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Community-led Conservation in Ethiopia’s Tama CCA

Published 27 Jul 2026

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The Tama Community Conservation Area (CCA) is the newest and largest CCA in Ethiopia. It stands as a powerful example of community-led stewardship, through the leadership of the resident agropastoralist Mursi (Mun) and Bodi (Me’en), and hunter-gatherer Bacha (Kwegu) people. A mosaic of low forest, hill forest, grassland, and riverine landscapes, the Tama CCA is a sanctuary for biodiversity.

We think there are over 300 different species of birdlife plus multiple endangered mammal species and antelope species critical for food security in hunger times. The CCA offers communities’ formal land tenure protecting them from mega projects nearby (such as the Kuraz Sugar Development Project) which allows conservation, cultural resilience, and local livelihoods to align and pave a path to a sustainable future.  

While these communities have rich traditional ecological knowledge about the biodiversity, there are major data gaps in accounting for the biodiversity with western scientific metrics, which makes informing CCA rules for hunting, grazing, and cultivation challenging. The BioRes project aims to fill these data gaps, explore the linkages between livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate, and inform co-design of the CCA’s adaptive management rules and regulations to support both conservation and sustainable livelihoods of the resident communities. 

On World Conservation Day, it’s critical to remember that wildlife and cultural heritage exist side by side and need management that supports both.

This summer was our final period of biodiversity data collection. Our interdisciplinary team had two areas of research: 

Ethnobotany

Dr. Tizazu Gebre and Dr. Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia are taking different approaches to the study of botanical biodiversity. Dr. Tizazu has been carrying out vegetation surveys with his team from Arba Minch University, documenting the plant species present in the Tama, their population structures, and regeneration status following standard ecological methodologies. By surveying plant communities at regular, fixed intervals along transects across the CCA’s land cover types, Dr. Tizazu and his team can map changes across environmental gradients to evaluate plant communities, species composition, and ecosystem health across diverse environments. 

Additionally, his team employed semi-structured interviews and guided field walks with elders and key herbalists to document local plant names and specific uses (e.g. medicinal, edible, construction etc.). Linking ethnobotanical information with floristic composition in a data sparse region like the Lower Omo bridges Indigenous ecological knowledge with quantitative ecological data, ensuring the resulting quantitative indices and spatial distribution analyses are grounded in the context of the riverine and savanna ecosystems in the Lower Omo Valley. 

Dr. Marta has extended this understanding as this summer her research explored an often-overlooked dimension of conservation: the relationships between people and plants. Using a multispecies ethnographic approach, her team (University of Leeds and our local community liaisons) investigated how agropastoral communities in the Tama CCA interact with, depend on, and coexist with a remarkable diversity of plant species.

Rather than viewing plants simply as natural resources, this approach recognises them as active participants in human social worlds. Throughout her fieldwork, she documented local ecological knowledge and the many ways plants shape everyday life. The data provides insights into the complex interdependencies between people and plants, revealing how biodiversity supports not only ecosystem functions but also cultural identities, social relationships, and community wellbeing. 

Ethnozoology

Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw (University of Leeds) and her team (Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Barkede Kulumadere from local NGO OPEN, and CCA scouts) carried out an integrated study related to the zoological biodiversity in the Tama. Building on her prior research in the dry season, Tsyon employed 50 camera traps and 15 audiomoths using a grid across the CCA during the wet season, so we can compare the two datasets and look at seasonal differences in species richness (unique species present in the CCA) as well as start to build an idea of occupancy and abundance. A total of 32 mammalian species have been recorded from analysis thus far, including threatened and iconic wildlife such as the African lion, leopard, giraffe, plains zebra, African buffalo, patas monkey, and ground pangolin, highlighting the area’s rich biodiversity and seasonal wildlife movements.  

Her ecological data collection was coupled with focus groups, building on the approach from the ethnobotany team, to collect traditional ecological knowledge about these species. These conversations found that communities classify wildlife as favourable if the cultural, spiritual, and economic value of the wildlife outweighs the cost. Carnivores and primates are often considered as problem animals as they cause the perceived and actual threats of livestock loss and crop damage, which can result in retaliatory killing and conservation concerns.  

Wildlife remains deeply rooted in identity, traditions, and practices of the Omo people, and participants reported the irreplaceable cultural and spiritual significance of wildlife. Conserving wildlife is therefore essential for preserving traditional governance systems, cultural heritage, and community identity.  

Moving Forwards

Integrating Indigenous knowledge with ecological monitoring has allowed us to document these complex cultural and spiritual landscapes of human–wildlife relationships – critical to develop culturally appropriate, evidence-based conservation strategies that can support biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and community resilience. We now better understand which species are most important to communities, why they matter, and how changes in availability may affect livelihoods and food security.

