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Learning from Indonesia: Local Wisdom for Sustainable and Inclusive Land Use

Published 27 Nov 2025

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Indonesia’s growing population and exposure to severe climate events has focussed national attention on the need to ensure its future food security and sufficiency.

Since 2020, the country has vastly expanded its Food Estates Programme with the aim of converting four million hectares of land for food production by 2029. For such a large and varied country, home to megadiverse ecosystems and a complex patchwork of local agricultural practices, this programme will inevitably involve trade-offs.

In this blog, Cosmo Rana-Iozzi, Senior Project Officer for LEAF Indonesia at the University of Sussex, shares insights from the project’s work on land-use interventions that enhance food security, biodiversity, climate resilience, and livelihoods, while remaining rooted in local knowledge and realities.

Sustainable and Inclusive Land-Use Rooted in Local Wisdom

From longstanding indigenous traditions of communal forest farming to more recent initiatives in multifunctional land use, communities across rural Indonesia balance a range of ecological and socioeconomic needs. National initiatives to increase food production can and should engage with these local contexts.

In villages across Gorontalo, East Kalimantan and West Papua provinces, distinct and longstanding systems of forest farming and traditional rules are still practiced. These systems exist alongside and interact with varied and shifting climate and market contexts. Local knowledge of the land offers valuable insights into how integrated, multifunctional land use might balance food security with ecosystem conservation and socioeconomic need.

Harvests of tree products have long been integrated with that of annual crops to ensure the sustainability of the food supply in rural Indonesian villages. In Gorontalo the Ilengi system of land management ensures that traditional leaders of local, and otherwise marginalised, communities continue to have a say on the planning and planting of sites.

In Papua, Sasi still lays down customary law underpinning traditional signs and markings keeping certain forest areas and products off-limits. Both agroforestry systems ultimately manage a landscape resembling a natural forest, but one geared to sustainably contribute to local food security and incomes.

Indonesia’s dipterocarp forests, home to some of the country’s most biodiverse and resource-rich ecosystems, are largest in Kalimantan, but recent changes in cultivation have threatened their survival. This has also impacted the traditional local Dayak system of gardening, Lembo. Grown outside households, by roadsides and in the forests themselves, Lembo gardens are typically made up of fruit trees, and they also exist at larger and income-generating scales alongside seasonal crops.

As these communities navigate changing circumstances with mixed success, innovations are also taking place. Universitas Negeri Gorontalo’s Living Lab, established under the LEAF Indonesia project, is now adapting these approaches to demonstrate the climate resilience and economic viability of integrated crops on a rural food estate.

The Lab is being developed and run with around 200 students, many of whom have personal or professional connections to monocrop farmers affected by changing priorities and conditions in Indonesian agriculture. Students are developing low-cost techniques of contour farming, soil and soil nutrient conservation, and nature-based forms of pest control, and exploring production and marketing channels for diverse crops.

Food Variety, Food Security

The candlenut, mahogany and sugar palm trees grown in Ilengi community forests support a vibrant habitat for birds, insects and microorganisms, and contribute to soil health and emission-mitigating carbon reserves. They also provide economic opportunities for the women who traditionally undertake the processing of palm sugar sap and candlenuts. Mahogany timber is another source of income helping to keep households afloat amidst changeable climate and market conditions.

In Kalimantan, Lembo gardens complement a minimal intervention approach allowing local plants to grow naturally and organic litter to be left on the land as nutrient input, underpinning a balanced agroecosystem. Here value is placed on the gains of certain compositions of the ecosystem rather than single commodities. Natural predators rule out the need for chemical forms of pest control. In fact, some gardens are used to grow natural forms of insecticide.

In West Papua, national plans to convert 250,000 hectares of land will impact a complex patchwork of communities who may differently favour the status quo. Transmigrant communities here often depend on growing hybrid rice using government-subsidised fertiliser. Meanwhile, indigenous groups use Sasi-managed forest land to grow upland rice.

 

From Local Practices to Scalable Solutions

Agroforestry systems, with their focus on product diversity, can simultaneously support biodiversity, climate resilience, livelihoods, and food security—even in contexts shaped by transmigrant populations and monocrop cultivation.

Expanding food estates must engage with these varied local realities. Innovative initiatives like the LEAF Indonesia-supported Living Lab demonstrate how local knowledge from one area can be adapted and scaled collaboratively to benefit another.

 

Learn more about Leaf Indonesia

 

Photo captions and credits:
Image 1:  Forest farmer tapping palm sugar sap, used for making brown sugar, in Dulamayo, Gorontalo. Credit: Iswan Dunggio.
Image 2: Women farmers harvesting corn in South Dulamayo, Gorontalo. Credit: Iswan Dunggio.
Image 3-4: The LEAF Indonesia team and students at Universitas Negeri Gorontalo’s Living Lab. Credit: Jonathan Dolley.
Image 5: Universitas Negeri Gorontalo students at the university’s Living Lab. Credit: Jonathan Dolley.
Image 6: Food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and local livelihoods in a village in Papua visualised through a rich picture, one of the participatory methodologies LEAF Indonesia is using to map these interactions.

 

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Recognising Indigenous Stewardship of Nature in Cambodia

Published 13 Nov 2025

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With biodiversity loss and climate disruption widely recognised as inseparable challenges, the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP & LCs) is vital to protecting our planet. IP & LCs steward a significant share of the world’s remaining biodiversity-rich regions, making their leadership essential to confronting climate and ecological decline. GCBC’s work is grounded in supporting these communities to restore ecosystems, build climate resilience, and improve livelihoods.

In Cambodia, our SARIKA project is supporting community-led initiatives that restore ecosystems, protect species, and secure local rights, strengthening both biodiversity and planetary health. The following blog was kindly prepared by Emiel de Lange of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Sam At Rachana from the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO). 

You can find a Khmer-language version of the blog on the WCS website here

 

Indigenous Peoples and other place-based communities have stewarded forests and biodiversity for generations. To achieve conservation goals equitably, the world must learn from and support Indigenous stewardship.

In Cambodia’s Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS), the Bunong people have sustained one of the planet’s most biodiverse forests through their traditional knowledge and cultural practices. The KSWS REDD+ program, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) with partners including the Cambodia Indigenous People’s Organisation (CIPO), has advanced recognition of Bunong stewardship by securing Indigenous Collective Land Titles (ICLTs) for seven communities.

Significant gaps remain, however, as forests and communities face fragmentation from outside pressures such as agricultural expansion for cashew and cassava, as well as concessions for ecotourism development.

Supported by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) and KSWS REDD+, the SARIKA project — a partnership of Indigenous Peoples, WCS, CIPO, MoE, and researchers from Monash University, University of Oxford, and the Royal University of Agriculture — is charting new pathways to recognise and respect Indigenous stewardship.

Documenting Bunong traditional knowledges and practices

At core of the SARIKA project is documentation of traditional knowledge and practices in three Bunong communities: Andoung Kraloeng, Sre Lvi, and Pu Kong. CIPO’s young Indigenous researchers work with communities, following Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, to identify what they want recognised and respected.

