak enforcement of laws recognizing Indigenous rights in Indonesia.

Ensuring the Safety of Peatlands: A Continuing Struggle

This research examines challenges faced by Indigenous Dayak communities in Indonesia due to a legal system favoring state land ownership, leading to the marginalization of these communities and disruption of their traditional land management practices. The prioritization of economic development over environmental and cultural conservation has resulted in a limited understanding of the value of the peatland ecosystem for Indigenous Dayak communities, leading to ineffective policies.

To address these issues, the research employs a descriptive qualitative approach, utilizing in-depth interviews and literature studies within the Tumbang Nusa and Pilang villages in Central Kalimantan. The findings reveal that the Indigenous Dayak Ngaju community has established a zonation system for peatland use, emphasizing the importance of specific policies to preserve sacred areas, vital for Indigenous values and practices.

However, the absence of free, prior, and informed consent in certain government initiatives, such as the Mega Rice project, Food Estate program, and Zero-burning policy, has resulted in social conflicts within the Indigenous Dayak community, leading to the destruction of their livelihoods. Despite existing laws in Indonesia acknowledging Indigenous rights and safeguarding customary lands, the research underscores the weak and inconsistent implementation and enforcement of these legal safeguards.

Iber Djamal, Dayak’s community elder and the main resource person for this research. Credit: Sumarni Sumarni.

The post Safeguarding Indigenous Rights and Territories: Integrating Dayak Ngaju Wisdom in Peatland Ecosystem Management appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

About GLF Nairobi 2023: ‘A new Vision for Earth’

The GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference, held on October 11 and 12, convened global thought leaders to set the stage for COP28, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference. This pivotal event mobilised action on critical issues affecting humanity, biodiversity, and our planet.

The conference featured two focused days: Day 1 centered on “Africa’s Sovereign Solutions,” exploring pathways to a sustainable and prosperous future for the continent. Day 2, dedicated to climate, aimed to craft a “Survival Guide for a Planet in Crisis,” paving the way for a fairer world ahead of COP28.

GLF Nairobi brought together a diverse coalition of influential voices, ranging from scientists, activists, and Indigenous leaders to financiers, women, youth, policymakers, and private sector representatives. As a united front, we collectively championed change and passionately advocated for meaningful action in these pivotal times.

About this session

The post Landscape approaches for the displaced: Experiences from the Democratic Republic of the Congo appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Media seminar: Working away at climate change 

In preparation for COP27, and in a time in which fact-based reporting must serve as a cornerstone of climate action, the Global Landscapes Forum and Pulitzer Center have prepared a two-day free online seminar Working away at climate change for English-speaking journalists to better examine climate change through the lenses of the rights and labor of the most vulnerable populations.

Watch leading reporters, editors and researchers from around the world discuss about the regional and global impacts of climate change on health, migration, productivity and more. Hear of the latest advancement for Indigenous Peoples’ land rights as well as the rising concept that puts people at the center of novel economic frameworks.

The post Toward healthier places of work in climate-stressed environments appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

About GLF Africa 2022

GLF Africa 2022: How to build an equitable, resilient food future brought together over 8,500 participants from 122 countries and featured 182 leading scientists, activists, Indigenous leaders, financiers, youth and government leaders, and 68 incredible partners to explore African solutions to the global food crisis caused by climate change, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. 

Across 31 plenaries, interactive sessions, launches, virtual tours, dialogues, performances, and a job fair, the digital conference explored ways to transform the future of food through healthy landscapes, equitable access to land, and shorter, greener value chains. Messages spread on social media rallied 26 million people around concrete ways for Africa to regain its food sovereignty.

The African solutions that are driving sustainable agri-food systems transformation

This session addresses the potential and challenges of inclusive land governance as a lever to enhance local resilience and maintain a healthy and productive environment. Practical examples from African countries are presented and discussed to inspire action for sustainable landscapes that “leave no one behind.” Different marginalized population groups like women, refugees, pastoralists, and IPLC are at the center of the discussion:

• Wilfred Babanga, Program Manager for ZOA Uganda in West Nile, showcases the tenancy agreement as a successful land tenure security tool that aims to strengthen the land tenure security of war refugees living in Uganda, he calls to public administrators to replicate it and adapt it to the social and institutional context of other African states.
• Martin Hoppe, Head of the Division of Food and Nutrition Security, Global Food Policy, Fisheries at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), believes that the key to sustainable land management is the involvement of all stakeholders including governments, NGOs, and the local community. “Land security is very important in the fight against poverty and hunger.”
• Bala Wenceslas from the Impact Research Institute (IRI) points out the need for the establishment of a framework for dialogue between herders and farmers, and marginalized groups for the sustainable and equitable management of land resources.

Learn more about The Global Programme Responsible Land Policy

The post Walk the talk of inclusive land governance – practical approaches and voices from stakeholders appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Ukraine’s key role in the global food system

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ukraine produces about 10 percent of global wheat exports and 14 percent of corn exports, in addition to about half of all sunflower oil and a substantial amount of barley and fertilizers. Due to the Russian invasion, much of these supplies are now trapped in both countries, driving up food and livestock feed prices globally and threatening the normal workings of our food systems.

This GLF Live, originally aired live in March 2022, brought in leading food expert and GAIN Health executive director Lawrence Haddad to share his expectations and predictions for how the unfolding war will affect global food supplies, nutrition, and security in the short and long term.

Dr. Lawrence Haddad has served as executive director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) since October 2016. Prior, he was the founding co-chair and lead author of the Global Nutrition Report and director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the world’s leading development studies institute.

The foreseen impacts of the war in Ukraine on food and agriculture

Food prices were already on the rise before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since 2020, we’ve witnessed global supply chain problems connected to COVID, the spike in the price of inputs like fertilizer connected to rising energy prices, among other effects. Dr. Haddad elaborates and shares his expectations on how war will affect the global food supply:

• Short and long-term impacts are hard to predict. Aside from gas prices, up-to-date information such as food price fluctuations, and market and agriculture data are hard to track. FAO projections point to an increase in food prices and hunger globally.
• The global food supply system is threatened. “When export countries (like Ukraine) stop exporting, everyone suffers including the export country – you got to keep the food moving internally and across borders,” says Dr. Haddad.
• Countries in the Global South such as Pakistan rely up to 50% on exports of wheat from Ukraine. On the other hand, African countries rely heavily on fertilizer exports from the same country, putting a strain on their capacity for food production in the region.
• Ukraine produces and exports a lot more than cereals. Dr. Haddad’s key message is on diversifying production. “We’re dependent geographically on four or five “bread baskets,” there should be 20. They might not be the most efficient way but it the most resilient.”
• It’s time for resilience. Actions towards diversification, circularity, and zero food waste, can help build the resilience of food systems. Agroforestry has been adopted as a strategy to address resilient food systems.

Learn more about How agroecology can feed the world

Listen to more GLF Live podcasts

The post How the war in Ukraine is causing a food crisis appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

Protracted crises are persistent in Africa’s drylands. Weak governance, insecure land rights and access, environmental fragility and armed conflict impact the lives of millions of pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers in drylands across Africa; climate change is starting to layer on additional stress. SPARC research with pastoral and agro-pastoral communities across the Sahel and Horn of Africa reveals how they are responding to multiple pressures, and adapting their livelihoods. Innovations emerging from these regions are also providing solutions to some of their most critical challenges. In this plenary, we discuss the opportunities and challenges that arise when taking a more integrated approach to addressing ecosystem restoration in drylands facing recurrent and protracted crises.

The post Partnering with Dryland Communities to Overcome Protracted Crises: Challenges and Opportunities appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.