Particularly important to this is climate variability, so one of our next steps is to work with climate modelers to a) construct an understanding of prior climate in the region for the first time (given there are no weather stations in the Tama) and b) explore what climate projections will mean for land cover, and thus biodiversity and livelihoods.  

In the final phase of BioRes we will then work with CCA staff and the governing Council to integrate such understandings into their rules and regulations, so to support adaptive management of the CCA under climate change. Importantly, our research demonstrates that conservation cannot be separated from the cultural and relational values that communities attach to landscapes.

Protecting biodiversity also means protecting the knowledge, practices, and relationships that have developed between people, wildlife, and plants over generations and we want to see this embedded in the CCA’s governance moving forwards. 

 

 

This blog was prepared by Dr. Jenny Hodbod, Associate Professor of Environment and Development, University of Leeds. Jenny’s research explores the creation the resilient and equitable food systems – environmentally and economically sustainable food systems that can feed a growing global population and support their wellbeing whilst adapting to security threats such as climate change, changing preferences, and economic shocks.

Please visit the BioRes: Biodiversity Potential for Resilient Livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia page for more on the project.

 

Photo Credits

1. The plains of the Tama CCA (header image), Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw
2. Women in Botech (Bodi) sorting through bush cabbage, Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia
3. Tikawoch one of the most important dry season survival fruit, Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia
4. Setting out camera traps, Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw
5. Lion, captured on the camera traps this field season, Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw
6. Tsyon facilitating a focus group, Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw
7. Dried hippo meat being discussed during a focus group, Tsyon Asfaw Gizaw
8. The first female scouts in the Tama CCA, whose training was supported by this grant, Barkede Kulumadere
9. Mursi women in South Tama, Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia

 

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GCBC Awards 12 New Research Projects Through Third Grant Competition

Published 13 Jul 2026

GCBC

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Agriculture Agroforestry Coastal Ecosystems Small Island Developing States

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The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) is pleased to announce the award of 12 new research projects through its third Research Grant Competition (RGC3), with a total investment of just over £10 million.

Together, the 12 new projects will support researchers, communities, policymakers and practitioners across Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, to develop and test solutions that deliver benefits for people, nature and climate.

From strengthening sustainable cattle production in South Africa and restoring mangrove ecosystems in Malaysia, to advancing climate-resilient agroforestry in Timor-Leste and Montserrat and improving food security through sustainable aquaculture in São Tomé and Príncipe, the projects will generate critical evidence on how biodiversity can underpin resilient livelihoods, sustainable economic development and climate adaptation in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

The new cohort represents the third round of funding under GCBC, a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme funded by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The programme, announced at COP26 in 2021, supports developing countries to generate the evidence needed to inform policies and decisions that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity, while strengthening climate resilience and contributing to poverty reduction.

Through these investments, GCBC continues to strengthen the global evidence base needed to support biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation and sustainable development. The new projects will contribute knowledge and practical solutions that can inform policy, guide investment and support communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This announcement comes ahead of the next round of funding, Research Grant Competition 4 (RGC4), with a themes launch planned for the near future.

 

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate is an important international programme generating the evidence we need to understand how biodiversity can support climate resilience and sustainable development. The 12 projects announced in this latest funding round build on that strong foundation, deepening our understanding of how nature can underpin resilient livelihoods, healthy ecosystems and effective climate adaptation. Collectively, they will strengthen the evidence base and partnerships needed to inform policy and drive practical action globally

Professor Anjali Goswami, Defra, Chief Scientific Adviser and Director General for Science, Data and Analysis.

It is particularly exciting that we have several grants supporting Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The particular challenges these islands face under climate change threatens both livelihoods and unique biodiversity. We urgently need research to develop solutions to this huge challenge.

Dr Jamie Gordon, Biodiversity Lead, GCBC

 

Please see the full list of RGC3 projects below, with links to further details. To get in touch, contact GCBC at infogcbc@gcbc.org.uk

 

Newly Awarded Projects

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RG3-012637):

‘Thriving Ecosystems and Communities in Montserrat: Agroforestry and Sustainable Land Management Solutions’

An investigation into the challenges of restoring forests and integrating climate-smart agriculture in degraded tropical forest landscapes in this small island developing state. Read more

Coventry University (RG3-012624):

‘Enhancing biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihoods through more sustainable and equitable cattle value chains in communal rangelands of South Africa’

Generating research into how Nature-based Solutions can be optimised socially and ecologically in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. Read more

University of Greenwich (RG3-012644):

‘Scaling Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience, Biodiversity Conservation, and Sustainable Livelihoods in Ethiopia’s Drylands: A Participatory Systems Approach’

Generating robust evidence on dryland agriculture transformation through co-design of pathways to deliver enhanced biodiversity, to build climate resilience, and to reduce poverty. Read more

University of Leeds (RG3-012645):

‘AquaRoots: Rooting Shrimp Farming in Biodiversity for Climate Resilience and Food Security’

