Home / Grant Call 2

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

Published 29 Jan 2026

GCBC

Tags

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

Share

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 reduced 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.

Tags

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

Share

Related

Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture: Insights from LEAF Indonesia in Gorontalo

Published 20 Jun 2025

GCBC

Tags

Agriculture Food Systems Governance Governance and Policy Natural Resource Management

Share

One of the things that excites me most about this project is the way it brings together local knowledge, based on lived experience of farming communities with formal scientific data and modelling, all in one innovative platform. It’s a rare opportunity to co-create solutions that are both grounded in community realities and speak the language of planning. The strong early engagement from such a diverse group of stakeholders reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the commitment of our brilliant local research team and partners to accelerate progress toward sustainable land use pathways.

Professor Fiona Marshall, Leaf Indonesia Project Lead, Professor of Environment and Development, University of Sussex

 

On March 13, 2025, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG) hosted a dynamic workshop as part of the LEAF Indonesia project — Land-Use, Ecosystem, Agriculture, Food Security in Indonesia. This collaborative initiative, involving UNG, Sussex University (UK), and Monash University Indonesia, is dedicated to exploring how land use changes related to Indonesia’s food estate program affect local ecosystems, food security, and rural livelihoods.

The participatory workshop, which brought together 86 participants, 46 in person and 40 online, included researchers, farmers, NGOs, government officials, and students. Together, they examined how Indonesia’s ambitious food estate program intersects with critical issues such as environmental sustainability, spatial planning, biodiversity, and agricultural livelihoods.

Images shows representative corn monoculture landscapes in Gorontalo, Indonesia and rice paddies in Kalimantan, Borneo –  subjects of research into sustainable and diversified agroecological practices by LEAF Indonesia. The other image depicts Professor Fiona Marshall introducing the project to workshop participants.

 

After words of welcome from the project lead, Professor Fiona Marshall from the University of Sussex, and Professor Iswan Dunggio from UNG, the day began with a keynote by Dr. Wahyudin A. Katili, Chief of BAPPEDA Gorontalo, who highlighted the promise of the food estate program to boost national food security and reduce import dependency through modern, mechanized farming. The presentation also acknowledged the challenges such as land conversion, spatial conflicts, and environmental degradation, and emphasized the need for stronger community engagement and sustainable policy frameworks.

Rina Tayeb, from Gorontalo’s Agriculture Agency, emphasized the province’s sustainable food zone approach, focusing on protecting agricultural land and empowering farmers and fishers. Her recommendations underscored the importance of infrastructure, education, and income diversification to ensure long-term agricultural resilience and rural welfare.

Later that day, conservationist Bagus Tri Nugroho of the Ministry of Forestry addressed the delicate balance between food production and biodiversity. Speaking about the potential impacts on Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, he warned against forest conversion and advocated for eco-tourism and community-based conservation as dual strategies for safeguarding biodiversity and supporting livelihoods.

Finally, Fery Novriyal from the Forest Gazettement Agency explored spatial planning policies under the Food, Water, and Energy Security program, particularly in managing the use of 20 million hectares of forest area. He presented both the risks of deforestation and the opportunities offered by agroforestry and social forestry initiatives that allow for sustainable development without compromising forest integrity.

Key discussion points emphasized that the Food Estate initiative must align with the Spatial Planning Act (Regulation No. 2 of 2024) and prioritize land use based on local wisdom and environmental sustainability. Participants stressed the need for irrigation infrastructure, strategic land identification, and alignment with sustainable agricultural and industrial development goals.

An integrated agricultural market, crop variety management, and the mitigation of critical land degradation were also discussed, alongside the importance of organic farming practices and reduced reliance on chemical inputs.

Next Steps

In summary, the workshop was a crucial step in fostering dialogue among stakeholders and informing more sustainable, inclusive agricultural policy. By engaging local voices and scientific insights, the LEAF project continues to pave the way for pathways that protect both people and the planet, reinforcing that future food security must go hand in hand with environmental stewardship.

Following this workshop, the project has focused on establishing a baseline of what the impact of Indonesia’s food estate programme has been, in Gorontalo and in the projects two other case study sites in West Papua and East Kalimantan.

They are doing this through further stakeholder engagement work, through careful policy analysis and historical research, and through gathering secondary data to feed into their bespoke mapping and modeling platform, LIMMMA. This will allow them to paint a picture of how land use has changed over the last 20 years, and what impact these changes have had on rural livelihoods, local ecosystems, and food security.

