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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 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.

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

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Saving Lake Sofia: From Rescue to Restoration in Madagascar

Published 27 Aug 2025

GCBC

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Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods Nature based solutions

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

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

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

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

 

What a Difference a Year Makes!

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harison Andriambelo, WWT’s Country Manager in Madagascar

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

Next Steps

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

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Report by Mark Grindley, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

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

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Deploying Diversity for Resilience and Livelihoods

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC1
Grant Value: £750,000
Dates: May 24-Apr 27

Published 23 Jul 2025

Tracey Hearn

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Agroforestry Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Nature based solutions

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Project Summary

Countries: Ethiopia

Delivery Partner: Bioversity International

Project Partners: Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, World Vegetable Center, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopian Forestry Development

Principal Investigator: Dejene K. Mengistu, Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT

Contact: d.mengistu@cgiar.org 

Evidence generation on the impact of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) on the regeneration of local plant species, habitat restoration, and other ecosystem services improvements to ensure resilience and livelihood improvement.

 

Challenge

We aim at understanding i) the improvement brought by GLI on local plant species diversity, ecosystem services improvement, including local climate, ii) the impact of GLI on socioeconomic aspects of the local community, and iii) the perception of the local community on the positive and negative (if any) aspects of GLI to drive lessons on its sustainability and upscaling.

Insight

The project undertakes participatory discussions to understand the perception of the local community on GLI, species registry, and ecosystem improvement audits. In studied areas, planting one tree species has assisted natural regeneration of 7 to 10 local plant species, largely improved habitats, and restored degraded lands and ecosystem services. The benefits to the local community span from the moderation of local climate to increased agricultural productivity. The enhancement of water resources is remarkable. There are also jobs and employment opportunities created for the locals. An extremely positive attitude developed towards GLI, which triggered interest in local communities to protect natural resources through sustainable utilization. We learned that the integration of economic activities into the forest resources is quite important.

Collaboration

We collaborate with local community, regional, zonal, and district-level offices of environmental protection, climate change, and biodiversity to implement project activities, participate in capacity-building training sessions, and engage in discussions.

Our results generated so far imply that the climate-resilient green economy growth model of Ethiopia is fast achieving its biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services restoration objectives.

Dejene K. Mengistu, Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT

Discover More

Read: The case for restoring biodiversity in Ethiopia: GLI contributes to the regeneration of local plant species.

Explore: Evidence from the Gurage and Wolaita Zones of Ethiopia: The Ethiopia Green Legacy Initiative embarks exemplary landscape restorations

Watch: Re-Greening initiative improves local water resources development

Dr Dejene K. Mengistu

Dr Dejene K. Mengistu, a scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, has a passion for enhancing the resilience and livelihood of the local community by working closely with them. His research focuses on deploying diversities for climate change adaptation, improving farm productivity and its diversity, and empowering the farming community through full participation in decision-making. Awareness creation through training and engaged discussion is his priority in his research areas. Dejene has published many journal articles, a book chapter, and books in his area of expertise.

 

Images show: 2) GLI assisted in the natural regeneration of local plant species 3) GLI supported restoration of degraded landscape 4) GLI improves habitat restoration for beneficial insects. Credit: Dejene K. Mengistu

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People, Nature, and Resilience: Launching ILWGAWS in Ghana’s Coastal Wetlands

Published 17 Jun 2025

GCBC

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Agroforestry Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Governance Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management

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The Integrated Land and Water Management of the Greater Amanzule Wetland System (ILWGAWS) is an environmental conservation initiative focused on conserving and restoring biodiversity within the Greater Amanzule Wetland, located in Ghana’s Western Region. This critical ecological zone spans over 50,000 hectares and plays a vital role in supporting biodiversity, enhancing coastal resilience, and sustaining local livelihoods.

However, the region faces significant challenges due to increasing pressures such as climate change, changes in land use and land cover, and hydrological and socio-economic dynamics. Funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), the project is being implemented by the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), in partnership with Hen Mpoano and the CSIR-Water Research Institute.

Images depict deforestation, polluted rivers, and degraded mangroves in Ghana’s Amanzule Wetland System, captured during a reconnaissance visit by participants of the inaugural ILWGAWS workshop. Images courtesy of the ILWGAWS media team.

 

Project Launch: A Vision for People and Nature

The ILWGAWS project launched in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region of Ghana, marking a critical step in the project’s broader commitment to environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation. Led by Dr. Adams Osman, the ILWGAWS project adopts a multidisciplinary, community-led approach that integrates scientific research with local knowledge systems to promote long-term environmental health and economic well-being for communities living within the wetland landscape.

The launch brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including government officials, traditional leaders, community members, development partners, researchers, and civil society organisations. Professor Stephen Jobson Mitchual, Vice-Chancellor of UEW,  delivered a compelling keynote address, emphasising the urgent need for sustainable development that enhances both the environment and human livelihoods.

Professor Mitchual stated, “Our innovations must be directed toward improving human life without compromising nature. As we build faster systems of communication and transport, we must also ensure we protect the very ecosystems that sustain us.”

Dr. Adams Osman provided an overview of the project’s core objectives: to assess the changes in the hydrological systems of the Greater Amanzule Wetlands, evaluate their impacts on ecosystem services and local livelihoods, and co-develop community-based solutions that support both biodiversity and socio-economic resilience.