This Action Research approach has highlighted three interrelated domains:

  • Rotational agriculture (Mir Erm), which sustains livelihoods and allows forests to regenerate cyclically.
  • Protection of sacred burial ground forests (Brey Moch), where ancestors are laid to rest.
  • Sacred forests (Brey Ngak or Brey Vare), including mountains, rocks, and waterfalls linked to and inhabited by spirits.

The Bunong protect these areas, maintaining their cultural identity while safeguarding food, water, materials, and wildlife habitats. A future project phase will assess the biodiversity and climate impacts of these practices using modern scientific methods.

The Tov Khloung sacred forest

Tov Khloung, a sacred forest of Andoung Kraloeng, illustrates how Bunong spirituality and practice conserve ecosystems and cultural identity. Home to diverse trees, wildlife, and the area’s largest stream, Tov Khloung is traditionally protected as the dwelling of the guardian spirit Brah Nhjut Nglang. Local taboos prohibit fishing, hunting, and logging near the sacred headwaters. In return, the forest supplies medicinal plants, honey, wild mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and resins that support food security and income.

Traditional knowledge ensures sustainable harvest: access and use are regulated through rituals that encode rules for community and forest wellbeing, while elders patrol the forest and teach youth about the site. To date, these practices have preserved biodiversity, ecosystem services, and cultural heritage without formal state enforcement, exemplifying the integration of spiritual belief, customary rule, and sustainable resource management.

 

Indigenous Collective Land Titles and policy gaps

As we deepen our awareness of the ecological dimensions of Bunong spirituality and culture, gaps become evident in the current policy framework.

Indigenous Communal Land Title (ICLT) registration in Cambodia aims to safeguard collective property, including spirit and burial forests and reserved lands, which can be used for rotational agriculture. Although ICLTs offer uniquely strong legal protection in the Mekong region, Sub-Decree 83 limits titling of spirit and burial forests to seven hectares each, leaving many culturally and ecologically important areas unprotected.

One pathway to strengthen protection is expanding ICLTs to include more sacred sites. Researchers at the Royal University of Agriculture and Monash University are using innovative impact-evaluation methods to test whether ICLT registration helps communities protect forests, providing practical evidence to support legal reform and complementary rights-based arguments.

Strengthening Indigenous-led conservation models

SARIKA aims to revitalise and recognise Bunong ways of knowing and relating to land through these diverse strands of documentation, evidence generation, and partnership-building. It supports state recognition mechanisms such as ICLTs and heritage demarcation, and strengthens partnerships among Indigenous communities, conservationists, policymakers, and researchers.

The project also promotes intergenerational exchange within and among Bunong communities, deepening appreciation of cultural practices and their contributions to planetary wellbeing.

The Bunong are the most authoritative advocates for their lands and lifeways; the wider world must learn to listen, recognise, respect, and support their stewardship.

 

To learn more about the work taking place in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia, visit the SARIKA Project page.

 

Image Credits: All photos were taken in the Brey Ngak sacred forest of the Bunong people. Photographer: Tong Len
1. An aerial view of a sacred forest (Brey Ngak) protected by the Bunong community of Pu Kong
2. Mr Treub Thaeum, the chief of the Bunong Indigenous community at Pu Kong
3. A Bunong woman from the Pu Kong community
4. Sam At Rachana and Pin Plil , members of the CIPO research team, with Mr Treub Thaeum during the heritage demarcation activity
5. Pu Kong community members preparing to visit the sacred forest for demarcation
6. Trees in the Bunong spirit forest
7. A shelter built for the spirits of the sacred forest (Brey Ngak)
8. Trees in the Bunong spirit forest

 

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Turning Biodiversity into Livelihoods: Lessons from West Kalimantan’s Peatlands 

Published 11 Nov 2025

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In Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, the peatland forest around Pematang Gadung village holds the memory of fire, logging, and mining—but also the promise of renewal. Once scarred by extraction, this landscape is now at the center of a growing effort to make biodiversity itself a source of income and pride for local communities. 

During her October visit, GCBC’s Anna Adamczyk observed both the promise and the practical challenges of turning biodiversity into a measurable and tradable community asset.

 

A New Currency for Nature 

Unlike extractive commodities such as timber or palm oil, biodiversity credits place ecological health at the core of the economy. Each credit represents a verified improvement or sustained enhancement in species diversity or habitat quality, measured over time through transparent, science-based methods.

As Harry Tittensor from Plan Vivo describes, they provide a “certified positive contribution to nature.”

These credits can be traded on voluntary markets, channelling funds to those who restore and protect natural ecosystems. Under the Plan Vivo Nature Standard (standard for biodiversity credits), at least 60 percent of the revenue from credit sales must go directly to local communities.  

In West Kalimantan, biodiversity credits are moving from theory to practice. Supported by GCBC through the BREL-Borneo project led by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the October workshops brought together the Plan Vivo Foundation, Biometrio Earth, YIARI, and local communities. Together, they’re helping Pematang Gadung villagers certify biodiversity credits for their 7,000-hectare Village Forest – a peatland ecosystem protected for nearly a decade and home to endangered orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and rare wetland flora.

 

Learning by Doing in the Peatlands 

At the YIARI Learning Center, participants explored how robust data collection underpins the verification of biodiversity credits. Led and organised by Plan Vivo, the workshop provided technical demonstrations on monitoring methods. As part of the pre-deployment phase, participants set up camera traps and acoustic sensors in the nearby forest. Each project collects species and habitat data annually, tracking indicators such as species richness, diversity, and overall habitat health.

Community members were active participants, contributing thoughtful reflections to discussions. Ilyas, Head of Koperasi Mandiri Pematang Gadung Sejahtera, the cooperative co-developing the project together with the Pematang Gadung Village Forest Management Unit (LPHD Pematang Gadung), emphasised that “It’s important for us to clearly understand the process so we can explain the tangible benefits of biodiversity credits back to our community.” 

Later, participants travelled by boat to the Pematang Gadung conservation station, accessible only through the waterways – to test their new skills in a real ecosystem and meet members of the local forest patrols. The long-term goal is for more and more members of the local community to take on forest restoration, wildlife monitoring and patrolling roles, thereby shifting the local economy from an extractive to a regenerative model.

Bridging the Finance Gap 

One of the clearest messages from the workshop was that, from the perspective of small community projects, biodiversity credit certification can be seen as complex and expensive. Costs include expert validation, field data collection, equipment, and baseline surveys. Once the baseline is established, projects enter a two-year monitoring period before the first biodiversity credits can be issued and sold. During this time, communities must maintain operations and collect data without guarantee of income. 

As YIARI’s NBS Senior Lead, Dr. Dorothea Pio, explained, the financial gap between early action and the eventual issuance of biodiversity credits remains one of the biggest challenges. Sustaining field activities throughout this period also requires genuine leadership and commitment from the village. 

Even after credits are obtained, uncertainty persists – long-term financial viability depends on the maturity and strength of the emerging biodiversity credit market. As Dorothea reflected, “The long-term success of the project will in large part, depend on how highly the global community values these critical ecosystems and their biodiversity and whether that value can compete with other market forces.” 