Once that baseline is established, the project will work closely with stakeholders to explore alternative land use practices that are realistic options for those communities. It will then investigate whether these alternatives could potentially provide a better path to the Indonesian government’s food security goals, while also alleviating rural poverty and improving climate resilience and biodiversity.

Find out more about this project on their website.

Tags

Agriculture Food Systems Governance Governance and Policy Natural Resource Management

Share

Related

Potatoes, People, and Photobooks: The International Potato Center’s (CIP) Climate Response in the Andes

Published 29 May 2025

GCBC

Tags

Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples

Share

As climate extremes increasingly challenge Andean agriculture, the International Potato Center (CIP) is working closely with communities in Peru and Ecuador to strengthen resilience and preserve agrobiodiversity.

At the heart of this effort is the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) project – a multi-faceted initiative that brings together scientific innovation, traditional knowledge, and local engagement to equip farming systems for a changing future.

Mashua plants as natural pest management to protect potato fields from potato weevils in the Andes Potato harvest in Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent Potato harvest in Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent Potato harvest in the Central Andes of Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent (the orange spots are the mashua plants that are left in the fields slightly longer since mashua has a longer maturation period than potato) Participatory trial evaluation at harvest time in the Central Andes of Peru. Farmers rate their preferences based on drought tolerance, yield, and other factors such as texture, taste, cooking time, or pest & disease (late blight) resistance and tolerance to frost. (Farmer vote with seeds and deposit the seeds in little plastic containers which you may see on the potato sacks. Gender preferences are usually captured by using different seed types. The results are then discussed among farmers.)
The images show potato harvesting in Peru’s Central Andes, featuring mashua plants used as natural pest control against potato weevils. During participatory trials, farmers evaluate varieties at harvest based on drought tolerance, yield, taste, cooking time, pest and disease resistance, and frost tolerance. They “vote with seeds,” placing their preferred seeds in small containers on potato sacks. Gender preferences are captured using different seed types, and results are then discussed collectively.

 

CIP’s work begins in the field, where trials are underway to identify native potato varieties that can withstand prolonged drought. These drought-tolerant potatoes offer more than just resilience – they help safeguard the region’s rich potato heritage by keeping a diverse range of varieties in cultivation, even under stress. At the same time, researchers are exploring the promise of mashua, a lesser-known Andean root crop valued for its pest-repelling qualities and nutritional profile. As both a traditional food and a potential ingredient for modern food markets, mashua represents a link between heritage and innovation.

Beyond crop trials, CIP is leading efforts to restore lost agrobiodiversity. Through the repatriation and in vitro propagation of native potato varieties, communities in Peru are reconnecting with crops that had disappeared from their fields. This restoration work is already laying the foundation for community-managed in vitro laboratories – local hubs for conserving potato diversity and advancing climate-adaptive agriculture.

Equally important is building local capacity. CIP supports farmers, students, and indigenous technicians with hands-on training to ensure that scientific advances translate into real-world resilience. One standout initiative is the youth photobook project, which equips young people with cameras and storytelling tools to document the impact of climate change on their lives. These visual narratives elevate local voices, while farmers’ concerns have separately influenced policy and contributed to shaping Ecuador’s national biodiversity policy – an example of how community-centered initiatives can influence broader systems.

Together, these activities form a cohesive strategy grounded in science, collaboration, and cultural respect. CIP’s work through the GCBC project demonstrates that resilience is not just about enduring climate stress – it’s about transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.

By connecting agricultural research with lived experience, CIP is helping Andean communities not only adapt, but thrive.

 

This report was prepared by Dr Bettina Heider, Project Lead and Genetic Resources Specialist, CIP and Joel Ranck, Head of Communications, CIP.

Tags

Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples

Share

Related

The GCBC community is growing: Reflections from the 2025 GCBC Research Symposium

Published 24 Mar 2025

GCBC

Share

By Samantha Morris

In March, the GCBC community came together in person and online to share big ideas, transformative practice, and stories of impact at the 2025 Research Symposium.

Support for research tackling the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty is essential. The GCBC is a programme that does this and more, bringing together researchers and practitioners from around the world to unlock the potential of nature to deliver climate solutions and improve livelihoods.

Each year the GCBC hosts a research symposium to share big ideas, transformative practice, and stories of impact. This year the research symposuim was bigger than ever with a full three-day programme, including the first ever GCBC Open Day on Tuesday 4 March.

