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.

The post Including Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) in Mangrove Conservation & Restoration 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.

Nurturing tradition, sustaining vives

This film tells the story of rattan harvesting in the village of Lelekaa, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, where communities have been involved in this tradition for decades. Although rattan is abundant, there are numerous challenges involved in producing high-quality rattan-based products and maintaining competitive prices. Government assistance and training can be a solution.

The film also shows how rattan has benefited the people of Lelekaa, helping them educate their children and an important source of income. This is a brief story about the beauty of nature and how the people of Lelekaa live closely with rattan.

The post The economic impact of rattan: A lifeline for smallholders in Sulawesi 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

This panel, hosted by DW Akademie, delved into the intricate world of climate science and politics and how journalists and community media can effectively translate complex data into accessible information. The discussion centered on empowering communities to create their climate information through local media, inspiring local engagement. Notably, the panel spotlighted challenges and best practices from Africa and Latin America. Community media’s role in addressing digital inequalities within marginalized communities was a key theme, emphasizing the importance of reaching decision-making centers with local voices.

The session underscored local media‘s critical role in conveying community needs, ensuring impartial information, and combating misinformation. It also highlighted the work of community activists in raising awareness and advocating for climate action, emphasizing the need for context-specific conversations.

The post How community media can drive climate action 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

Well managed carbon markets can provide opportunities for nature, communities and the economy. However, the introduction and implementation of carbon credit schemes also comes with serious risks: people with insecure tenure rights risk being excluded from benefit sharing and decision making and could even being forced off their land.

This session discussed the risks of carbon markets to local communities without tenure rights, as well as ways to address them and allow community members to become active stakeholders in carbon markets and reap the benefits.

Download white paper

Safeguards for Carbon Markets – Prioritizing Local Communities’ Tenure Rights

The post Safeguards for carbon markets: Prioritizing local tenure rights 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.

Empowering voices

Local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth and women are owning their visions for Earth and finding solutions to turn them into reality. In this session, organized in collaboration with Breakthrough Strategies and Solutions, GLFx chapters and Restoration Stewards, join us on a journey around the world to explore local initiatives and beacons of hope, their current impacts, and their potential for change.

The post Changing the world through local action 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

There’s no question there’s a global appetite for wild meat. But how can we strike a balance between conservation and the well-being of local populations?  This session aims to share knowledge, discuss challenges and strengthen international collaborations to address the complex issues surrounding bushmeat consumption.

Speakers introduced the WILDMEAT Database and the FORET Project, which aim to inform policy decisions and protect biodiversity while supporting local communities. The Sustainable Wildlife Management Project investigates sustainable wildlife consumption and community-based resource management. The goal is to find answers for sustainable wildlife management and the development of alternative livelihoods in various regions.

The post Win-win wildlife management: How conservation can improve livelihoods 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

Hosted by the East African Development Bank. The session explored climate finance access for local communities and featured expert panelists discussing climate challenges and the role of multilateral banks. They emphasized the urgency of climate action, discussed innovative solutions like small-scale renewable energy projects, and stressed the importance of financial collaboration. The meeting also highlighted the impact of climate change on agriculture and the need for practical solutions.local

The post How multilateral development banks can tackle the climate crisis appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) defines carbon markets as trading systems in which carbon credits are sold and bought. Companies or individuals can use carbon markets to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon credits from entities that remove or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One tradable carbon credit equals one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, sequestered or avoided. When a credit is used to reduce, sequester, or avoid emissions, it becomes an offset and is no longer tradable.

The challenge

While carbon markets have the potential to reduce emissions and support a low-carbon transition, they face criticism for issues like questionable carbon offset projects, carbon leakage, market manipulation, transparency, pricing, and the potential impact on community land tenure rights. As global demand for voluntary carbon credits continues to grow, there is an urgent need to address these risks and protect the rights of local communities.

Securing Land Tenure in Carbon Markets: TMG’s efforts

TMG Research, at the Africa Climate Summit, emphasized the critical importance of safeguarding land tenure rights in carbon markets, particularly for women and in regions like Africa where land rights are at risk.

TMG is committed to tackling the risks that carbon markets pose to communities lacking tenure rights and aims to foster their active engagement in these markets.In this white paper, we explore prominent risks and strategies to empower communities as active participants in carbon markets. We aim to help them contribute to market management and reap benefits. This is achieved through four reflections:

1. Land Tenure and Carbon Markets: Insecure land tenure in Africa risks rural livelihoods, carbon projects lack safeguards, impacting communities.
2. Environmental Challenges in Carbon Offsets: Afforestation can harm biodiversity and ecosystems, carbon offset projects have concerns like leakage and permanence.
3. Overstated Carbon Reductions in Forest Offsets: Forest offset projects exaggerate carbon savings, the credibility of carbon credits is in question.
4. Questioning Carbon Credits: Carbon credits’ impact on emissions reduction is debated; Concerns about transparency and moral licensing; A reassessment of carbon market frameworks is needed to protect land rights and ensure moral legitimacy.

The post Safeguards for Carbon Markets – Prioritizing Local Communities’ Tenure Rights appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.