The solution emerging in Kalimantan is partnership. These collaborations show that lasting conservation grows from relationships of trust and shared learning, not just funding streams or policy frameworks.

From Challenge to Opportunity 

The solution emerging in Kalimantan is partnership. Organisations like YIARI act as technical advisors – helping communities navigate the process of obtaining biodiversity credits, secure early-stage funding, and manage transparent reporting. These collaborations show that lasting conservation grows from relationships of trust and shared learning, not just funding streams or policy frameworks. 

Plan Vivo, as the certifying organisation, also seeks to address these earlier-mentioned challenges by prioritising accessibility, participatory approaches, and community empowerment within its standards to ensure communities can access finance and take ownership of implementation. 

The experience in Pematang Gadung highlights that, while bridging the gap between early action, credit issuance, and the eventual sale of credits is challenging, it also opens the door to a more sustainable future.

Ultimately, the lessons from Kalimantan point toward replication and scaling—informing best practices for other community forests, peatlands, and marine ecosystems. Encouragingly, other organisations from the region have also joined the workshops to explore how biodiversity credits could support conservation in their own ecosystems.

……………………………………………………………………………

This report was written by GCBC’s Anna Adamczyk and published with the kind permission of Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Plan Vivo and YIARI.

Follow the link for more on our BREL-Borneo project: BREL-Borneo: Benefits of Biodiverse Restoration for Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Borneo

 

 

Image credits: All photos were taken by Anna Adamczyk, GCBC, and Pahjar Riudha and Indrawan from YIARI. 

Image 1: Busran and Pak Ilyas from Koperasi Mandiri Pematang Gadung Sejahtera (KMPGS) are placing camera trap on a tree for biodiversity monitoring. 

Image 2: Analysis of biodiversity data with Biometrio Earth and the local community. 

Image 3: Testing deployment of biodiversity monitoring tool before going to the field.

Image 4: Group picture of workshop participants, representatives of Plan Vivo, Biometrio Earth, Koperasi Mandiri Pematang Gadung Sejahtera (KMPGS), Village Forest Management Unit (LPHD), GCBC, Konservasi Indonesia, WeBe and GCBC.

Image 5: Pandi and Jaka after successfully installing audiorecorder in peatland forest.

Image 6: Jaka and Icha from Koperasi Mandiri Pematang Gadung Sejahtera (KMPGS) installing audiorecorder in the peatland forest.

Image 7: Participants arriving in Pematang Gadung Conservation Station.

Image 8: Katus, Camp coordinator is introducing project area to participants.

Image 9: Local community with Plan Vivo and GCBC after successfully installing camera traps and audiorecorders in peatland forest

Image 10: Biodiversity credits workshops participants in Pematang Gadung Conservation Station. 

 

 

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Principles for Inclusive Nature Action: Driving gender-responsive, locally-led, rights-based approaches to sustainably using, protecting and restoring global biodiversity

Published 22 Sep 2025

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Principles for Inclusive Nature Action: why rights and inclusion are a condition for impact

When we talk with partners and researchers about what works – what actually protects biodiversity and improves lives – the conversation comes back to who holds power, whose knowledge is valued, and who feels safer and better off because of the work. Social justice and rights aren’t a moral add-on to research. They’re a condition for research impact. If rights are ignored or voices sidelined, even the strongest technical ideas fail to take root

The principles for inclusive nature action are intended to provide a guiding framework to help governments, donors, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders support and scale up transformative action to conserve, restore and sustainably use and manage biodiversity in ways that are locally-led, gender-responsive and inclusive of a wide diversity of rights holders.

This includes women, youth, children, people living with disabilities, displaced people, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, people of African descent and other ethnic groups. These groups are often at the frontline of biodiversity action, yet least empowered to effect change due to systemic barriers and discrimination.

Evidence shows  that these approaches are, ultimately, more effective for biodiversity as well as being more socially just.

The principles were developed during a Wilton Park conference on ‘Transformative change for global biodiversity: the role of gender equality and social inclusion’ hosted by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in September 2024.

They draw on the principles for locally led adaptation and on the Shandia Principles, developed by the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, as well as the outcomes of discussions during the conference. They are also in line with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Gender Plan of Action.

1. Recognise and respect rights
Recognise, acknowledge and advance the rights, knowledge and capabilities of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and people of African descent, especially women and youth as essential partners for reversing biodiversity loss, combating climate change and achieving sustainable development. Accept the universality of human rights while at the same time recognising the characteristics and needs of specific groups and the particular rights, including customary rights, arising in those contexts. Adopt policies and procedures to ensure that rights are respected, protected and fulfilled and implement these in a coordinated and holistic manner across operations at all levels, avoiding trade-offs.

 

2. Devolve decision making and strengthen local leadership
Ensure that local organisations and groups, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities and people of African descent, have increased voice and decision-making power over how biodiversity protection, restoration and sustainable use interventions are prioritised, designed, implemented and evaluated. Build the capacity of local organisations and groups, particularly those led by women and other under-represented groups, to ensure they have the resources, decision-making power, and autonomy to generate durable, place-based solutions, and lead impactful biodiversity initiatives over the long term. Recognise the contributions and achievements of local organisations and groups, particularly those led by women and other under-represented groups, including in formal national and international reporting.

 

3. Recognise and address structural and intersectional inequalities
Recognise and address the intersectional gender, racial and other characteristics that are often the root causes of structural social and economic inequalities. Integrate these considerations into the mainstream of biodiversity action to ensure equitable access to the resources and benefits that are generated. Actively create and sustain environments and mechanisms for inclusive, effective and gender-responsive participation, leadership, decision-making and feedback. Engage with dominant actors that may inadvertently reinforce inequalities, and proactively dismantle the structural barriers to positive change.

 

4. Encourage flexible, adaptive biodiversity programming
Encourage flexible, adaptive, gender-responsive and locally-driven biodiversity management and programming to facilitate local leadership, as well as to address and respond to the inherent uncertainty of biodiversity under a changing climate, and to recognise and adapt to diverse ecological and cultural contexts. Support local leadership by making the processes of designing, and delivering programmes more streamlined, simple and transparent, ensuring mutual accountability between local stakeholders and donors or intermediaries. Ensure that programme decision making is shared, inclusive and gender-responsive.

 

5. Provide direct, patient, flexible, predictable and accessible funding
Ensure the provision of adequate, direct, transparent, gender-responsive funding – including core support – for long-term biodiversity protection, restoration and sustainable management. Provide longer-term, predictable funding to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, people of African descent, women and youth groups with a focus on supporting sustainable outcomes rather than short-term results. Funders and intermediaries should be prepared and supported to hold risk, take a holistic and cross-sectoral approach, and invest in strengthening capacity at all levels.

6. Recognise the mutual value of scientific, and local and traditional knowledge

Build a robust understanding of biodiversity risks, opportunities, uncertainties and definitions of success through a combination of different forms and sources of knowledge. Recognise and protect the leadership of women from Indigenous Peoples and local communities and people of African descent in safeguarding intergenerational traditional or ancestral knowledge that sustains biodiversity.  Prioritise the protection, intergenerational transfer and application of this knowledge for future use to enable societal and ecological resilience under a planetary crisis.