This year’s symposium was a fully hybrid event, with online attendance supported throughout as part of the GCBC’s commitment to reduce barriers to global engagement within and beyond our growing community

Watch the GCBC Research Symposium Open Day here.

 

Prof. Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  

The GCBC Research Symposium Open Day shone a spotlight on results from across the programme highlighting important cross cutting issues for the programme including innovative research practice, working with the private sector, and connecting research and policy.

After a warm welcome from Kew’s Professor Monique Simmonds, OBE and Deputy Director of Science – Partnerships, the day officially began with opening addresses from Professor Alexandre Antonelli (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), Professor Gideon Henderson (Defra) and Kate Hargreaves (DAI) who all shared their reflections on why research at the intersection of biodiversity loss, climate change, and poverty alleviation is so critical right now.

Professor Tim Wheeler, Deputy Director of International Science at Defra, spoke next hosting the first panel of the day: Contributing to global goals, the science behind frameworks and targets. Joining him were Dr Constanza Gonzalez Parrao (3IE), Dr Aster Gebrekirstos Afwork (CIFOR-ICRAF), Wendy Toro (CIASE), and Rithiny Teng (WCS Cambodia).

The second panel of the day was hosted by research uptake expert Louise Shaxson, and tackled the important issue of influencing policy and decision makers with research evidence. Louise was joined by a panel of five GCBC research project representatives both in person and online: Professor Elizabeth Cottier-Cook (SAMS), Dr Euridice Honorio (RBG Kew), James Mutunga Joshua (Nature Kenya), Fiona Nunan (University of Birmingham), and Damian Sulumo (MVIWAARUSHA). Louise and the panellists drilled down into a variety of new ideas and creative approaches to using research evidence to influence policy and practice.

The final panel of the day took on the challenge of how to harness private sector investment for nature based solutions. Panel chair George Whalley was joined in person and online by six panellists from a variety of sectors and backgrounds to tackle the question: what are the practical steps to harnessing private sector investment, and how do we get money flowing into biodiversity projects? The panellists were: Susan Forester (FSD Africa), Alicia Gibson (Finance Earth), Drea Burbank (Savimbo), James Naughton (DAI), Julia Martin-Ortega (University of Leeds), and Scobie Mackay (Imperative).

On the remaining two days, the symposium programme focused on connection and collaboration within the current group of funded GCBC research projects. With over fifty representatives at Kew in person and more joining the programme online it was a productive and busy couple of days covering early results, best practice approaches and innovative methods.

Breakout session at the GCBC Research Symposium

Overall, the 2025 Symposium was a collaborative and inspiring event. An opportunity to deepen existing connections within the GCBC research community and to build new links with a wider network of partners and organisations committed to working at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty alleviation.

Thank you so much to all members of our GCBC research community who joined us in person and online for the symposium, and to our wonderful speakers, panelists, and chairs for your insights, expertise, and for generously giving your time to be with us.

All funded projects are listed on the GCBC website here.

Share

Related

Introducing CROSSROADS: Using native plants to restore biodegraded soils in Ethiopia

Published 24 Mar 2025

GCBC

Tags

Agriculture Agroforestry Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

The first in-person meeting of the CROSSROADS project was held between 10 and 14th March, 2025 in Hawassa, Ethiopia. CROSSROADS is one of the new projects awarded last year under the GCBC’s Second Research Grant Competition (RGC2).

Researchers from lead partner, the University of Aberdeen (Scotland), and the International Water Management Institute (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), travelled to Hawassa to meet partners from the Central Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute and Hawassa University.

A healthy soil is the basis for improved rural livelihoods and resilience to climate change. Using side-lined plant species to improve soils could increase their value and so encourage their spread. CROSSROADS aims to catalogue and rate side-lined species with potential to restore agriculturally degraded soils. This will use a combination of systematic review of the existing scientific literature, community engagement to draw together traditional knowledge, new field and lab measurements, and modelling.

A major component of the project is the development of new tools to communicate findings, dissemination of tools and facilitation of use of top-rated species.

Fighting soil erosion with innovation

A visit to potential field sites in the area of Lokka Abaya, South of Hawassa, highlighted the limitations on organic inputs available to improve the soil; a high proportion of crop residues are used for livestock feed, fuel or building. Land pressures reduce the amount of space available for wild species to proliferate, resulting in high potential for biodiversity loss. Many of these wild species could be used to improve soils by adding or releasing nutrients, or by stabilising the soil with their roots to reduce erosion.