Piloting sustainable silvo-aquaculture system in northern Mexican mangroves, integrating microecosystem management and biodiversity-based solutions for eco-social and economic resilience. Read more

The University of Manchester (RG3-012619):

‘REVIVE – Just Restoration and Equitable Value Chains for Inclusive, Viable Mangrove Ecosystems: The case of Malaysia’

Development and testing of hybrid co-governance that couples community participation in decision making, monitoring and grievance redress with improved value chains for higher value products and services. Read more

Bioversity International (RG3-012643):

‘Regenerative Island Futures: Unlocking sustainable food-system opportunities for Ecotourism in Fiji’

An investigation into evidence-based approaches to leveraging the expanding ecotourism market to catalyse the restoration of native forest biodiversity and climate smart agriculture in this small island developing state. Read more

International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (RG3-012630):

‘Fallow Agroecology Biodiversity and Resilience through Integrating Knowledge Systems in the Peruvian Amazon (FABRIKs)’

The application of systems science to Amazonian landscape transformation by demonstrating how fallow management can drive climate resilience, biodiversity gains, and poverty reduction at system, ecosystem, and market levels. Read more

Sokoine University of Agriculture (RG3-012648):

‘Human-Wildlife Interactions: Building Climate Resilience in the Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor, Tanzania’

The trial of an innovative, off-grid, AI-powered early warning system integrating indigenous ecological knowledge to reduce conflict and enhance climate resilience in the diverse habitats of this key regional corridor. Read more

Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (RG3-013874):

‘Sustainable Aquaponics for Food Security and Community Empowerment in São Tomé and Príncipe’

The identification and establishment of the technical, socio-economic and institutional enablers of freshwater aquaponics needed for long-term community ownership in the tropical landscapes of this small island developing state. Read more

International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (RG3-012646):

‘Timor-Leste’s Living Landscapes: Agroforestry for Biodiversity and Resilience (AFBIO)’

An investigation into a landscape-to-seascape approach for establishing a resilient ecological matrix of climate-smart agroforestry and silvofishery systems to support livelihoods and biodiversity in this small island developing state. Read more

National Audubon Society (RG3-012618):

‘Birds for Sustainable Agrifood Systems: strengthening biodiversity, climate resilience, and rural prosperity in Colombia’

Research to align farmer-led solutions with policies and incentives in mixed landscapes of cattle pasture, dryforest, montane forest and wetlands. Read more

 

University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (UAES) Umuagwo (RG3-012620):

‘Enhancing Pollinator Biodiversity for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Resilience’

An investigation into the restoration of agro-ecosystems for pollinator diversity in humid forest zone and in savannah areas of Imo, Ogun and Nasarawa States, Nigeria. Read more

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) is supporting a diverse portfolio of initiatives worldwide. Visit our Projects page to explore our research and see where we’re making an impact.

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Peatlands at Risk: Lessons from the Amazon and Congo Basins

Published 01 Jun 2026

GCBC

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Capacity Building Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions

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There is a familiar rhythm to life on peatlands. Living and farming in wetland environments is undeniably challenging. Over generations, the search for higher ground has been a key adaptive strategy, and communities have developed remarkable knowledge and skills to thrive in these waterlogged environments.

Dr Euridice Honorio Coronado, PI, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

 

Within the vast wetlands of the Amazon and the Congo Basins, tropical peatlands are among the world’s most important carbon-rich ecosystems — yet their biodiversity and dynamics remain poorly understood.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is leading a project – Using Biodiversity to Support Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Intact Tropical Peatlands – exploring these complex peatland systems, examining plant biodiversity, how vegetation responds to changing flooding regimes, and the livelihoods of communities who depend on these ecosystems. By comparing peatlands across the Amazon and Congo Basins, the project is generating valuable insights into both the similarities that connect these landscapes and the striking differences that shape them.

The following account is written by Dr Euridice Honorio Coronado, Research Leader, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

 

Discussions about the future of peatlands often focus on the threats they face from infrastructure development and agricultural expansion. While these pressures are real, they tell only part of the story.

We began 2026 by bringing together five partners for a workshop to share newly collected datasets and early findings from fieldwork undertaken in 2025. On this project, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is partnering with the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana (Peru), the Université Marien N’Gouabi (The Republic of Congo), the University of Kisangani (The Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC), the University of St Andrews (UK), and the University of Leeds (UK).

On the ground, we find that many peatlands in both basins remain relatively hydrologically intact, although their condition varies regionally. These landscapes are shaped by complex ecological processes, long histories of human interaction, and distinct political and social contexts that are unique to each basin. However, pressures are increasing as surrounding forests rapidly disappear, as seen in the DRC.

In Amazonia, some peatland areas fall within legally recognised Indigenous territories, protected areas, and other formal land-tenure regimes where communities may hold rights to manage forests and sustain local livelihoods. Case studies of long-term community-based management provide evidence that peatland resources can support local economies without requiring deforestation or drainage. However, projects of new infrastructure and extractive industries may pose risks to these systems.