 

7. Promote collaborative and coherent action and investment
Encourage inclusive collaboration between stakeholders across sectors, to ensure that different initiatives and sources of funding complement and support, rather than duplicate each other and allow for greater reach. Prioritise partnerships that amplify the leadership of local actors, particularly women and underrepresented groups, and ensure that their priorities and knowledge drive collaborative action. States should adopt a co-ordinated ‘whole-of-government’ approach across the environmental challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and desertification, as well as finance, trade, investment, agriculture, development and human rights.

 

8. Safeguard local actors, beyond ‘do no harm’
Go beyond harm prevention by actively promoting the realisation of human rights and the well-being and resilience of local actors, especially Indigenous Peoples and local communities and people of African descent, women and youth. Create enabling environments that support their leadership and agency. Take proactive action to protect local stakeholders – including environmental defenders – from harm, including gender-based violence and actions which undermine their agency or cause further marginalisation.

How GCBC projects are already putting the Principles to work

Across the portfolio we see these ideas in motion. In Colombia, the Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation Climate Plan was proposed by Indigenous women, with research designed around community priorities – an example of devolved decision-making and recognition of rights. In Ethiopia, Multifunctional Agroforestry (ICRAF) is testing options with smallholder farmers in highland systems, adapting approaches as the work unfolds—flexible programming in practice.

Along coasts, Translating Research into Action for Seagrass (WWF-UK) in Vietnam focuses on how evidence can inform local management and livelihoods, while GlobalSeaweed (SAMS) in Indonesia and Malaysia works with small-scale seaweed farmers on production, quality and market issues—joining up biodiversity aims with everyday economic realities.

Projects also show what collaboration looks like across systems. Building Adaptive Fisheries Governance Capacity (University of Birmingham) in Uganda and Malawi works with agencies and communities on decision-making and learning cycles that can persist beyond any single project. In Kenya, Understanding Cherangani links to human wellbeing (Nature Kenya) brings together community forest associations and conservation actors to align protection with local needs.

Finally, BioOmo (University of Leeds) is examining biodiversity and climate resilience in the Omo–Turkana Basin, where understanding different knowledge systems, and making space for them, matters for policy and practice. Across these and other projects, the through-line is clear: when rights are respected, decisions shared, and multiple knowledges valued, biodiversity outcomes are more durable and benefits better distributed.

 

 

Hosting the Principles on the GCBC website is a small step. The real work is in how research projects are co- created, designed and delivered, and how people are treated along the way. We’ll continue to share stories and learning from across GCBC projects that show what inclusive nature action looks like in practice, and we welcome examples, thoughts and ideas from others doing the same.

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Enhancing Coastal Ecosystem Services: ENHANCES Explores Solutions through Games

Published 19 Sep 2025

GCBC

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Children play games to learn about the world. Games help us explore our environment, develop our social skills, and understand how to address complicated challenges. They offer a powerful tool that engages individuals to think differently about complex problems and provide psychological safety for experimentation. Gamification, the use of games and game elements in a context beyond entertainment, has the potential to facilitate cooperation and knowledge sharing around convoluted and sometimes contentious issues.

One particularly complex challenge facing tropical coastal regions is coastal erosion and flooding. In Suriname, the effects of this problem are particularly potent. With climate change threatening both rising seas and unpredictable storms, protection of Suriname’s coastline and the 85% of Suriname’s population that lives in this region is critical. The country’s mangrove green belt has historically provided protection to this coastal region, but environmental factors and human land use have weakened these ecosystems and the protection they provide.

While a major focus of the GCBC funded ENHANCES project is collecting environmental data from coastal Suriname to better understand mangrove ecosystems as a nature-based solution for flood protection, gaining insight into what is happening and why is only part of the challenge. Developing effective approaches to reduce erosion and flooding requires consensus and collaboration from stakeholders in the country. However, limited resources and differing views on the best strategies make this process particularly challenging.

To support dialogue and knowledge sharing around this issue, ENHANCES is developing an interactive boardgame. The game aims to foster constructive conversations among stakeholders.

 

Resilient Coast: The Game

The development of this game began with a clear goal: building consensus. The design team set out to create a space where dialogue among stakeholders with diverse, and often competing interests, could take place. The design team is led by Dr. Agnessa Spanellis, Senior Lecturer in Systems Thinking and Dr. Sandy Louchart, Research Associate in Game Design, at the University of Edinburgh, working closely with the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, particularly Dr. Fariel Ishaak and Graciella Hunte from the Faculty of Social Science and Prof. Sieuwnath Naipal (Faculty of Technological Sciences), and supported by the whole multi-disciplinary ENHANCES team, led by Dr. Isabella Bovolo from the Department of Geography at Durham University.

The game is seen as a first step toward consensus building on coastal flood mitigation, offering participants an opportunity to reflect on the issue. To do so, it must establish a baseline of knowledge about tropical coastal protection. This baseline combines factual insights from scientific literature and experts (within the ENHANCES team and elsewhere) with the perspectives and opinions of stakeholders in Suriname and the region. From this foundation, three broad questions emerge about the role of mangrove ecosystems in mitigating coastal flooding:

  • What information is relevant to players?
  • What is currently known and supported by scientific evidence?
  • What do experts believe should be done?

In May 2023, interviews were arranged with local stakeholders and insights from these conversations helped identify the core requirements for the game.

 

It was very enriching to understand experiences of different people on the ground and see what they are doing to cope with the floods. Some of them said that nobody has asked them about their experiences before.

Dr. Agnessa Spanellis, Senior Lecturer in Systems Thinking, University of Edinburgh

These insights, together with scientific evidence on coastal processes, were brought together in a causal map—a tool that visualizes the actions and consequences within a complex system to help identify key information, elements, and processes. The map was cross-referenced with project experts to clarify existing knowledge and identify gaps related to coastal flooding in Suriname

From this data, the first prototype of the game was born. Priority learning outcomes were established first, and game mechanics followed based on these initial aims. Some knowledge could be shared with the players simply and directly. The more complex concepts, however, are better communicated through experience and observation (constructivist learning). These experiential loops would develop into game mechanics, driving the game and engaging the players in problem solving.

 

What does the game look like now?

Six players work cooperatively to protect a mass of land from increasingly devastating flooding events. The land includes six zones, and within each zone are tiles that correspond to agriculture, businesses and industry, population centres, and natural features, including mangrove forests along the coast. The players assume specific roles, each with certain capabilities and skills that might prove useful. The goal is to work together, pooling resources and skillsets, to protect the land from flooding while growing the country’s economy, and population.

Since the first prototype, the game has seen many different forms. Each new version has been informed by the previous versions in an iterative and logical process. In March 2025, Sandy facilitated the initial gameplay testing with two groups of players from various locations along the Suriname coast and from varying backgrounds.

Meeting the communities involved and testing the game in situ has allowed me to observe player interaction and communications and better understand group dynamics.