Exclosure areas that could be used as sources of seeds for restoration of degraded soils

The CROSSROADS team visited an exclosure area in the kebele (the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia). Exclosures are formerly degraded areas where livestock and cropping have been excluded to allow time for the fertility of the land to recover. An important idea to emerge from this visit was the potential to encourage the top-rated side-lined species to grow in exclosures, providing a source of seeds for plants, which could then be collected by local entrepreneurs and used for soil improvement.

In research aligned to the GCBC CROSSROADS project, University of Aberdeen and Hawassa University researchers worked together to construct a laboratory rainfall simulator at Hawassa University. This new equipment allows for controlled testing of soil erosion, providing detailed information on soil loss and water flow under rainfall conditions typical of the regions we are exploring. Livestock, especially grazing in communal grazing areas, are responsible for high levels of erosion. We are using the rainfall simulator to evaluate how biodiverse plants and different types of land management can combat soil erosion, arguably the greatest threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.

A rainfall nozzle and pressure controllers were brought from the UK; these match equipment already in place in the laboratory at the University of Aberdeen. In Ethiopia we scoured markets to buy consumables and worked with local tradespeople to construct a 4 m tower from bamboo with metal erosion troughs to hold soil during testing.  Delivering water to the rainfall simulator required a water supply to be diverted to a large holding tank, which is then pumped at controlled pressure to regulate rainfall intensity.

Early results have found improved stabilisation in soils collected near to homesteads (where more biodiverse plants are grown) compared to soils from further away (where fields are planted with monocultures). With this equipment now in place, there are many opportunities to explore the impacts of specific plants or biodiverse mixtures, with the objective of demonstrating how side-lined plant species could help combat erosion by improving soils. By using underutilised plant species, both above and below-ground, biodiversity will be enhanced through increased use of indigenous crops, trees and shrubs to improve fertility and reinforce unstable soils. The extent of this and the consequent impacts on soils, biodiversity, poverty and climate adaptation will be fully quantified and understood through the CROSSROADS project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags

Agriculture Agroforestry Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

Related

Research Grant Competition 2 (RGC2): The GCBC awards £13.4 million in UK ODA grants for research to find nature-based solutions to climate change and poverty reduction   

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

Tags

Agriculture Agroforestry Capacity Building Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

RGC2 awards 18 new project grants worth £13.4 million based on the theme: “Driving innovation in how biodiversity can support climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods through practice and governance”. 

Initial concept note applications for the second GCBC research grant competition (RGC2) numbered 507 from lead delivery partners in 60 UK-ODA eligible countries. This response more than trebled the 155 applications submitted for the first round of grants in 2023. From the initial concept notes, 56 applications were selected to submit full proposals.    

Grant awards were made using several criteria, including applications’ contribution to the context of the RGC2 theme. These involved assessing applicants’ understanding of how addressing evidence gaps in the potential of nature-based solutions using less utilised species (plants, animals, insects, fungi, trees etc.) can contribute to:   

  • improving poor livelihoods through more resilience to climate change;  
  • meeting resource or service demands; and  
  • protecting and conserving traditional knowledge and biodiversity.  

Filling these evidence gaps is critical to finding innovative approaches to guide practice and governance.  

Climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty are three of the most pressing challenges facing the world today and are fundamentally inter-linked. Climate change, driven by human activity, is increasingly and negatively affecting people and the natural environment. Biodiversity loss, which also results from human activity, is causing degraded landscapes and soil and increasing food insecurity. This exacerbates climate risk by reducing the resilience of natural and managed ecosystems. Unfortunately, those living in poverty are often the most vulnerable and the least able to respond to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

By working in partnership with scientists, research institutions and practitioners around the world, the GCBC seeks to develop innovative research and scalable approaches to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, contributing to poverty alleviation and helping countries to achieve a nature-positive future. The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs working in partnership with DAI as the Fund Manager Lead and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as the Strategic Science Lead.  

The 18 projects awarded under RGC2 will be implemented in 16 UK ODA-eligible countries in the Global South; seven countries from Latin America (including Central America) and the Caribbean (Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Panama; Peru); six from Sub-Saharan Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Ghana; Kenya; Tanzania; Republic of Congo); and three from South East Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia; Indonesia; Vietnam).  