In the Congo basin, land use is governed through state permits and concessions for resource extraction, often overlapping with customary land claims that lack formal recognition. This presents a challenging governance environment, yet communities continue to depend on peatland resources for subsistence and income generation. Pressures are increasing as surrounding forests rapidly disappear, as seen in the DRC, and new roads improve access to previously remote peatland areas, such as in the Republic of Congo.

Interestingly, peatlands in both basins are characterised by distinct vegetation types, including palm-dominated swamps and tree-dominated forests such as pole forests and hardwood forests. These ecosystems are acidic and remain waterlogged, which promotes peat accumulation and slows decomposition.  In addition, peatlands in both basins support a diverse range of natural resource uses, including fishing, hunting, and the harvesting of non-timber forest products such as fruits, fibres, and medicinal plants.

Moreover, there is a familiar rhythm to life on peatlands. Living and farming in wetland environments is undeniably challenging. Over generations, the search for higher ground has been a key adaptive strategy, and communities have developed remarkable knowledge and skills to thrive in these waterlogged environments.

Local traditions reflect a deep understanding of ecosystems, rivers and islands; the long use of natural resources and local crops as well as those that have travelled across continents; and the profound cultural significance of wetlands. Recognising and safeguarding this ecological and social complexity is essential for building a resilient future for tropical peatlands and the communities who depend on them.

 

What’s Next?

During this financial year, our research teams will focus on three main priorities. First, we will move forward with data analysis and writing, developing the first drafts of a checklist of vascular plant species across tropical peatlands and their conservation status. This will include a brief bringing together case studies on biodiversity and best practices that help maintain the ecological integrity of tropical peatlands.

Second, field activities will continue with the retrieval and consolidation of first-year water table data collected, strengthening our understanding of peatland hydrology across sites. Finally, we will organise stakeholder workshops to ensure that project outputs effectively inform policy and practice in tropical peatland conservation.

 

Written by Dr Euridice Honorio Coronado, Principal Investigator. Euriduce’s journey into peatland research began in 2008, when she established permanent forest plots in Loreto, northern Peru, as part of the Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR). At that time, RAINFOR focused largely on intact terra firme forests, with limited representation of the vast Amazonian wetlands. This gap became a central motivation in her work, first at the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana and now at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Discover more: Using Biodiversity to Support Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Intact Tropical Peatlands

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From Evidence to Engagement: A Toolkit for Working with Policymakers

Published 22 Apr 2026

GCBC

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Governance and Policy Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Partnership

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Good evidence does not always speak for itself.

Across GCBC programming, experience shows that whether research informs policy depends as much on relationships, trust, timing, and communication, as it does on the quality of the evidence itself.

The GCBC Theory of Change recognises that policy action rarely follows a linear path from research to uptake; instead, change emerges through ongoing engagement, demonstration, and learning within complex systems where political will and coordination can’t be taken for granted.

The following toolkit brings together grantee reflections on a simple but critical question:

What ways of sharing your work or building relationships have helped to engage policymakers? What made it easier -or harder - for policymakers to use your ideas or evidence?

Drawing on experience across diverse contexts, this toolkit situates policy engagement within both direct and indirect spheres of influence, focusing on intermediate outcomes such as stronger networks, greater salience of evidence, and better positioning of solutions for use.

In doing so, it reflects GCBC’s role as a knowledge and network mobiliser, helping evidence travel from projects into the systems where decisions are made.

Explore the Policy Engagement Toolkit

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Evaluating Blue Carbon Strategies for Protecting Wild Seaweeds

Published 17 Apr 2026

GCBC

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Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Financing Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods

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New ways of financing international efforts to protect and restore threatened seaweeds could help safeguard the wider natural environment, according to an environmental economist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

Dr Niko Howai, has joined the GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR team to evaluate how various mechanisms of so-called ‘blue finance’ can be applied to seaweed protection and restoration, particularly in tropical regions of the world.

Threats such as global climate change, overharvesting, pollution and an increase in invasive non-native species, could result in dramatic changes in distribution and diversity of seaweed species. These would not only negatively affect the natural environment and wild seaweed stocks but also threaten the livelihoods of millions of seaweed farmers that rely on a healthy environment to grow their crops and the wild cultivars for future climate-resilient varieties.

However, Dr Howai believes evaluating the blue finance options available to protect and restore seaweed across potentially conflicting and multi-faceted decisions, may help to safeguard their future.