Dr. Sandy Louchart, Research Associate in Game Design, University of Edinburgh

The playtests generated valuable insights that enabled further refinement of the gameplay. The final version of the boardgame is expected to be completed by early autumn 2025 and rolled out in Suriname in early 2026.

To find out more about ENHANCES, please visit www.enahncesproject.org, or contact the project Principle Investigator, Dr Isabella Bovolo, Durham University.

 

 

Blog kindly prepared by Dr Zane Havens, Outreach and Dissemination PDRA, Heriot Watt University, UK

This work has been generated by the ENHANCES (ENHANCing Coastal Ecosystem Services) research project, with funding from DEFRA -Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), project GCBC RGC1 G01-007511, and shared contribution and responsibilities of Durham University (project lead), Edinburgh University and Heriot-Watt University in the UK and the Anton de Kom University in Surinam (local lead).

 

Image Caption: During a gameplay test with students from Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname, the ENHANCES team gained valuable insights into how the game’s mechanics engaged players and the types of conversations that emerged during play. Participants in this session included Suraja Premchand, Hussain Zalikha, Yashwier Sewdajal, Roel Kalpoe, Naipal Sumintra, Millerson Janvier, and Chaotlian Winay. The game facilitators shown are Sandy Louchart, Fariel Ishaak, Graciella Hunte, and Tom Wagner. Video recorded by Zane Havens.
Game Design Images Caption: The final version of the game will feature a variety of cards designed to advance gameplay and enhance players’ scientific knowledge. It will also include a game board printed on fabric, making it durable, portable, and water-resistant. Images provided by Sandy Louchart.

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Embedding GEDSI: Strengthening Inclusive Biodiversity Action

Published 15 Sep 2025

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By 2027, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) has committed to ensuring its funded projects deliver GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) -empowering outcomes, where marginalised voices are enabled to participate meaningfully, influence decisions, and strengthen their leadership in biodiversity and climate action.

This is an ambitious yet urgent goal. Achieving GEDSI empowering outcomes will require moving from inclusion as principle to inclusion as practice. But what will it take for GCBC to deliver on this commitment, and what does truly empowering GEDSI action in biodiversity and climate research look like?

The Challenge

Historically, efforts to address climate change and biodiversity loss have focused on protecting species and habitats, often at the expense of recognising the needs and rights of women, girls, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Despite often holding deep relationships with the land, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions, these groups are frequently underrepresented in decision-making and often excluded from the benefits of conservation. This exclusion is not only unjust; it also undermines the resilience of ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

While interest in GEDSI within biodiversity programming is growing, most research projects do not yet fully integrate inclusive design and outcome measurement. At a time when recent aid cuts have further weakened support for projects that prioritise the voices and wellbeing of marginalised groups, sustained investment in inclusive approaches is more critical than ever.

 

Inclusive Biodiversity: GCBC Case Studies

In many regions, GCBC projects are already actively advancing GEDSI through meaningful community engagement, gender-responsive capacity building, and the amplification of Indigenous and local knowledge systems.

In Ethiopia, for example, agroforestry initiatives led by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (Multifunctional Agroforestry for Ethiopia) are empowering female farmer leaders through the creation of safe spaces and the delivery of women-only training. In Peru and Ecuador, the International Potato Center (Andean Crop Diversity for Climate Change) is promoting the leadership of women and youth by recognising ‘seed guardians’ and using photovoice storytelling to strengthen cultural identity and community ties.

A strong emphasis on inclusive research design and knowledge co-creation runs across many GCBC initiatives. In Cambodia, Indigenous women are receiving ethics training from the Wildlife Conservation Society (SARIKA: Scientific Action Research for Indigenous Knowledge Advancement) to lead biodiversity conservation efforts, while in Ghana and Tanzania, institutions like the University of Education, Winneba (ILWGAWS: Integrated Land and Water Management of the Greater Amanzule Wetland System) and the International Institute of Environment and Development (Nature Nurture) are applying participatory mapping and locally tailored co-creation practices that elevate community voices and agency.

However, GEDSI-empowering projects go beyond engaging marginalised groups and women, they actively work to transform lives. In Colombia, for example, CIASE (Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation Climate Plan) is driving intergenerational, gender-focused climate education through the Escuela Viva (Living School) while simultaneously empowering women through the growth of bio-collective enterprises. In Ecuador’s Pastaza region, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTLP) (BIOAMAZ: Realising the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon) is building local capacity in biodiversity management, from sustainable practices to essential oil production, with the dual goal of improving livelihoods and amplifying women’s and Indigenous leadership.

From Commitment to Action

However, some GCBC projects are still at an early stage of engaging with GEDSI, and the programme is strengthening its efforts to ensure the principles are embedded across all projects and partnerships.

To do this, GCBC is advancing its Theory of Change, adopting consistent terminology, and providing clearer GEDSI guidance for grantees. This guidance is supported by new self-assessment and action planning tools that encourage grantees to reflect on five core areas:

    1. Project design
    2. Engagement
    3. Monitoring
    4. Team capacity
    5. Safeguarding

 

These exercises are complemented by webinars, and tailored support provided through GCBC’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF). One such TAF intervention is currently helping a team embed inclusivity, local knowledge, and equitable benefit sharing into their restoration and governance efforts, whilst another is focused on building capacity for monitoring and evaluation specialists to better integrate GEDSI into project data and reporting.

As projects evolve and findings emerge, grantees will also be assisted in implementing inclusive dissemination activities that both reach and elevate marginalised voices. Updated programme materials will include dedicated GEDSI guidance, with action plans outlining specific activities, intended outcomes, delivery methods, and measures of impact. Together, these efforts are designed to move the programme beyond intent to impact, laying the foundation for more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable biodiversity outcomes.

Building on these efforts and the Wilton Park dialogue (Transformative Change for Global Biodiversity: The Role of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, which gave rise to the Principles for Inclusive Nature Action, GCBC is preparing to launch a new Inclusive Nature Action Community of Practice. This platform will bring together partners and organisations across the network to share innovations and address common challenges at the intersection of nature and inclusion.

For more on the Principles for Inclusive Nature Action, including their origins and development, see Principles for Inclusive Nature Action: Driving gender-responsive, locally-led, rights-based approaches to sustainably using, protecting and restoring global biodiversity.

This first collaborative Community of Practice, led by Dr Jamie Carr, University of York, is investigating the challenges, trade-offs, and co-benefits of inclusive, gender-responsive, and locally led biodiversity action. This research aims to generate practical insights for implementers and donors alike.

As the conservation movement embraces the need for greater equality and inclusion, the research community has a vital role in generating the evidence needed to navigate complexity and drive transformative change.

Dr Jamie Carr, University of York

 

Looking Ahead

We’ll continue to share stories and learning from across GCBC projects that show what inclusive nature action looks like in practice, and we welcome examples, thoughts and ideas from others doing the same. Together, we can shape a more inclusive and impactful future for biodiversity.