Eleven of the RGC2 projects cover broad thematic areas: Agroforestry; Community led approaches; Integrated land / water management; and Forest restoration. Seven of the projects cover more uniquely focused research areas: Seagrass restoration; Carbon markets; Biodiverse seed bank; Mangrove restoration; Peatlands; Land use (landscape level); and Underutilised species for soil restoration.  

“This new round of 18 diverse and innovative projects represents a consolidation of the ‘Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate’ as Defra’s flagship ODA R&D programme.  These new projects will continue GCBC’s growing reputation for delivery of high-quality evidence about the effective and sustainable use of biodiversity for climate resilience and to improve livelihoods.” said Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

“As fund management lead, DAI is delighted to continue our relationship with Defra and especially to welcome the successful applicants who are joining the GCBC’s project portfolio for the next phase of the programme’s development. Through this project round, we will continue to support scientists, academics and research institutions working to build stronger capacity, increase collaboration, deliver high-impact projects and share learning on the biodiversity-climate-livelihoods nexus that will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss and contributing to poverty alleviation,” said Luqman Ahmad, Senior Vice President, DAI.  

“As strategic science lead, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew also welcomes the new projects to the growing portfolio. The new evidence, data and knowledge across pressures/drivers, solutions and enablers for the different themes of the grant competitions will support the adoption of systems approaches in tackling the nexus of climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. By understanding and managing the complex interactions between science, society and the multiple interacting systems through temporal and spatial scales it will be possible to recommend solutions – orientated approaches for transformative change across different sectors and regions,” said Professor Monique Simmonds, Deputy Director, Science (Partnerships), The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.    

The 18 Projects funded by RGC2:

Assessing Carbon Credits as a Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Participatory Forest Management in Tanzania – Lead Grantee: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (Country: Tanzania)

Biodiversity for climate and social resilience: Empowerment of coastal communities in sustainable production practices in Ecuador – Lead Grantee: Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral – ESPOL, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)

Biodiversity science in support of community-led conservation of threatened local forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate resilient local livelihoods – Lead Grantee: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA (Country: Indonesia)

Biodiversity potential for resilient livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia – Lead Grantee: University of Leeds, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

BREL-Borneo: Benefits of Biodiverse Restoration for Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Borneo – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa (CROSSROADS-SSA) – Lead Grantee: University of Aberdeen, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

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 – Lead Grantee: Fundación Tropenbos, Colombia (Country: Colombia)

EMBRACE: Engaging Local Communities in Minor Crop Utilisation for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment – Lead Grantee: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana (Countries: Ghana and Kenya)

Enabling large-scale and climate-resilient forest restoration in the Eastern Amazon – Lead Grantee: Lancaster University, UK (Country: Brazil)

Exploring sustainable land use pathways for ecosystems, food security and poverty alleviation: opportunities for Indonesia’s food estate programme – Lead Grantee: University of Sussex, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Forest restoration on Indigenous lands: Restoring biodiversity for multiple ecosystem services, community resilience and financial sustainability through locally informed strategies and incentives – Lead Grantee: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama (Country: Panama)

Integrated Land and Water Management of the Greater Amanzule Wetland System – Lead Grantee: University of Education, Winneba, Ghana (Country: Ghana)

NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities – Lead Grantee: University of Lincoln, UK (Countries: Colombia and Dominican Republic)

Nature based solutions for climate resilience of local and Indigenous communities in Guatemala – Lead Grantee: University of Greenwich, UK (Country: Guatemala)

Realising the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon: developing climate resilient sustainable bioindustry – Lead Grantee: Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)  

Recognising and rewarding the contribution of Indigenous knowledge for the sustainable management of biodiversity – Lead Grantee: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), USA (Country: Cambodia)

TRIALS: Translating Research into Action for Livelihoods and Seagrass: Establishing scientific foundation for seagrass restoration and blue carbon potential, with sustainable livelihood development for coastal communities in Central Vietnam – Lead Grantee: WWF-UK, UK (Country: Vietnam)

Using biodiversity to support climate resilient livelihoods in intact tropical peatlands  – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK   (Countries: Peru, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo)  

 

Photo Credit (Detail): Laitche

 

 

 

 

Tags

Agriculture Agroforestry Capacity Building Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

Related

Biodiversity for Climate and Social Resilience: Empowerment of Coastal Communities in Sustainable Production Practices in Ecuador

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £809,454
Dates: Nov 24 – Oct 27

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

Tags

Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods

Share

Project Summary

Countries: Ecuador

Delivery Partner: Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral – ESPOL

Principle Investigator: Professor Julia Nieto Wigby, ESPOL

Project Description

The project aims to mitigate climate change by enhancing mangrove health, reducing human impact, and increasing fishing communities’ resilience while providing fair alternative incomes. Innovative techniques and approaches are applied to improve environmental, climate and social resilience along with novel finance solutions.