There is currently a huge shortfall in the finance required to support seaweed protection and restoration initiatives, which are totally absent in many countries worldwide. If we are looking at the safeguarding the seaweed farming industry, we need a mechanism of financial incentive to help protect and restore wild seaweed populations. It is not enough to look only at things like a farmer’s access to credit; we must also consider the health of the environment in which they work and how this all fits in with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr Niko Howai, Scottish Association for Marine Sciences

 

Blue Finance Mechanisms

With an initial focus on South-east Asia, Dr Howai will investigate four possible blue finance mechanisms for the seaweed protection and restoration: blue bonds, blue carbon credits, debt for nature swaps and blended finance.

He will assess the effectiveness of each mechanism by applying five evaluation criteria: environmental and ocean protection, community benefits and social inclusion, financial strength and viability, governance and transparency, and policy alignment and innovation.

By interviewing experts in finance, he will score each mechanism and recommend them most effective method to help sustain seaweed protection and restoration and to protect the wider environment.

GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR, which is funded by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate and led by SAMS, recently published The State of the World’s Seaweeds report, which combines the most up-to-date scientific evidence on the threats facing global seaweed habitats.

The report emphasises that despite the importance of seaweeds, and the severity of the threats they face, they are afforded inadequate conservation measures. Authors of the report have called for these major gaps to be addressed.

 

If we can identify a mechanism of blue finance that is effective on environmental protection, societal inclusion, financial strength, governance and policy alignment, it could go some way to improving the protection and restoration of threatened seaweeds, whilst securing a sustainable future for the seaweed farming industry.

Prof. Elizabeth Cottier Cook, Principal Investigator, GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR

 

For further details on the GlobalSeaweed‑SUPERSTAR project and its partners, please visit the project page.

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Communicating the Impact of Under-Used Plants in Bilate, Ethiopia

Published 09 Apr 2026

GCBC

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Agriculture Indigenous Peoples

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The productivity of a soil and the response of crops to changing climatic conditions are directly related to soil organic matter content.

In Ethiopia, soil organic matter is declining. This results in soils that are less productive, threatening livelihoods, especially for low-income farmers. To reduce soil degradation, much research and extension effort has been focussed on encouraging farmers to incorporate more organic wastes into their soils, usually as compost.

However, increasing use of organic wastes for household energy, due to increasing populations and deforestation, has resulted in limited success of these schemes, and consequent continued and unabated soil degradation.

 

To side-step competing demands for organic wastes, the CROSSROADS project aims to use under-utilised plants to increase organic inputs and reduce losses, so adding value to these species and increasing biodiversity, while also improving livelihoods and climate resilience.

In the Bilate catchment of Southern Ethiopia, CROSSROADS has worked with communities to identify 19 under-utilised crop, grass and tree species with high potential to improve soil health.

During the dry season in February and March 2026, teams from the Central Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute (CEARI), Hawassa University (HU), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the University of Aberdeen (UA) began field work to characterise the impacts on soil health, climate resilience, livelihoods and biodiversity of three of these species; Korch or coral tree (Erythrina brucei Schweinf.), Wanza or Sudan teak (Cordia Africana) and Kerkeha or highland bamboo (Yushania alpina – K. Schum.).

Images: 1. Korch – nitrogen fixing boundary tree, easily propagated by cuttings with soil stabilising roots (Wolde Mekuria, IWMI) 2. Wanza – tree with soil stabilising roots and organic matter input from leaf fall (Wolde Mekuria, IWMI) 3. Kekeha – grass species with dense structure of soil stabilising roots (Wolde Mekuria, IWMI).

Soil Studies in the Field and Lab

Team 1, led by Beth Evans, took soil cores from under these plants and from nearby farmland. These samples will be analysed in the laboratory to measure bulk density, soil organic matter, nutrients, pH and microbial activity. The team also measured water content, infiltration, soil temperature and penetration resistance directly in the field.

Team 2, led by Desalegn Tegegne Mengistu, took samples of soil to characterise erosion using a large-scale rainfall simulator in the lab, while Abdul Walid Salik’s Team 3 used a smaller, portable rainfall simulator to measure erosion directly in the field.

Team 4, led by Jacques Holford, tested how the roots of each species help to stabilise soils using a newly designed shear vane. They also collected root samples for detailed analysis in the laboratory.

Images: 1. Characterising root structures back in the lab (credit: Beth Evans, UA) 2. Measuring erosion using a portable rainfall simulator (credit: Paul Hallett, UA) 3. Measuring distance from tree to take soil cores for further analysis (credit: Beth Evans, UA) 4. Measuring infiltration in the field (credit: Paul Hallett, UA).

Early Results Farmers Can See

While the laboratory results are still pending, simple field‑based soil health tests, designed for farmers and development workers (Assessing the impact of nature-based solutions on soil health in sub-Saharan Africa through farmer-centred methods) are already showing clear patterns. Using these tools, Dominik Bittner’s Team 5 compared soils from the most productive parts of farms (home gardens), the least productive parts (far‑fields), and the soils under the three under‑utilised species.

