Concurso de Subvenciones a la Investigación 2 (RGC2): El GCBC concede 13,4 millones de libras en subvenciones de la AOD del Reino Unido para la investigación con el fin de encontrar soluciones basadas en la naturaleza para el cambio climático y la reducción de la pobreza.
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.
Principle Investigator: Dr. Kajenje Magessa Nkukurah, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Project Description
Tanzania is rich in biodiversity but faces rapid deforestation and severe poverty. Villages own 46% of forests, but resource limitations hinder effective management and deforestation continues apace. Carbon credits offer potential incentives for climate mitigation and biodiversity preservation, yet their applicability to village forests remains unproven at scale.
This project aims to collaborate closely with local communities to evaluate the feasibility of carbon credit schemes, considering costs, benefits and governance. Additionally, it will focus on capacity-building initiatives for village governments and stakeholders, empowering them to navigate carbon markets effectively. Through this approach, the project aims to harness the power of carbon markets to combat climate change, safeguard biodiversity, and alleviate poverty in Tanzania’s forested areas.
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
Principle Investigator: Dr Carmen Puglisi, Assistant Curator, (Asia), Missouri Botanical Garden,
Project Summary
This project will empower the communities of Tompotika, Sulawesi to protect their forests from the urgent threat of nickel mining concessions and enhance their nature-based livelihoods. The project will collaboratively (1) characterise Tompotika’s plant biodiversity through botanical inventories, species extinction assessments, climate modelling, and key ecosystem services; (2) document traditional ecological and biocultural knowledge to prioritise climate resilient species that support livelihoods and provide important ecosystem services; (3) establish a community-run plant nursery for cultivation of selected species; and (4) disseminate this knowledge to internal and external 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 species to alleviate poverty and support climate resilience for the communities of Tompotika.
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.
Principle Investigator: Dr Mark Hughes, Taxonomy Research Leader (Southeast Asia), Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Project Description
Bornean lowland forests harbour globally important biodiversity and carbon stocks but are severely degraded and reduced. In Indonesia, there are government and community initiatives to restore forests, but due to capacity constraints, only a small suite of species is used, meaning restored forests lose potential to capture carbon and support livelihoods.
This project will increase the number of native Bornean species available in forest restoration supply chains in Kalimantan, by (i) removing supply constraints through providing new data on distributions and germplasm supply; (ii) aiding take-up of under-utilised species by restoration actors through new planning tools; and (iii) supporting monitoring, reporting and verification of biodiversity benefits of restoration.
The outcome will be an increased area under higher-biodiversity restoration, which has benefits for carbon capture and also livelihoods, through restoration supply chain involvement and potential for biodiversity credit trade.
CROSSROADS-SSA will catalogue and test the use of “sidelined” or “underutilised” native plants to restore degraded soils in Ethiopia, characterising impacts on biodiversity, poverty alleviation, and climate adaptation and mitigation. Species include (1) local high-drought-tolerant varieties; (2) climate-resilient perennials; (3) nitrogen-fixing or phosphorus mobilising species; and (4) species that stabilise eroding banks.
Expected outcomes: Increased agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change through improved soil health; and increased biodiversity by increasing local value of native plants.
What will be achieved? Restoring degraded land by capturing more carbon in soils contributes to mitigation of climate change and increases infiltration and retention of water in the soil, so improving resilience to erosion, droughts and floods. By using underutilised plant species to do this, 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.
Who will benefit? Low-income farmers in Ethiopia and across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), using resources that are already available on the farm (underutilised plant species) to improve productivity.
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
Project Details
Status: Active GCBC Funding Round: RGC2 Grant Value: £167, 493 Dates: Nov 24- Oct 27
The programme will establish intercultural seed banks to store and distribute a wide variety of seeds of indigenous forest species for a variety of uses such as food, medicine, architecture and art, in line with the government’s restoration objectives.
The programme will integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge to identify and geo-reference seed source trees. Laboratory tests will determine the most efficient local practices for seed production. Local methodologies, participatory action research and quantitative data coming from a live laboratory will be deployed to create a sustainable strategy for intercultural seed banks suitable for the climate and geography of Puerto Naranjo Resguardo and the Amazon.
A systemic approach will allow for innovation in the creation of a scalable plan that positions intercultural seed banks as a local solution to help improve livelihoods, address the current effects of climate change and restore biodiversity in indigenous territories. Outputs will include local research, scientific articles, a collaborative database, storytelling and a business plan for the community to transform the initiative into a sustainable income-generating opportunity.
