Resilience
Restoration of plant species and genetic diversity depends on landscape‐scale dispersalIntroductionThe article cites the importance of restoration efforts that leads to resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems in order to combat immense global change. Though biological and species diversity are key to this venture, they are rarely considered a factor. Thus, this review article highlights the connection between seed dispersal and species richness and diversity to landscape restoration. Available with subscription or purchase |
INTEGRATING GREEN AND GRAY: Creating Next Generation InfrastructureBACKGROUNDAs a joint undertaking of the World Bank and World Resources Institute, this report highlights how the next generation infrastructure can integrate natural systems (green infrastructure) with traditional, built projects (gray infrastructure). By advocating the “putting nature to work” thinking, the report provides a guide to developing countries on how to incorporate natural capital to projects in order to increase the quality of the services and reduce the total costs. It also features case studies of successful projects on how natural systems contribute to infrastructure services ranging from water purification and storage to flood management. Open access copy available |
Nature-Based Transformative Adaptation: a practical handbookBACKGROUNDThis handbook, designed for project managers and policy makers, focuses on transformative adaptation. It can act as a guide during policy decision-making processes and in designing adaptation initiatives and plans. The handbook provides concrete examples of nature-based transformative approaches done on the ground. With the current shifts in social and ecological conditions brought about by Climate Change, this handbook considers transformative adaptation as the most suitable solution. Open access copy available |
Building Community Capacity in Fragile Environments: Case Study of the Mara Serengeti EcosystemBACKGROUNDPeople living in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) bear the brunt of climate change impacts. As traditional pastoralists, the main challenge for the people of the Mara Serengeti Ecosystem is to cope with an increasingly frequent and recurrent drought pushing them further to competition for resources and livestock loss from starvation. Thus, there is a need to create opportunities in building up community capacity and resilience in these fragile environments. Available with subscription or purchase |
Building Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Community Resilience Against Drought in the Context of the Paris Agreement: The Case of Isiolo County, KenyaBACKGROUNDUnder the Paris Agreement, countries that are party to the negotiations are obliged to meet its National Determined Contributions (NDC). Kenya, a member state of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCCC, has made strides in the climate change arena, keeping up with its NDCs and establishing climate change legislation and policy measures. This chapter provides insights on how resilience building amidst the climate-change induced droughts is possible through multi-stakeholder collaboration between pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, county and the national government. Available with subscription or purchase |
Geographic overlaps between priority areas for forest carbon-storage efforts and those for delivering peacebuilding programs: implications for policy designBackgroundForest-based emmission reductions, such as REDD+, have increasingly been promoted yet the conversation around these initiatives rarely consider opportunities outside the environmental sector. This paper examines one of these opportunities: the interaction between carbon-storage and peacebuilding. Using Colombia as a case-study, the authors investigate the ways in which forest carbon-storage and peacebuilding influence conservation and conflict. Open access copy available |
Native trees and shrubs for the productive rehabilitation of tropical cattle ranching landsBackgroundLatin America, much like the rest of the rest of the world, has experienced significant deforestation rates. In this region, the primary driver has been large-scale land conversion to unsustainable uses, like industrial cattle ranching and agriculture. This article recognizes the deep-rootedness of cattle in Latin American economies and cultures, yet stresses the need to shift the paradigm by adopting intensive silvopastoral systems (ISS) that utilize native species. Available with subscription or purchase |
Agroforestry Solutions to Address Food Security and Climate Change Challenges in AfricabackgroundMany parts of Africa face food insecurity and land degradation, challenges which will only be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. The article proposes that agroforestry has the potential to improve the resilience of small farmers by enhancing soil fertility and providing food and fuel sources. However there has not been widespread adoption of agroforestry strategies across Africa. Open access copy available |
Les acacias: des plantes fixatrices d’azote prometteuses pour le développement durable des zones arides et semi-arides (Acacia: Promising Nitrogen fixing trees for sustainable development in arid and semi-arid areas)The authors discuss the use of Acacia species for production purposes in arid and semi-arid zones.
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Succession and Management of Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Review and New PerspectivesBackgroundThis article emphasizes the importance of understanding of successional processes in tropical dry forests. It provides an overview of the current knowledge of the ecology of tropical dry forest ecosystems and discusses management implications . The authors describe rapidly increasing degradation and destruction of these ecosystems and identify gaps in knowledge to be addressed by future research. Available with subscription or purchase |