They found that soils beneath Korch, Wanza and Kerkeha had similar quality to soils in the most productive areas. This suggests that leaves from these species, especially the nitrogen‑fixing Korch, could be used to make vermicompost to improve poorer soils.

To help farmers understand these findings, the team devised and used an innovative communication method. Soil blocks were cut from different parts of the farm and placed side‑by‑side so that farmers could directly compare colour, structure, smell, root systems, the presence of soil organisms and underground biodiversity. The depth of penetration of the soil was assessed using a wire and the infiltration of water into the soil was measured using a food can with both ends removed.

These results were then represented beside each block using a stick for penetration and a bottle top for water infiltration. While farmers were watching, an aggregate from each area was dropped into a halved plastic bottle containing water so that they could compare how quickly the aggregates broke down.

Images: 1. Communicating impacts on soil health to farmers (credit: Paul Hallett, UA) 2. The most productive area – the enset home-garden (credit: Paul Hallett, UA) 3. Soil blocks used to communicate soil health (credit: Paul Hallett, UA), 3. Building a mini-exclosure to hold biodiversity tests (credit: Grant Campbell, UA).

Communicating Biodiversity and Ecological Functions

Grant Cambell’s Team 6 created “mini-exclosures” under each species using simple materials, such as dung, toilet rolls and plasticine caterpillars.  These will stay on the farms for a few months to show how different plant species affect decomposition, pest activity and seed predation. A new method was also devised to allow local development agents to record results using photographs.

 

 

What Comes next?

More information about the effects of these under‑utilised plants on soil health will become available once laboratory analyses are complete, but already we have made significant progress in finding better ways to communicate soil health and biodiversity to farmers. This is an important step towards having a real-world impact on soil health and the productivity of farms in the region.

 

This report was prepared by Prof Jo Smith, University of Aberdeen.

For more information about the CROSSROADS-SSA project, please visit the project page

 

Translation of information sign in Amharic to explain measurements of functional biodiversity (credit: Grant Campbell, UA)
Photo banner (credit: Paul Hallett, UA)

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Working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities: 8 Lessons from GCBC Research

Published 29 Jan 2026

GCBC

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Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Partnership Social Inclusion

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Research conducted in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) is increasingly shown to develop stronger, more inclusive understanding of our shared environment¹. By grounding evidence in local realities and lived experience, such approaches improve the relevance, impact, and resilience of interventions.

At GCBC, we place strong emphasis on incorporating local and Indigenous knowledge into the development of scalable and policy-relevant solutions. However, the role of IPLCs in research partnerships is complicated. In many projects, they may simultaneously be the subjects of research, the implementers of research, and the expected beneficiaries of the solutions developed.

At the same time, the relationship between researchers and IPLCs may be characterised by very distinct priorities, significant power imbalances, and different ways of interpreting the world.

Recognising this complexity, GCBC invited grant recipients to share their reflections on conducting research with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, in particular highlighting the insights they were gaining in the process. Specifically, we asked:

What has the project learned about the necessary conditions to secure the engagement of local and Indigenous communities in the research?

The responses touch on a number of interconnected issues. Eight main insights emerged and are summarised below.

1. Early and Continued Engagement
Our projects emphasise that partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities should begin early and continue throughout the research process.

Engagement should go beyond simple consultation.

For our project in Panama, for example, the proposed research emerged from a year-long consultation process, grounded in a much longer-standing relationship between one project partner and an Indigenous council².

In Ethiopia, ongoing dialogue between researchers and communities strengthened mutual understanding and helped reduce the risk of misconceptions³. A similar approach was taken by our researchers in Madagascar, where Indigenous Peoples and local communities were regularly updated on research progress and invited to evaluate the successes and challenges⁴.

2. Community-Led Research Framing

Much social and natural science research starts with a tightly defined set of research questions, the framing of which is usually led solely by researchers. Our projects demonstrate how this approach must be reconfigured to accommodate IPLCs perspectives and needs.

Experiences from Colombia highlight that meaningful engagement in research needs to be about more than just involving IPLCs in data collection – it begins with co-creating meaningful research questions that matter to the communities themselves⁵. This is supported by work in Indonesia which suggests that engagement with IPLCs is dependent on research questions being informed and shaped by them from the outset⁶.

The process of defining research questions can potentially be complex, as research in Peru and Ecuador reveals. Farmer-led research often follows its own logic and pace in ways that differ from formal institutional projects⁷.

Yet, experience from Ecuador and Viet Nam suggests that ultimately communities are more willing to engage in research activities when research agendas and research questions align with their needs.

3. Informed Consent

In our work with IPLCs, consent, often expressed as Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC), is a fundamental principle – and sometimes legal requirement. For example, for a project working in Malaysia, engagement is based on a voluntary agreement made with full knowledge of the project’s scope, purpose, risks, and benefits⁹.

Gaining consent is not always a quick process. In Cambodia, trust and flexibility were required to gain consent and community support for the project. As a result, communities valued the opportunity to determine the project’s focus and to highlight the importance of their own knowledge¹⁰.

