Category: Uncategorized

The GCRF Trade, Development and the Environment Hub  (TRADE Hub) is a five-year research project (2019–2024) with the main goal to address the intractable challenge of sustainable global trade implementation. The research project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) and conducted by around 50 organizations in 15 countries led by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP–WCMC). Ongoing research activities in nine countries focus on trade in various agricultural commodities and wildlife species.

Indonesia is one of the focus locations for TRADE Hub, and its research activities in Indonesia involve four organizations: the Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia (RCCC UI), Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University) and Lampung University (UNILA). In Indonesia, TRADE Hub focuses on trade in palm oil, coffee and wildlife species as these commodities play important roles for the country’s economy, and raise various challenges towards sustainable trade and practices in the country.

Learn more

The 2021 Global Action Summit is the world’s premier leadership event advancing solutions for food, health, and prosperity. The virtual 2021 event provides change makers with a synthesis of major findings and lessons learned over the past two years and adds a pivot to action with a new solutions-oriented agenda to launch in 2022.

At the Summit you will engage with the world’s most influential thinkers from a cross-section of business, academia, capital markets, government, and international nonprofits working on adaptive solutions to reimagine food, health, and economics in our COVID-disrupted world.

Learn more

Woodfuel (charcoal and firewood) constitutes over 70% of the energy needs for cooking and heating in sub-Saharan Africa. The consumption is on the rise due to population growth, poverty and urbanisation. The production is accessible to a large number of households, yet characterised by poor harvesting and processing practices.

The wood fuel sectors in most sub-Saharan African countries are characterised by a high degree of informality. There are on-going efforts in most countries to formalise the sector, that is, to organise, regulate and control the production and trade, typically under the heading of sustainability. These plans give stronger roles to institutions of the state to control the production and trade through permits, taxes, and enhanced controls. However, attempts at formalising the sector without an intimate understanding of the ecological, social, and economic contexts within which the production and trade take place, run the risk of failure or may compromise wood fuel-dependent livelihoods. Sustainable wood fuel production and trade remains a contested issue and big challenge in Africa that needs to be tackled urgently and collectively with all stakeholders involved.

At its 22nd session held in March 2020 in South Africa, the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) requested FAO to support the compilation, analysis and dissemination of good practices for sustainable charcoal production as well as the adoption of alternative sources of energy and recommended that FAO support countries in the formulation and implementation of national charcoal strategies. Indeed a number of organisations have been working in the sector with the aim of generating knowledge and evidence to support decision making for sustainable wood fuel production and consumption. This conference will provide an opportunity to discuss current knowledge, practices and experiences and best ways forward.

Conference objective and themes

The objective of the conference is to promote understanding and sharing of knowledge, good practices and solutions among and between scholars, practitioners, private sector and policy makers on sustainable and equitable wood fuel value chains and to advocate and explore strategies for their scaling-up.

The conference focuses on the following themes:

• Wood fuel production and use: Environmental impacts and sustainable pathways.
• Socio-economics of wood fuel value chains: Resilience, trade, livelihoods and health.
• Governance, including policy, legislation, institutional mechanisms and justice in the wood fuel sector.

Illegal and unregulated artisanal small-scale gold mining poses a significant threat to ecosystems in the world, including the Amazon. The threat is not only due to the deforestation and degradation caused by the activity, but from the use of mercury in both alluvial and land based mining, which then seeps into both surface and subway waterways, poisoning the water and entering the local food chain via fish. Addressing threats to ecosystems and human health due to unregulated mining requires a multisectoral approach that combines policies, command and control strategies and promotion of sustainable practices.

This webinar will present an innovative tool designed by Conservation Strategy Fund commissioned by the Brazilian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. The “Mining Impact Calculator” estimates the monetary value of the social and environmental impact of illegal gold mining activities in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on deforestation, river silting, and mercury contamination. The tool facilitates law enforcement, encourages public policies, raises public awareness and facilitates mitigation/remediation interventions. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of the benefits and potential applicability to other countries beyond the Amazon region.

REGISTER

Taking the perspective of African smallholder farmers and pastoralists who are among the most severely affected by the impacts of accelerated climate change, the discussions will highlight why responsible land governance is a critical link in implementing nature-based solutions that enhance sustainable livelihoods while protecting the environment. By gathering contributions from African and European thinkers, practitioners, and policy makers, the session aims to showcase possible pathways for realising the potential of African smallholder agriculture to not only contribute to the continent’s food security, but also expand climate-resilient livelihood opportunities for millions of unemployed Africans.

The session will conclude by exploring how some of the insights gained can inform the ongoing UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) process, and in particular concerns expressed that the Summit may not achieve its fundamental goal of transforming our broken food systems unless it ensures that the perspectives all key stakeholders groups are taken on board in the final outcome.

Learn more

Our ONE WORLD depends on forests! At the upcoming COPs in Kunming and Glasgow, the conservation of tropical forests must become a focus of political attention. An appropriate share of climate and biodiversity funding must be dedicated to forests, as they are important carbon sinks. This requires a fair deal between tropical forest countries and the international community. In preparation of the upcoming UN conferences Dr. Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, together with key stakeholders of international forest policy, would like to present and discuss effective approaches to forest protection. Please follow the link in the headline for the agenda and join the conversation via live stream on Wednesday, 8 September 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CEST. The event will take place in German, English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. During a Q&A session, spectators will have the opportunity to participate in the discussion via chat.

Learn more

In the context of sparse permafrost studies in the Hindu Kush Himalaya and significant gaps in our understanding of distribution, thermal state, organic content, and mass dynamics, we are collaborating with Tribhuvan University (TU) to organise this forum on permafrost. As a follow up response to recommendations made during the session on permafrost degradation and GHG emissions during International forum on cryosphere and society: The voice of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, the forum will bring together regional and global experts to exchange knowledge on the region’s permafrost and explore avenues for research collaboration.  The forum will also raise awareness among policymakers on the implications of a changing permafrost for livelihoods, hydrological flows, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

Objectives

• Share existing knowledge related to permafrost in the HKH and learn about permafrost related issues in other regions
• Discuss approaches and methods for permafrost monitoring and disseminate such information to the scientific community in the HKH and among the Regional Member Countries (RMCs)
• Build capacities of young researchers in the field
• Establish a network with other interested institutions to collaborate on future permafrost monitoring and analysis
• Develop efficient communication between knowledge producers and stakeholders to identify needs and directly respond to identified gaps in permafrost research

Learn more