Mr. Samuel Obosu, the Planning Officer of the Jomoro Municipal Assembly, emphasised the significance of the project to the district’s future, highlighting the value of the multidisciplinary nature of the project and the stakeholders involved in informing comprehensive policy decisions and community-driven restoration efforts.

 

Images show participants at the ILWGAWS launch workshop in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region of Ghana. Images courtesy of the ILWGAWS media team.

 

Reconnaissance Survey: Mapping the Landscape, Understanding the Issues

As part of the initial field activities, the ILWGAWS team embarked on a reconnaissance survey across several wetland communities, to assess baseline ecological and socio-economic conditions and identify hotspots for intervention. The survey began with a visit to the Ankobra River estuary, where pollution from illegal mining and waste disposal is severely impacting water quality. At the Asanta community, the team visited a mangrove nursery and conducted a walk-through of the adjacent mangrove forest, documenting signs of degradation and opportunities for restoration. Conversations with local fishers revealed how mangrove loss is affecting fish populations and, by extension, their livelihoods.

At Kamgbunli, the team engaged with traditional authorities and community leaders on the sustainability of fishing practices and their openness to adopting climate-resilient approaches. There were strong expressions of support for the project, particularly regarding mangrove restoration, pollution control, and environmental education. In Old Kabenla Suazo and Ezilinbo, further assessments were conducted, including visits to a lagoon site and the surrounding areas of a naval base under construction. These visits offered insight into the potential land-use conflicts and the need for multi-stakeholder coordination to align development with conservation.

Stakeholder Engagement: Strengthening Local Partnerships

Following the launch, the project team engaged key community leaders and institutional partners in a series of discussions. These engagements focused on identifying existing environmental challenges, possible solutions, refining project objectives and collective responsibilities. Stakeholders expressed concerns about uncontrolled logging, illicit mining, mangrove harvesting, pollution from agrochemicals and plastics, and the impact of infrastructural development on the wetland ecosystem. The dialogue reinforced the project’s commitment to a participatory governance model where communities are not just beneficiaries, but co-implementers of conservation action.

Looking Ahead: Building a Greener Future

The ILWGAWS project is envisioned not as a one-off intervention but as a long-term commitment to ecosystem restoration and climate adaptation. Over the coming weeks, the project will roll out activities in environmental education, hydrological profiling, biodiversity monitoring, mangrove and tree planting, pollution control, and sustainable livelihood training, including beekeeping for local farmers.

Intending to plant 60,000 trees within the Greater Amanzule Wetlands and train communities in sustainable practices, ILWGAWS aims to serve as a model for integrated wetland management in Ghana and beyond. As environmental threats intensify globally, initiatives like ILWGAWS underscore the power of collaboration, science, and community engagement in restoring ecological integrity and improving lives.

The journey has begun, and its success will be shaped by every voice, every tree planted, and every action toward a more resilient coastal ecosystem.

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Agroforestry Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Governance Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management

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

Published 24 Mar 2025

GCBC

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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.

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

Published 24 Mar 2025

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Agriculture Agroforestry Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The GCBC Research Grant Competition 3 (RGC3) Concept Note application has CLOSED

Published 04 Feb 2025

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Agriculture Agroforestry Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions Partnership Small Island Developing States Social Inclusion

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The GCBC Opportunities Portal for Concept Note submissions for the Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) CLOSED at 23:00 hrs UTC, on Sunday, 16 March, 2025. Any applications submitted after that time and date will not be accepted or considered for the full proposal stage. 

The GCBC extends grateful thanks to all applicants who made submissions through the Opportunities Portal. We have been delighted with the responses to this grant call, particularly from the Global South.

Over the next few weeks we will be working through the applications, carrying out eligibility checks, technical evaluations, moderation and scientific meetings to establish the most suitable Concept Notes to take forward to the next round. 

RGC3 Themes

The two research themes of this RGC3 are:  

  • Theme 1: Using biodiversity to improve the climate resilience of agricultural, food and bioeconomy value chains – Transforming agrifood systems at scale to incorporate nature-based solutions that build biodiversity back into production landscapes to boost climate resilience and reduce poverty (open to all GCBC focus regions). 
  • Theme 2: Biodiversity hotspots in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – Building sustainable businesses from nature to adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and tackle poverty (focused in SIDS). 

The GCBC, a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to fund a mixed portfolio of up to twenty grants in RGC3, covering a range of topics and geographies across both themes. Grants sums of between £100,000 and £1 million are offered for projects of 12-36 months duration. 

The GCBC will accept proposals for projects with activities in GCBC-eligible countries in Latin America (including Central America), the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South-east Asia and the Pacific and Small Island Developing States. A list of GCBC eligible countries is available here. To be accepted for funding under the GCBC programme projects must demonstrate: 

  • Fit to GCBC: All proposals need to address poverty alleviation and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity. 
  • Fit to theme: Proposals must address research questions within one of the themes set out above. 
  • GESI: All proposals must incorporate clear plans to factor in gender, equality and social inclusion from the outset. 
  • R&D: Proposed work must meet the definition of research and development: creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge (OECD, 2015). 

 

 

 

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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

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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

 

 

 

 

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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

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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

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

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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

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Agriculture Capacity Building Food Systems Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management

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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

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