This involves: a) Ecosystem recovery – evaluating trophic structure recovery through habitat restoration strategies such as cultured black cockle (BC) restocking and red mangrove afforestation; b) Ecosystem protection – offering alternative livelihoods to reduce fishing pressure on natural banks by transferring technical mariculture capacities to fisher communities, along with environmental education and social empowerment for inclusive community governance systems; and c) Valorisation – internalising ecosystem services to determine real BC extraction and trade costs, and functional ecology valuation.

Communities will use key information to demand national policies to protect their territories and livelihoods.

Photograph (detail): Diego Tirira

Tags

Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods

Share

Related projects

Kaboni kwa Misitu Yetu: Assessing Carbon Credits as a Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Tanzanian Village Forests

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £216, 868
Dates: Nov 24-Oct 27

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

Tags

Conservation and Restoration Financing Governance and Policy Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

Project Summary

Countries: Tanzania

Delivery Partner: Sokoine University of Agriculture

Project Partners: Bangor University, National Carbon Monitoring Centre, Tanzania

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kajenje Magessa, Lecturer, Researcher and Consultant in policy and natural resources governance, Department of Forest Resources Assessment and Management, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism (CFWT), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). 

Contact: kajenje.magessa@sua.ac.tz

Kaboni Kwa Misitu Yetu is evaluating the economic, social and governance feasibility of accessing carbon markets to help sustainably manage village forests in Tanzania.

Challenge

Villages manage nearly half of all forests in Tanzania but are struggling to ensure management is economically and socially sustainable. Potentially, selling carbon credits could provide vital revenues and there are some high-profile examples of Tanzanian villages accessing carbon finance.

However, the feasibility of accessing these funds is untested for most village forests: considerable economic, social, technical and governance challenges must be surmounted if this approach is to be scalable across the country. Capacity needs to be built in communities, districts and at the national level and the experiences of villages already benefitting from carbon finance need to be shared widely so that more communities can make well informed decisions about whether and how to participate in carbon markets.

 

Insight

To address these challenges, we are working with communities who have expressed an interest in accessing carbon markets.

We will;

• Evaluate the economic and social viability of carbon finance for village forests;
• Assess the capacity and governance needs of communities and other stakeholders;
• Assess the potential for carbon revenues from sustainably managing village forests;
• Organise peer-peer exchanges to promote learning between villages engaged in carbon markets, and those interested in engaging;
• Recommend how national and international policy should develop to help villages capture the global benefits generated by their forest management.

Collaboration

The project is led by researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture, working closely with communities from five Village Land Forest Reserves as well as experts from Tanzania’s National Carbon Monitoring Centre and Bangor University, Wales, UK.

 

We aim to evaluate the viability of carbon credits as a source of funding for Tanzanian village forests, and build stakeholders’ capacity to make informed decisions about how to harness carbon markets to combat climate change, safeguard biodiversity, and alleviate poverty in Tanzania’s forested areas.

Dr Kajenje Magessa, Principal Investigator, Sokoine University of Agriculture.

Discover More

More: www.carboncreditspfmtz.sua.ac.tz

Dr Kajenje Magessa

Dr Kajenje Magessa is a distinguished social scientist primarily focused on forests and their role in sustainable development. She has an extensive background in empirical research, across a range of topics including Participatory Forest Management, policy analysis, natural resource governance and the socio-economic impacts of conservation on rural livelihoods. Prior to her current role Dr. Kajenje served as a research officer at Tanzania Forestry Research Institute for more than a decade and has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany and Bangor University in the United Kingdom.

 

Photograph (detail): Laitche

Tags

Conservation and Restoration Financing Governance and Policy Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

Share

Related projects

DICOT: Biodiversity Science in Support of Community-led Conservation of Threatened Forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Climate Resilient Local Livelihoods

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £743,246
Dates: Oct 24-Sept 27

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

Tags

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

Share

Project Summary

Countries: Indonesia

Delivery Partner: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA

Project Partners: New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), United States Case Western University (CWU) United States Alliance for Tompotika (ALTO), Indonesia Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN)

Principal Investigator: Dr Carmen Puglisi, Missouri Botanical Garden, Dr. Kate Farley, Missouri Botanical Garden- CoPI, Dr. Laura Toro, Missouri Botanical Garden- CoPI

Contact: cpuglisi@mobot.org

DICOT works to empower the communities of the Tompotika Peninsula in Central Sulawesi to protect their forests from nickel mining concessions and enhance their nature-based livelihoods.