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Saving Lake Sofia: From Rescue to Restoration in Madagascar

Published 27 Aug 2025

GCBC

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Wednesday 27 August 2025 marks the UN’s first-ever World Lake Day, celebrating the vital importance of the conservation and sustainable development of lakes, as well as the many benefits lakes provide, from recreation and livelihoods to climate regulation.

For this first World Lake Day, Mark Grindley of the Wildfowl and Wetland’s Trust (WWT), a GCBC delivery partner on the Following the Water project, shares the remarkable story of Lake Sofia.

Lake Sofia is one of a handful of relatively isolated freshwater lakes in the remote uplands of north-west Madagascar and is home to a wealth of endangered and endemic species. During their research, the team faced an unexpected challenge – one that led to the lake’s extraordinary rescue and the restoration of a thriving ecosystem for both people and wildlife.

A series of images of Lake Sofia, captured before the dam’s collapse and during its reconstruction. Photos courtesy of WWT and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (2025) © Durrell Wildlife Trust are the official site management authority for Lake Sofia as recognised by the government.

 

What a Difference a Year Makes!

This time last year, Lake Sofia – a Ramsar site in north-west Madagascar and a key research site for WWT’s current GCBC project, Following the Water – stood at the brink of disaster.

In January 2024, torrential rains had caused the near collapse of the lake. A narrow drainage channel became a breach 120 metres wide, and the water began gushing away. By June, the lake had shrunk by a staggering 90% of its 300-hectare surface area.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher. Recognised as a wetland of international importance and a biodiversity hotspot, Lake Sofia is home to countless species, including the critically endangered Madagascar pochard, reintroduced to the lake in 2020 by WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT), the Peregrine Fund, and the Madagascar government.

Listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Madagascar pochard is one of the rarest ducks in the world. Although the total number remaining in the wild is unknown, the Sofia population is almost certainly the largest single community of its kind.

Over time, unsustainable farming and water management practices had put pressure on the lake, leading to poor water quality, rising temperatures, and heavy sedimentation, all of which reduced the Pochard’s ability to feed. WWT and our partners had been working together with local communities to improve the wetland for both people and wildlife.

Image 1: A group of Madagascar pochard swim into view (WWT).  Image 2: The Madagascar pond heron – a timid species at home on Lake Sofia but is still classed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN global Red List. Image by Agami Photo Agency Image 3: Madagascar harriers are impressive but in decline due to loss of habitat – currently classed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN. Image by R E Lewis (WWT) Image 4: Madagascar grebes, like many grebe species, are also in decline. Image by Debbie Pain (WWT).

 

For local communities, too, the loss of the lake would have had dire consequences. Around 10,000 people depend on Lake Sofia for their livelihoods. The lake provides food and income for local fishers and is a vital source of water for growing food, irrigating rice fields and for the farms downstream. As water levels dropped, wells began running dry. Community members were forced to walk four kilometres just to fetch drinking water.

We had to act fast, before the lake was lost forever.

In collaboration with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, local and national government and community groups, we worked with local and international engineers to design a new dam, and launched an emergency appeal to fund it. Our brilliant supporters stepped up, and with a considerable contribution from a new emergency grant from the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) we were able to raise more than £110,000.

Construction started in December 2024, and in just 100 days the 140-metre barrier was complete. The solution was simple but effective: a low-tech earth embankment reinforced with riprarp (rocks) and concrete overflow channel to prevent future erosion. Two channels at either end will enable irrigation downstream. Designed and built by local construction company CEDRE, the dam will be owned and operated by the local community.

Now, at the end of the rainy season, Lake Sofia is fully replenished and the Madagascar pochards have returned.

The ecological collapse of Lake Sofia would have had catastrophic consequences for people and wildlife. We’re grateful to everyone who made this swift intervention possible – including the community resource management groups, the local government authorities and our generous donors. Thanks to their support, we can look forward to a thriving future for Lake Sofia and the people and wildlife who depend upon it.

Harison Andriambelo, WWT’s Country Manager in Madagascar

For WWT and our partners, the loss of Lake Sofia also meant delays to our Nature-based Solutions (NbS) research. Communities, understandably, were focused on the immediate crisis: the loss of livelihoods and, in the worst case, their only reliable freshwater supply. While the emergency dam has restored the lake and safeguarded these needs, it’s important to stress that the problem isn’t entirely solved. Built under immense time pressure, the dam still requires further work, and Lake Sofia remains a powerful case study of the impacts of climate change.

Next Steps

For the project, Lake Sofia now offers a unique opportunity to learn about lake restoration. Working closely with local communities, the aim is to re-establish papyrus, lilies, and other macrophytes – the foundation of the food chain that supports fish, waterbirds, and especially the pochards. Almost all of this vegetation was lost when the lake drained, and restoring it will be key to building a resilient future for both people and wildlife.

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Report by Mark Grindley, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

Following the Water is a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) led GCBC research project, which uses interdisciplinary and participatory research to uncover the causes of wetland degradation in Madagascar. The project develops practical interventions to tackle the main drivers of wetland loss and poverty, while also exploring transformative strategies to help communities adapt to climate change.

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Weaving Transformative Resilience and Active Hope: An Alliance in the Face of Climate Change in the Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation

Published 29 Jul 2025

GCBC

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The inclusion of Indigenous Peoples is essential to protecting global biodiversity and is central to GCBC’s mission of advancing climate resilience through nature.

Colombia, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, harbors around 10% of global biodiversity within just 0.7% of Earth’s surface. With ecosystems under growing threat, the sustainable stewardship of Indigenous territories, rooted in Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and rights, is crucial to safeguarding both ecological and cultural heritage

Corporación CIASE, in partnership with the Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation of the Pasto People, is leading a research initiative to protect local ecosystems, enhance community well-being, and support biodiversity conservation. A recent key output of the project, the Illustrated Botanical Guide to the Gran Tescual Reservation, documents the region’s rich plant diversity and presents ancestral knowledge as a valuable resource for education and conservation.

To mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and to celebrate the guide’s release, CIASE members have contributed a special article, reflecting on their collaboration with the Pasto community and the role of ancestral knowledge in shaping inclusive, sustainable climate action.

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The following article was written for GCBC by Corporación CIASE. 

In today’s world, increasingly affected by the accelerating climate crisis, there is an urgent need to seek collective paths that challenge excessive consumerism, while teaching us about care and empathy for the world’s finite natural resources.

The alliance in Colombia between Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica (CIASE)—a feminist and mixed-gender organisation—and the Pan-Amazonian Indigenous Reservation of Gran Tescual, inhabited by the Pasto people, forms part of this collective search. This alliance has been consolidated through years of equitable collaboration and the implementation of various initiatives, the most recent being the development of the Climate Plan for the Reservation.

In this process, research oriented towards biodiversity protection and the integration of Indigenous knowledge to preserve biocultural heritage (see The Botanical Guide of the Gran Tescual Resguardo) has opened space for reflections on the safeguarding of strategic ecosystems such as the páramo (high treeless plateaus), food sovereignty, and gender dynamics.

