Open access copy available
Promises and potentials do not grow trees and crops. A review of institutional and policy research in agroforestry for the Southern African regionBACKGROUND:Agroforestry has been recognized for its potential to address land management challenges, improve food security, and support rural livelihoods, but its widespread adoption remains limited. Institutional and policy barriers, including weak coordination among sectors and inadequate incentives, hinder its integration into national and local frameworks. Strengthening policies, institutions, and research on the social and economic dimensions of agroforestry is essential for its successful implementation and long-term impact. Open access copy available |
Expanding forest carbon sinks to mitigate climate change in AfricaBACKGROUND:Forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by acting as carbon sinks that sequester atmospheric CO2. African forests, covering 22% of the continent, provide substantial benefits but are under threat from deforestation and degradation. A comprehensive strategy that integrates social, economic, and environmental aspects is essential to preserve their ability to capture carbon effectively. The authors seek to examine the relationship between forest loss and increased CO2 emissions in Africa. Open access copy available |
The Effect of Carbon Credits on Savanna Land Management and Priorities for Biodiversity ConservationBACKGROUND:Investing in habitat protection and sustainable management is crucial to curb the rapid decline in biodiversity. A carbon market offers financial incentives to modify land use or management practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the effects of such market-based conservation strategies in ecosystems like tropical savannas are still largely unexplored. The paper highlights the potential of emerging carbon markets as a means to fund improved land management practices that could benefit both biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Open access copy available |
The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territoryBackgroundThe Earth faces a climate crisis as human activities increasing the release of harmful greenhouse gases, turning scientists' warnings of extreme conditions into reality. Climate records are breaking, causing widespread suffering. This report examines the global climate crisis, presenting key climate facts and policy recommendations for scientists, policymakers, and the public. It serves as an up-to-date resource on the escalating emergency. Open access copy available |
Complementary ecosystem services from multiple land uses highlight the importance of tropical mosaic landscapesBackgroundTropical agricultural landscapes feature a mosaic of diverse land uses, yet the ecosystem service bundles and materials they provide to rural households remain poorly understood. In northeastern Madagascar, shifting cultivation for hillside rice production and agroforests for cash and subsistence crops have largely replaced old-growth forests. The landscape consists of forest fragments, small-scale vanilla agroforests, rice paddies, and subsistence farming plots at various stages of the shifting cultivation cycle. Open access copy available |
Why environmental impact assessments often failBackgroundEnvironmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) aim to mitigate the environmental costs of development, particularly in biodiversity-rich developing nations. While governments and corporations claim EIAs as safeguards against environmental harm from roads, dams, mines, and housing, many are ineffective or even worthless. Weak assessments fail to prevent projects that destroy habitats and endanger species. Key shortcomings include insufficient funding, narrow focus on immediate project areas, conflicts of interest among consultants, and poor governance that grants developers undue influence over policy decisions. Open access copy available |
The contribution of forest carbon credit projects to addressing the climate change challengeBACKGROUND: Historically, forestry projects face significant challenges due to uncertainties around the permanence of carbon storage and the complexities of carbon measurement. These challenges limit their effectiveness and integration into international carbon markets, such as those established under the Kyoto Protocol, which have predominantly favored other types of carbon reduction projects over forestry. The paper focuses on the potential of forest carbon credit projects, particularly in the context of enhanced carbon sequestration accounting standards and their integration into carbon markets. GOALS AND METHODS: Open access copy available |
A technological biodiversity monitoring toolkit for biocreditsBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Acid Mine Drainage from Gold Mining in South Africa: Remediation, Reuse, and Resource RecoveryBACKGROUND:Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a persistent issue in South Africa, stemming from both active and defunct mines. It generates from waste materials, leading to severe environmental consequences such as water pollution and ecosystem disruption. The acidic and metal-rich nature of AMD poses significant environmental hazards if not properly managed. Open access copy available |
The principles of natural climate solutionsBACKGROUND:Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) were consolidated as a holistic concept in 2017, leveraging human interventions in land management to mitigate climate change by adapting existing conservation knowledge for climate action. Over the past six years, the implementation of NCS has seen a rapid increase in attention, as indicated by a significant rise in social media discussions and funding commitments, though these efforts still fall short of the levels required to meet global climate mitigation goals. The authors use a comprehensive review of scientific literature and best practices to distill foundational and operational Open access copy available |