 

Challenge

The Tompotika Peninsula in Central Sulawesi is one of Indonesia’s most biodiverse regions. Despite the ecological importance of the Peninsula, scientific information remains limited constraining efforts to implement evidence-based conservation and to align local conservation efforts with national frameworks such as the Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IBSAP). Besides, the biodiversity of the Peninsula is under imminent threat from nickel mining and agricultural expansion.

These activities are threatening the integrity of forest ecosystems and have also resulted in the gradual reduction of the suitable habitat of the maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo), an endangered and endemic bird species of Sulawesi that has been internationally recognized as a conservation priority by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

 

Insight

To ensure the protection of the biodiversity of Tompotika, the DICOT team will:

  • Characterise the plant biodiversity through botanical inventories, species extinction assessments, climate modeling, and ecosystem services mapping.
  • Document traditional ecological and biocultural knowledge to prioritise climate resilient species that support livelihoods and provide important ecosystem services.
  • Establish a community-run plant nursery for cultivation of selected plant species.
  • Disseminate the knowledge acquired with local, regional, and international stakeholders through community education and outreach as well as scientific publications and presentations.

Through a combination of biodiversity science and capacity building, this work will support the collaborative development of conservation proposals and promote the sustainable cultivation of economically important plant species to alleviate poverty and support climate resilience for the communities of Tompotika.

 

Collaboration

DICOT is an international partnership that brings together local people, non-profits, and national and international research institutions, and an interdisciplinary team of experts in plant diversity, ecology, conservation, and anthropology based in Indonesia, Germany, and the United States.

With this project, we will help the local communities of Tompotika protect their forests, livelihoods, and traditional knowledge. More importantly, we hope to engage and inspire the younger generation to become advocates for plant diversity and conservation.

Dr. Carmen Puglisi, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA

Dr. Carmen Puglisi

Dr. Carmen Puglisi is a plant taxonomist that specialises in the systematics of ebonies and gesneriads of Southeast Asia. She worked in the UK and Singapore before becoming the Curator of the Asian herbarium collection at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2023. Dr. Puglisi is passionate about plant diversity, herbaria, and the training of the next generation of plant taxonomists in Southeast Asia.

 

Photo Credits 1 & 2: First expedition to the Heart of Tompotika, photo taken by M. Isfandri.

Header Image Enrico Kumesan

 

 

Tags

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

Share

Related projects

Biodiversity Potential for Resilient Livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £750,000
Dates: Nov 23-Oct 26

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

Tags

Agriculture Capacity Building Food Systems Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management

Share

Project Summary

Countries: Ethiopia

Delivery Partner: University of Leeds

Project Partners: Arba Minch University, Cool Ground

Principle Investigator: Dr Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia, University of Leeds

Project Description

The project will fill knowledge gaps and elucidate the potential for biodiversity to contribute to and improve livelihood security, adaptation to climate change, and resilience in Ethiopia’s new Tama Community Conservation Area (CCA), where there is a data paucity to manage from.

As the local communities hold rich traditional ecological knowledge, the project will combine systemic biodiversity monitoring with ethnobotany and ethnozoology qualitative data, to address the biodiversity-livelihoods knowledge gap. Datasets will then be input into population models with climate projections to explore future change in biodiversity and thus livelihoods.

The project will co-create management plans for the CCA with its staff, making them climate-resilient. Throughout all activities, capacity building will take place for continuing biodiversity monitoring and resilience assessment by CCA staff through linkages with AMU, so that the CCA can practice evidence-informed adaptive management in the future.

The main impact is to improve social-ecological resilience for beneficiaries in the Mursi, Bodi, Bacha, and Aari communities. The project will contribute to outcomes across the following strategic science principles – creating wide participation to support capacity building for the CCA and communities through robust data collection, sharing best practices and demonstrating what works to inform policy in the Tama CCA, but also other CCAs to inform their sustainable management.

Photograph (detail): Rod Waddington

Tags

Agriculture Capacity Building Food Systems Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management

Share

Related projects