In some cases, FPIC is not just as an ethical necessity but also of practical importance too. For instance, a project in Ecuador found it fundamental for reinforcing community confidence and fostering long-term collaboration¹¹.

4. Communications and Transparency

Good communication with IPLCs emerged as a key attribute of project implementation. Our project in Guatemala detailed communication’s importance for a range of project needs including how information is to be used, how impartiality in data collection is assured, and how communities retain decision-making power over research that affects them¹².

The importance of communications tailored to specific groups was highlighted by one of our projects in Ethiopia that used communication approaches specifically designed for different groups to ensure gender and social inclusivity¹³.

However, good communication goes beyond the flow of information between researchers and IPLCs. Experiences in Colombia and the Dominican Republic suggest that projects can also act as a communication channel between members of the community¹⁴. 

5. Power Dynamics

Attention to power dynamics was important across various contexts. In Malaysia this required awareness of researchers’ own effect on those dynamics and the need to continually reflect on their power and impact on IPLCs¹⁵.

In Malawi and Uganda, power was a consideration in the implementation of fieldwork, where workshops required taking language and social dynamics into account to encourage the engagement of community members¹⁶.

Understanding power dynamics was also critical in relation to outcomes and ownership with our project in Peru. This highlighted the important role of good facilitators in ensuring that project participants, including women, whose involvement may be constrained by household power dynamics, can take ownership of the research and engage with confidence¹⁷.

‘One aspect of the project is to examine local governance structures and their power dynamics to support the effectiveness and equity of forest restoration in relation to local communities’¹⁸.

6. Traditional Knowledge

One of the core delivery principles of all GCBC projects is the requirement to consider and integrate local and Indigenous knowledge into research. It is therefore unsurprising that this was prominent in the approaches of our projects. A few selected responses variously show how Indigenous and local knowledge has made fundamental contributions.

In Ethiopia it was found that community members were more willing to collaborate when their knowledge was treated as important and central¹⁹. Whilst for a project in Colombia, the belief that IPLCs hold valuable knowledge was considered the starting point for the project²⁰.

From another project in Colombia, there is recognition that Indigenous and local knowledge has transformed the way the project is conceptualised and supported²¹. In Indonesia it was noted that understanding food and land management practices led to a better appreciation of how food security is currently addressed²².

7. Shared Benefits

The production of knowledge through research alone does not guarantee that Indigenous Peoples and local communities will benefit. Ensuring that communities gain from the process is therefore a key challenge for GCBC projects. For example, a project in Ecuador found that community engagement deepens when they perceive direct, equitable benefits, such as training and technical assistance²³. 

In the Cham Islands in Viet Nam the project has learnt that engagement requires continuous consultation, mutual trust, and tangible local benefits²⁴. Training was also noted from Kenya as one of various tangible short-term benefits that could strengthen participation whilst longer term project outcomes were yet to be delivered²⁵.

“We believe that IPLCs should benefit tangibly and intangibly from our research”²⁶.

8. Trust

Beyond the specific points noted above, a particular issue permeates and unites the responses. That issue is trust. Many of the responses were, explicitly or implicitly, about how trust is built between researchers and communities and how trust leads to better research outcomes.

      • Building trust is essential; this means recognising community knowledge systems, ensuring transparent communication and co-developing research goals²⁷.
      • An emerging insight from the first stakeholder workshop is that successful integration of traditional and scientific knowledge depends on long-term dialogue andtrust-building²⁸.
      • Securing the genuine engagement of local and Indigenous communities requires creating relationships grounded in mutualtrust, cultural respect, and continuous communication²⁹.
      • Field visits and workshops, where researchers listen before proposing solutions, have also been essential to build trust and gain a better understanding of real-world challenges farmers are faced with³⁰.
      • Trust has been built through regular consultations with local fishers and community representatives on seagrass habitats, ensuring their knowledge informs research design and monitoring³¹.

Reflections on Inclusive Research

The eight key points above represent a snapshot of current thinking and practice across GCBC projects. Whilst the responses touch on many interrelated issues, they highlight that our projects strive to be participatory in their approach to working with IPLCs and use a variety of participatory tools to guide their research.

Although these insights do not capture the entirety of the understanding gained, nor are they a complete guide to doing research with IPLCs, they offer valuable lessons and guidance.

More detailed and specific guidance for research with IPLCs is provided by Newing et al (2024)³². Their work is derived from interactions with a wider set of researchers and projects than informs our survey and consequently covers a wider range of issues. Whilst there are areas of notable similarity between their fourteen principles, and the experiences emerging from our survey, both deserve consideration when planning research with IPLCs.

Finally, ensuring that rights holders such as IPLCs are fully engaged in conservation action is not just a research issue, but relevant to all aspects of the planning and implementation of environmental conservation.

