Story | 19 Sep, 2018
CEESP News- Catherine Sayer, IUCN Program Officer, and Cory Whitney, University of Bonn
A recent assessment of the livelihoods value of freshwater biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin in Eastern Africa has demonstrated that freshwater plants and fishes are key to supporting the…
Story | 03 Sep, 2018
Decisions have consequences: Contrasting stories of shea butter & community conservation in Ghana
At first glance, they seem identical – Two neighbouring communities, Murugu and Kaden, bordering Mole National Park in Ghana. Both are surrounded by savannah with scattered trees in farmed and fallow lands, where women collect shea nuts. It is the shea nuts, which…
Story | 25 Jul, 2018
Empowering CSOs in Burkina Faso to engage the extractives sector
In Tenkodogo, Burkina Faso, IUCN's Business and Biodiversity Programme recently delivered a training workshop for civil society organisations (CSOs) on the foundations of business engagement as part of its Shared Resources, Joint Solutions (SRJS) project.
…Story | 28 May, 2018
Inclusivity across 4 African landscapes
Thought leaders from civil society, government and business are advancing a ‘landscape approach’ to land use and resource decision-making. Such an approach seeks to address the often-competing interests of different stakeholders across a landscape to engage in…
Story | 06 Feb, 2018
At the highest levels of international organisations and governments, policies and guidelines often support engagement with local stakeholders, and include their representation. These ideas are enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Target 16 which ensures responsive,…
Story | 12 Jan, 2018
The conservation and livelihoods power of a community fund in Uganda
The Community Environment Conservation Fund (CECF) is a conservation benefits sharing model developed and implemented by IUCN to address immediate community livelihood needs through a credit scheme. This in turn motivates and empowers communities to responsibly utilise and manage natural…
Story | 28 Nov, 2017
Transforming business engagement in Ghana
Businesses rely on natural resources to operate, which can create impacts and risks as well as opportunities and benefits. A recent training workshop in Ghana explored how civil society organisations (CSOs) can engage companies to ensure the sustainable use of these…
Story | 22 Nov, 2017
SUSTAIN’s interest-driven partnerships: a win-win for river flow and farmers’ fields
Until very recently, the Katuma river in Tanzania was on the verge of drying-up. The main reasons for the reduced river flow were illegal abstractions by smallholder farmers and irregular and reduced rainfall due to climate change.
Story | 18 Oct, 2017
SUSTAIN Blog 'The key to unleashing green finance: bridging worlds'
Green finance is gaining momentum. More and more private investors consider investing in nature an opportunity to combine economic interests with social and environmental responsibility.
Story | 09 Oct, 2017
When you want to go far: farmers and foresters from 15 African countries unite in Tanzania
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This African proverb was fittingly applied by Jeffrey Campbell, manager of the Forest Farm Facility, from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., during the opening of an African conference for forest and farm…