EMBRACE responds to the pressing challenge of biodiversity loss and climate vulnerability in smallholder farming systems across Ghana and Kenya. Rural communities depend heavily on natural resources for food, income, and cultural identity, yet rapid deforestation, land degradation, and the neglect of underutilized crops and endangered tree species threaten their resilience. Traditional knowledge on sustainable land management is gradually being lost, while modern farming practices often overlook the importance of ecological balance. This creates a dual challenge: how to restore degraded ecosystems while also improving livelihoods in ways that are socially inclusive and climate-resilient. The project therefore seeks to bridge scientific evidence with community knowledge, developing agroforestry models and conservation strategies that safeguard genetic diversity, enhance ecosystem services, and ensure fair benefit-sharing.
Insight
Through ecological surveys and aerial mapping, EMBRACE has built a robust evidence base to understand the richness of species, the extent of land degradation, and the potential for restoration. This scientific foundation is being paired with community co-creation, where farmers, traditional leaders, and local institutions help design agroforestry farmstead models that integrate endangered tree species with underutilized food crops. These farmsteads not only safeguard genetic diversity but also provide sustainable livelihood opportunities through practices such as beekeeping, snail rearing, and mushroom cultivation.
Collaboration
EMBRACE thrives on strong partnerships that bridge science, policy, and community action. At its core, the collaboration between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) in Ghana, CSIR-Forestry Research Institute, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), and the University of Eldoret in Kenya, ensures a cross-country exchange of expertise and experiences. These institutions provide scientific rigour, technical capacity, and policy engagement pathways to embed project findings into national strategies. Beyond research partners, the project works closely with local communities, traditional authorities, district-level Forestry and Agriculture offices, and smallholder farmer groups, ensuring co-creation and ownership of solutions.
With EMBRACE, we are together with local communities planting legacies. Every seed conserved, every degraded land restored, carries the promise of biodiversity, culture, and resilience for posterity.
Dr Clement Oppong Peprah, Principle Investigator, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute
Dr. Clement Oppong Peprah is a Research Scientist (Agronomist) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana. He leads the EMBRACE project, focusing on biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable agroecosystems. His research spans food systems, agroforestry, and community-based adaptation strategies, with a strong emphasis on gender equality and social inclusion. Dr. Peprah has worked on multi-institutional projects across sub-Saharan Africa and contributed to policy dialogues on climate-smart agriculture. Passionate about bridging science and community action, he works to ensure that research translates into practical solutions for resilient livelihoods. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Science from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan.
Exploración de vías de uso sostenible de la tierra para los ecosistemas, la seguridad alimentaria y la mitigación de la pobreza: oportunidades para el programa de propiedad de alimentos de Indonesia
País: Indonesia Socio principal: Universidad de Sussex Resumen: Este proyecto transdisciplinar se ocupa de comprender la dinámica del cambio en el uso de la tierra y de apoyar la creación conjunta de vías hacia un uso sostenible de la tierra que aborde los problemas de la biodiversidad, el cambio climático, la seguridad alimentaria y la pobreza. Se centra en las oportunidades de los programas de agricultura sostenible en Indonesia, en el contexto de la gran preocupación que suscitan sus efectos medioambientales y sociales adversos. El programa trabajará con comunidades agrícolas, ONG, agencias conservacionistas y organismos gubernamentales, reuniendo datos cuantitativos y cualitativos (y conocimientos formales e informales) para visualizar y evaluar los múltiples valores de los paisajes y el impacto de las intervenciones en fincas alimentarias en lugares con diversos sistemas de monocultivo y agrosilvicultura. Pretende apoyar un diálogo productivo y basado en pruebas mediante el desarrollo y el uso de una herramienta de cartografía y modelización de acceso abierto; desarrollar escenarios de uso de la tierra que integren la resiliencia climática y la conservación de la biodiversidad en iniciativas que apoyen los medios de subsistencia sostenibles de las comunidades agrícolas y preocupaciones más amplias sobre la seguridad alimentaria. A través de la investigación-acción participativa y de actividades de desarrollo de capacidades con las principales partes interesadas, el programa identificará oportunidades de planificación del uso de la tierra y del proceso político, así como puntos de intervención práctica.
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