Recognising this, Principles for Inclusive Nature Action have been developed by Defra to place equitable, rights-based inclusion at the centre of all biodiversity action. GCBC supports the implementation of those principles.

 

 

Endnotes

1. Contributions of Indigenous Knowledge to ecological and evolutionary understanding. Jessen et al 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2435
2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Forest Restoration on Indigenous Lands: Restoring Biodiversity for Multiple Ecosystem Services, Community Resilience and Financial Sustainability through Locally Informed Strategies and Incentives
3. Bioversity International: Deploying Diversity for Resilience and Livelihoods
4. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Following the Water: Participatory Research to Understand Drivers and Nature-based Solutions to Wetland Degradation in Madagascar
5. Fundación Tropenbos Colombia: Creation of an Intercultural Biodiverse Seed Bank with the Indigenous “Resguardo Puerto Naranjo” for Enhancing Restoration and Conservation Efforts in Degraded Areas in the Colombian Amazon
6. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): Nature Nuture
7. International Potato Center (CIP): Andean Crop Diversity for Climate Change
8. Oxford University: The Flourishing Landscapes Programme
9. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS): GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR: Supporting livelihoods by Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring biodiversity by Securing the future of the seaweed Aquaculture industry in developing countries
10. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), USA: SARIKA: Scientific Action Research for Indigenous Knowledge Advancement: Recognising and Rewarding the Contribution of Indigenous Knowledge for the Sustainable Management of Biodiversity
11. UTPL: BIOAMAZ: Realising the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon: developing climate resilient sustainable bioindustry
12. University of Greenwich: Nature based solutions for climate resilience of local and indigenous communities in Guatemala
13. University of Aberdeen: Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa (CROSSROADS)
14. University of Lincoln: NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities
15. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS): GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR: Supporting livelihoods by Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring biodiversity by Securing the future of the seaweed Aquaculture industry in developing countries
16. University of Birmingham: Building adaptive fisheries governance capacity
17. International Potato Center (CIP): Andean Crop Diversity for Climate Change
18. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Forest Restoration on Indigenous Lands: Restoring Biodiversity for Multiple Ecosystem Services, Community Resilience and Financial Sustainability through Locally Informed Strategies and Incentives
19. University of Leeds: Biodiversity potential for resilient livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia
20. Fundación Tropenbos Colombia: Creation of an Intercultural Biodiverse Seed Bank with the Indigenous “Resguardo Puerto Naranjo” for Enhancing Restoration and Conservation Efforts in Degraded Areas in the Colombian Amazon
21. Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica (CIASE): Gran Tescual Indigenous Reservation Climate Plan
22. University of Sussex: Exploring sustainable land use pathways for ecosystems, food security and poverty alleviation: opportunities for Indonesia’s food estate program
23. Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL): Empowerment of coastal communities in sustainable production practices in Ecuador
24. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): Translating Research into Action for Livelihoods and Seagrass (TRIALS) – Establishing scientific foundation for seagrass restoration and blue carbon potential, with sustainable livelihood development for coastal communities in Central Vietnam
25. CSIR-CRI, EMBRACE: Engaging Local Communities in Endangered Trees and Minor Crops Utilization for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment
26. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS): GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR: Supporting livelihoods by Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring biodiversity by Securing the future of the seaweed Aquaculture industry in developing countries
27. University of Aberdeen: Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa (CROSSROADS)
28. Lancaster University: Enabling large-scale and climate-resilient forest restoration in the Eastern Amazon
29. UTPL: Realizing the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon: developing climate resilient sustainable bioindustry
30. Oxford University: The Flourishing Landscapes Programme
31. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): Translating Research into Action for Livelihoods and Seagrass (TRIALS) – Establishing scientific foundation for seagrass restoration and blue carbon potential, with sustainable livelihood development for coastal communities in Central Vietnam
32. ‘Participatory’ conservation research involving indigenous peoples and local communities: Fourteen principles for good practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110708

 

Photo Credits
  • Header image and Photo 1: Fisherman on Lake Sofia, Madagascar. Used with permission from the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust.
  • Photo 2: Sam At Rachana and Pin Plil, members of the CIPO research team, with Mr Treub Thaeum, Chief of the Bunong Indigenous community at Pu Kong, in the Brey Ngak sacred forest of the Bunong people, Cambodia. Photographer: Tong Len.
  • Photo 3: Women from the Pasto community outside their restaurant initiative in the resguardo, Colombia, with Daniela Torres, Mama Genith Quitiaquez, Taita Vicente Obando, Ricardo Ibarguen, Wendy Toro and Rosa Emilia Salamanca (Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica – CIASE).
  • Photo 4: Researchers and local community members from the Bioamaz project during a workshop on safeguards and plant socialisation in the Shuar San Antonio Community, Ecuador.

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

Published 27 Nov 2025

GCBC

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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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