Image 1 shows women from the Pasto community outside their restaurant initiative in the resguardo, with Daniela Torres,  Mama Genith Quitiaquez,  Taita Vicente Obando, Ricardo Ibarguen, Wendy Toro and Rosa Emilia Salamanca from Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica (CIASE). Image 2 shows the full CIASE team: Mama Genith Quitiaquez, Rosa Emilia Salamanca, Wendy Toro, Germán Niño (behind) Fredy O Chávez, Taita Vicente Obando, Angel E Gamboa, Patricia Luli, Ricardo Ibarguen, Maria Cristina Umbarila and Felipe Imbacuan.

 

Indigenous knowledge and feminist perspectives can walk together and contribute to building futures that are more just, more inclusive, and, above all, allow such transformations to become more embedded in the daily lives of communities.

— Wendy Toro, CIASE Researcher

Extractive industries, agricultural expansion, megaprojects and internal armed conflicts in our country have been historical obstacles to ensuring the quality of life for communities facing multiple forms of exclusion—such as Indigenous peoples, women, and others whose identities have been placed in positions of denial and oppression.

This unfolds within a broader context shaped by Western modernity, which has influenced how we relate to and make sense of the world. These ways of thinking have also informed scientific approaches, which, have at times led to an instrumental perspective on the environment, where everything is seen as a resource.

It is at this juncture that CIASE’s approach centered on gender justice and the Indigenous knowledge of the Pasto People interweave to form an inspiring proposal. In order to understand the roots of today’s climate crisis, this alliance brings the gender–environment intersection to the forefront.

It raises fundamental questions: To what extent does the association of weakness with the feminine—viewed as something to be possessed—sustain and justify violence against women and, to a large extent, against nature? And how does the notion of masculinity as a dominant and possessive force reflect itself in the extractive practices that destroy and exploit vital ecosystems? [1]

Feminism still feels like a somewhat foreign approach. In the Pasto community, it’s often mocked or seen as a loss of manhood—as if men are being feminised. [However], through the feminist lens, we’ve begun to raise awareness about economic mistreatment, and I find it quite striking how an approach like this can bring about transformation and change.

— Taita Vicente Obando, Indigenous Governor of Gran Tescual

Promoting women's participation isn’t just about creating a space for women—it’s about creating a better environment for the entire community. And in that sense, feminism can say: this is not only a struggle for women, it is a struggle for society as a whole.

— Mama Genith Quitiaquez, Authority of Gran Tescual

This experience has also been a space where everyday encounters and practice challenge the illusion of objectivity and the idea of a single truth. It demands situating knowledge, decolonising research processes, and recognising the legitimacy of Indigenous self-governance. This has allowed for mutual curiosity and learning, enabling the weaving of life experiences and knowledge towards a heartfelt construction of peace within the Colombian context—through active listening.

The synergy of knowledge systems, perspectives, and identities—even those within a single person—resonates with the relationship between the Andean and Amazonian ecosystems that converge in the Gran Tescual Reservation. From this interaction emerges abundant biodiversity and essential ecological processes that maintain the balance and vitality of both regions.

The Indigenous knowledge of the Gran Tescual Reservation offers a deeply relational vision, where spirituality, community and territory are inseparable.

— Daniela Torres, Climate Advocacy Specialist at CIASE

The relationship between CIASE and the Gran Tescual Reservation is not a mere coming together of good intentions – it is a novel construction between differences. Here, the “quality of the relationship” becomes the foundation for facing complex challenges of cultural transformation. This collaboration goes beyond technical support; it is based on building mutual trust through dialogue, and for that to happen, both parties have shown a necessary openness.

“Transformation also entails a reworking of everyday and family realities, and that, in turn, shapes how we relate to the territory.”
— Felipe Imbacuan, Researcher from the Pasto People and Municipal Councillor of Puerres

This alliance offers a viable and proactive proposal for addressing the changes brought by the climate crisis from a deeply rooted ethnic and gender analysis—perspectives that challenge historical logics and cultures of discrimination, while calling for the recovery of ancestral thought as a path to restoring the territory.

“This initiative is a powerful and promising pathway to transform power relations in an integral way. It helps build shared visions of peace and drive a deep cultural shift. It is an undeniable intercultural dialogue that weaves together the heart of feminism—one that rejects all forms of discrimination and oppression—with the Indigenous vision of harmony and care for nature and the people who inhabit it, so central to the spirit of Colombia’s Indigenous peoples.”

— CIASE’s Centre for Thought (Patricia Luli and Rosa Emilia Salamanca G.)

Endnote

[1] Questions we have taken from classical ecofeminism.

 

References

CIASE (2025). Recuperar el pensamiento, restaurar el territorio: Diagnóstico participativo de biodiversidad y medios de vida del resguardo El Gran Tescual. CIASE

Brigitte Baptiste-Ballera (2025). TransEcología: Una guía patafísica para habitar las transformaciones del mundo. Ariel.

Maristela Svampa (2015). Feminismos del Sur y ecofeminismos. Recovered from: https://nuso.org/articulo/feminismos-del-sur-y-ecofeminismo

 

Discover More: Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation Climate Plan

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When Youth Draw What Matters: Native Crops, Climate Change, and Connection

Published 24 Jul 2025

GCBC

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You can feel the shift.

The rains do not come when they used to.
Crops wither.
Pests like the Andean weevil thrive.

In the highlands of Cotopaxi, climate change is not a theory, it is a lived reality. Families rely on farming, and when the land suffers, so do livelihoods, traditions, and entire ways of life.

Ask the youth what they know about potato agrobiodiversity, and most will mention “Super Chola”, a common variety grown for market. But varieties like Coneja Negra or Leona Negra, both known for surviving droughts, often draw blank stares. Mashua, another native Andean tuber with pest-repelling properties, is rarely seen as food anymore. It is remembered mostly for its medicinal use, if at all.

That is the gap this capacity-strengthening event set out to bridge.

In collaboration with the University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Technical University of Cotopaxi, EkoRural Foundation, the INIAP (the National Agriculture Research Center), and the International Potato Center (CIP), a scientific illustration course was launched, not just to teach drawing, but to reconnect youth with their agrobiodiversity heritage and raise awareness of climate resilience. This was done under the project “Andean Crop Diversity for Climate Change” supported by Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), and the University San Francisco de Quito.

Eleven youth from rural communities and nearby universities joined the five-session course. Three sessions were held in person and the rest were online. Participants visited University San Francisco to learn the principle of botanical illustration: detailed observation and drawing. Drawing nature requires a deep observation of different subjects and breaking paradigms to “draw what we actually see” in place draw what “we have been thought to see”. This is a deep reflection process that makes us appreciate the rich details of nature.

Students also visited the USFQ Herbarium where they learned how plants are documented and preserved and saw firsthand that some native crops are barely represented – even in scientific records. Later, the Technical University of Cotopaxi hosted sessions where participants worked mainly on how to mix colour to capture the details of samples of native potatoes and mashua provided by the International Potato Center.

Some participants chose to illustrate Chaucha Roja, a native potato variety known for surviving even in difficult seasons. One participant shared:

“Chaucha Roja faces many challenges like drought, but it stays resilient to climate change and continues to produce.”

