Latin America and Caribbean

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This document explains the InVEST tool, an ecosystem service model (via a software program) used to geographically map the provision of ecosystem services and how they can be affected by development and policies. The model, designed by the Natural Capital Project (collaboration of WWF, TNC, the University of Minnesota, and Stanford University), is intended for planners to maximize the benefit from activities such as reforestation.

This technical manual targets farmers and “all those that perceive that the life of people is connected to the life of the forests, the animals, the earth and the rivers”. The guide contemplates many themes related to recovery of degraded areas,  such as: the importance of riparian forests and other types of natural vegetation, technical aspects of the development and implementation of forest restoration activities, and useful tips for the implantation and maintenance of planted riparian areas.

This guide targets municipal governments, farmers, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders interested in water and forest resources restoration. The objective is to present a framework for understanding the most common cases in order to facilitate the decision-making and execution of forest restoration projects. Some of the addressed topics are: the basic structure of a restoration project, examples of forest restoration projects, forest restoration projects that include native species seedling production, a key for decision-making for the recovery of degraded areas, and a list of tree species with natural occurrence in São Paulo state.

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This article reviews the Neotropical fruit Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) - "Ciruela" or "Ovo", describing the cultivation, yields, and economics of the fruit.