White Papers

Abreha Weatsbeha Community Ethiopia: Equator Initiative Case Studies. Sustainable Development Solutions for people, nature and resilient communities

Background

This report from UNDP is intended to "the the full story ofhow (innovative sustainable developments solutions) evolve,the breadth of their impacts (and) how they change over time" through the case study of Abreha we Atsbeha in Ethiopia. Out of 800 contestants, the community in Abreha we Atsbeha was awarded the Equator Prize in along with US$20,000 in 2012 in recognition of their tremendous work on the restoration of degraded land and subsequent increases in food security, nutrition, and local livelihoods.

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Charaterization and Impact Assessment of Water Harvesting Techniques: A Case Study of Abreha Atsbeha Watershed, Tigray, Ethiopia

Background

This report gives a comprehensive overview of water harvesting techniques in a community called Abreha we Atsbeha in Tigray, Ethiopia.  This community was awarded the UN Equator Prize for their restoration work in 2012.  In addition to providing a detailed historical, demographic, ecological, and hydrological description of the site, the authors also detail the major water harvesting techniques employed, including: bench terracing, stone bunds, stine bunds with trenches, soil bunds with trenches, semi-circular stone bunds, percolation ponds check dams, shallow wells, diversion heads, and hand dug wells. 

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Watershed Management for Ecosystem Services in Human Dominated Landscapes of the Neotropics

Background

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In the pastures of Colombia, cows, crops and timber coexist

Background

This paper highlights the experience of cattle rancher in southwestern Colombia who has actively pursued an alternate style of ranching that, instead of deforesting the land, incorporates trees and shrubs into the pastures. The ranchers practice is largely informed by agroforestry principles. This paper reviews the benefits of this alternative practice and examines the public-private partnerships that make it possible. 

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Sustainable ranching and restoring forests in agricultural landscapes, Panama

Background

Conventional cattle ranching in Panama has led to significant ecological issues, including loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, decreased ecosystem services, and more. This article highlights the experiences of Asociación de Productores Pecuarios y Agro-silvopastoriles de Pedasí (APASPE), a local cattle ranching association pioneering sustainable cattle ranching techniques, along with the capacity building and financial support provided by the Environmental Leadership and Training Initiatives (ELTI) based at Yale University. 

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Increasing local capacities in rural Panama

Background 

While Panama continues to have high levels of biodiversity, the country loss large swaths of forest between 1950 to 2000 primarily due to the expansion and intensification of cattle ranching. Drawing from their work with local ranchers, the authors review the emergence of cattle ranching in Panama along with potential solutions and unique approaches to halting these trends.

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Livestock and Deforestation Central America in the 1980s and 1990s: A Policy Perspective

Background

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Silvopastoral Systems and their Contribution to Improved Resource Use and Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Latin America

Background

Of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015, livestock can contribute to the majority of them. Specifically, silvopastoral systems, which integrate cattle intensification and natural processes, is often promoted to achieve the joint economic, social, and environmental focus of the SDGs. Using three established silvopastoral systems in Latin American (Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia) as case-studies, this paper applies an analytical framework in order to determine the systems productivity and the socio-economic benefits. 

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Tree Planting in Indonesia: Trends, Impacts and Directions

Background

The report summarizes findings from a consultancy with CIFOR from September 1997 to February 1998.

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The Monte Pascoal‐Pau Brasil ecological corridor carbon, community and biodiversity initiative: another carbon offset failure

Background

In 2013, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programs had recently been introduced to governments and conservation groups around the world. Yet, as they were being implemented at increasing rates, traditional forest use practices were vilified while large-scale drives of deforestation were left unaddressed. This was common particularly in Brazil. 

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