Others focused on other native potatoes after speaking with grandparents who remembered planting them but had stopped due to the labour and pest issues:

“What my grandmother told me is that they used to plant it, but not anymore, because it requires more care and there are more pests. Still, it is a crop that is more resistant to drought… so it could really help with climate change.”

Some insights were straightforward but powerful:

“Yes, it helped us. During the drought season, it held up well with compost. So yes, it helped me for food.” (Referring to the potato)

The resulting illustrations were not just botanical, they were cultural and ecological. Each one carried a story, a memory, and a perspective on how these native crops can support adaptation in a changing climate.

To celebrate these efforts, the youth’s work was exhibited along the work of 19 artists, from 18th to 25th May at QGalery from the San Francisco de Quito University and the Botanical Garden in Quito. This exhibition was part of a global event: Wordwide Bontanical Art 2025, to showcase this discipline across the world. The exhibition placed local crop diversity at the centre, through the eyes and hands of the youth who are reclaiming it.

 

Reflections from the Process

This experience left us with several powerful takeaways:

  • Youth need space to explore. When given the time and tools to connect with their own cultural and ecological heritage, they do not just participate, they take ownership.
  • Dialogue creates change. Conversations with parents and grandparents sparked not just knowledge sharing, but pride in crops and practices that had been overlooked or forgotten.
  • Context matters. Young people do not talk about climate change the same way scientists do, but they understand it deeply through their lived experience. Letting them express that through art made it real, personal, and lasting.
  • Art renews connection with nature: The simple process of observation and drawing creates a powerful link between the artist, the observer and the subject. It helps us to question us about the nature that surrounds us and makes us remember how our lives are linked to nature.

 

This capacity-strengthening event reminded us that young people are not just future leaders. They are current voices. And when they are invited into the conversation with respect and creativity, they draw more than just plants.

They draw connections.
They draw awareness.
They draw change.

 

This blog was written by Israel Navarrete, Associate Scientist, CIP, in collaboration with Bettina Heider (CIP) and Jenny Ordoñez, by San Francisco de Quito University.

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Recognising Indigenous Knowledge in Cambodia’s Biodiversity Management

Published 24 Jul 2025

GCBC

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Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples is essential to safeguarding global biodiversity and is central to GCBC’s mission of leveraging biodiversity for climate resilience.

With a global population of over 476 million, Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in sustainability, managing or holding tenure rights to roughly a quarter of the Earth’s surface – regions that contain a significant share of the planet’s biodiversity. While disproportionately impacted by climate change, Indigenous Communities possess deep, place-based ecological knowledge that complements and enhances scientific research.

Recognising their critical role, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) includes a dedicated Target 22 to ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples. In alignment with this global recognition, GCBC upholds the rights and voices of Indigenous Peoples as a core principle, and as a prerequisite for awarding research grants

The following report has been written by Sam At Rachana, Research Lead, Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO)

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During June and July 2025, Cambodia hosted two significant events to launch the GCBC funded project, “Recognizing and Rewarding the Contribution of Indigenous Knowledge for the Sustainable Management of Biodiversity.” These powerful gatherings connected Indigenous communities, researchers, youth, elders, conservationists, and government representatives in collaborative shared spaces.

As a Bunong Indigenous person and lead researcher for this project, I found these events profoundly meaningful. They were not only a celebration of Indigenous knowledge but a practical step toward inclusive, co-designed biodiversity governance in Cambodia.

For context, the Bunong people are one of Cambodia’s largest Indigenous groups. We have a deep connection to the forest, land, and spiritual world, as reflected in our traditional ecological knowledge and cultural practices, which center on respect for nature and the spirits of the land.

Images show 1) Rachana Sam At, Lead Researcher, CIPO, at the national project launch in Phnom Penh 2) Rachana Sam At, Lead Researcher, with Indigenous elders and government officials during a panel discussion at the project launch event 3-5) His Excellency Chuop Paris, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Environment, greets Mrs Yun Mane, CIPO  Executive Director during the traditional opening ritual 6) Project researchers from CIPO, WCS, and the Royal University of Agriculture, with the Chief of the Indigenous community committee of Andong Kraleung village 7) Elders from Andong Kraleung village sharing their perspectives on the value of traditional knowledge.

This project aims to identify innovative approaches to enhance Indigenous stewardship of biodiversity within the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary by exploring the knowledge and sustainable practices of the Bunong people. It is implemented by a consortium which includes the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO), Monash University, the University of Oxford, the Royal University of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Environment.

 

Shared Beginnings

On June 16, 2025, the project launch took place at Phnom Penh’s Cambodiana Hotel. A traditional Bunong ritual, a symbolic act that grounded the project in Indigenous values and ways of being, showcased to all attendees, including officials and international partners, that Indigenous knowledge systems are living and deeply connected to nature.

A special performance by a young Indigenous man, blended traditional song with modern rap, demonstrating the innovative ways Indigenous youth are keeping their culture alive.

Featuring elders from the three participating communities, the panel discussion which followed marked a positive shift. Their direct address to officials, donors, researchers, and other stakeholders provided a crucial moment to address directly officials, donors, researchers, and other stakeholders. They shared stories, concerns, and ideas rooted in community, lived experiences, and ancestral knowledge, reminding everyone that Indigenous knowledge is a living, evolving spirit, passed down and actively practiced.

The active support of the Ministry of Environment added significant weight to the event. Their representatives not only attended but participated, listened, and expressed strong encouragement. One official even offered a three-day training on Participatory Action Research (PAR), that highlighted the potential for collaboration when understanding and respect are present.

 

Where Knowledge Lives

Following the national launch, a community event took place on July 2nd in Andong Kraleung village. Conducted in the traditional Bunong way, this event was an essential part of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, ensuring meaningful and culturally appropriate community engagement from the outset.

The Andong Kraleung launch was particularly special as it took place directly in the village, with the community leading. It began with a traditional Bunong dance performed by local students, a powerful display of cultural strength and identity. Mrs. Yun Mane, CIPO Executive Director, spoke about the importance of documenting Indigenous knowledge before it disappears, highlighting that for the Bunong, the forest is not merely a place but their market, bank, school, and sacred ground.

Dr Emiel de Lange, Wildlife Conservation Society, also shared insights, emphazing that Indigenous peoples have cared for the forest for centuries and possess unparalleled knowledge. He presented examples of documented traditional knowledge from Australia, encouraging the community to continue using their own voices to record their wisdom. This event felt like a strong, community-centered start.

 

Next Steps

The project will organize consultation meetings with Indigenous communities to identify research questions, clarify study objectives, and co-develop research questionnaires. These steps are crucial to ensure the research is grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, supports self-determination, and addresses the communities’ real priorities.

Challenges lie ahead, including ensuring meaningful community participation throughout the research, as well as addressing power imbalances.

These recent events have left me feeling inspired, having witnessed elders, youth, researchers, and government genuinely engaging with one another. It reinforced my belief that efforts to amplify Indigenous voices are gaining traction and reminded me why I do this work: to see our knowledge recognized, respected, and rewarded in meaningful ways.

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Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Indigenous Peoples Natural Resource Management

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