Conservation Finance for Community Fisheries in Cambodia

Cambodia’s inland fishery is one of the world’s largest and provides food and livelihoods for millions. Over 500 Community Fishery Organizations (CFi’s) – local fishers with a government mandate – nominally manage over 1 million hectares of fishery resources. Unfortunately, even among the few CFi’s that function well, most are underfunded. Reliance on limited funds from their members and external grants results in sporadic CFi management. Conservation International has provided 15 CFis with conservation trust funds and supports Women’s Saving Groups with capital grants. Each CFi’s US$5000 trust fund is invested as an interest generating term deposit. Saving group grants range from US$1000 – 1500 and are loaned out to members to support their small business activities. The interest of both the CFi and Saving group grants provides CFi’s with a consistent supply of funds that allows them to manage their local fishery resources.

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Conteo navideño de aves de la bahía de tela, participación de Lancetilla

Lancetilla participa activamente en el conteo navideño de aves, el esfuerzo colectivo de todos los participantes ha rendido frutos. Principiantes, entusiastas, fotógrafos y expertos se reunieron del 1-3 de diciembre de 2023 para registrar la mayor cantidad de aves en las rutas establecidas en el Jardín Botánico Lancetilla, PN Punta Izopo y PN Jeanette Kawas.

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Connecting Carnivore landscapes through coexistence and collaboration

Kenya’s South Rift is vital for free-ranging lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs outside protected areas. The “Connecting Carnivore Landscapes Through Coexistence and Collaboration” project aimed to foster human-carnivore coexistence across 1.1M hectares, ensuring connectivity between the Mara-Serengeti and Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystems. Key goals included:

Enhancing human-carnivore conflict response and prevention in eight communities (680,000 ha).
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Strategies involved hiring community carnivore ambassadors and illaretok (seasonal livestock guardians) in conflict hotspots and training communities in first aid. This project is part of the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the EU.(https://iucnsos.org/initiative/sos-african-wildlife/)

Community Led Conservation

The Randilen Wildlife Management Area (RWMA) in northern Tanzania, bordering the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, serves as a critical habitat for numerous threatened species such as African elephants and lions. Protecting the RWMA allows the local community to benefit from tourism-related income from the area’s business ventures.

During a survey, the Randilen community highlighted human-wildlife conflict as a significant challenge. To address this, the project provided training and introduced an innovative toolkit designed to deter crop raiders, such as elephants.

As a result of the project, there was a substantial reduction in retaliatory killings, as farmers could effectively protect their crops using the innovative Honeyguide toolkit. The innovative tool has proven to be 90% effective in safeguarding crops, contributing to improved coexistence between humans and wildlife.

This project is part of the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the European Union.

Kajiado County Natural Resource Network: Improved Planning, Awareness and Scale-Up of FLR among communities

The Kajiado County Natural Resource Network (KCNRN) exemplifies a governance-led approach to scaling Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). Registered in June 2022, the KCNRN unites over 25 member organizations under a shared framework for sustainable natural resource management. The network improves FLR outcomes through strategic planning, raising public awareness, and enabling collaboration among local actors, government institutions, and private partners. The network’s focus areas include wildlife, agriculture, rangelands, and community engagement, with an emphasis on sustainable land use and cross-sectoral learning. Innovative initiatives, like “Miti Festival,” highlight the network’s success in mobilizing resources and fostering public participation. This solution was implemented by WWF under the AREECA project, a Consortium financed by BMUV and composed of AUDA-NEPAD, FAO, GIZ, IUCN, the World Bank, and WRI. KCNRN’s strategic planning, financial policy, and governance structure provide a replicable model for scaling FLR.

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In Ntcheu District, Malawi, a Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project, supported by FAO, IUCN, WRI, GIZ and funded by BMUV, empowers local communities through Farmer Field Schools (FFS). Addressing challenges such as low community engagement, unsustainable land use, and economic pressures, the project leverages local leaders and lead farmers to build capacity and ownership of restoration practices. FFS blends traditional knowledge with sustainable techniques, demonstrating economic and environmental benefits that align with community needs. By providing hands-on training in agroforestry and soil conservation, FFS increases yields and offers alternative incomes, reducing reliance on deforestation-driven practices. Through strong support systems, continuous monitoring, and strategic alignment with local socio-economic goals, the project creates a replicable, resilient model that fosters both ecological restoration and socio-economic growth, enhancing resilience against climate impacts and safeguarding vital water resources.

System of rice intensification (SRI): A tool for enhancing the productivity of farmers and reducing the ecological footprint in the rice sector

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SME Training and Coaching Loop to support small and medium enterprises

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More information and training material is available on the website of the International SME Loop Association e.V. (sme-loop.com).

SME Training and Coaching Loop

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered an engine for economic and social development. However, framework conditions for their development are often unfavorable and support is not tailored to the context and situation of the individual enterprise. Responding to this need, the SME Loop approach was developed, refined and scaled up by different projects implemented by GIZ and financed by BMZ. The SME Loop is a combined training and coaching approach. It aims at increasing competitiveness, generating income and boosting the demand for labour. The SME Loop is implemented over a six to nine month time span. It consists of seven phases of alternating individual coaching sessions and class-room business training. Service providers, financial institutions, political partners and other relevant actors have been associated during different stages of implementation to insure the sustainability of the achieved impacts.

Protecting the Critically Endangered Lillie Cycad

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This project is part of the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, which is co-funded by the European Union

Farmer business school (FBS): Entrepreneurship training to understand agriculture as a business.

Micro, small, and medium agribusiness enterprises provide incomes, jobs and feed the growing population. However, entrepreneurship, despite its importance to empower farmers for business and equitable participation in sustainable economic growth, remains a marginalized field. The FBS approach has been developed by GIZ in 2010 together with partners and with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as well as the World Cocoa Foundation. FBS training strengthens agricultural smallholders’ business skills for more income from diversified production. During five subsequent morning sessions, male and female producers discover that agriculture

is business and how to improve it. Different public and/or private stakeholders pool resources to implement FBS training. By doing so they reduce risks of business and open access to a wider range of services and new business opportunities. In practice, FBS complements agricultural extension and financial services.

Training for Post Harvest Loss (PHL) Reduction

More than 30% of the world’s food is lost between the field and the plate, which threatens food security. PHL have been addressed in almost all country packages of the Green Innovation Centers. In 2020, a so-called “PHL Booster” has been launched in 8 country packages targeting various value chains. Women play a major role in post-harvest activities and are specifically targeted. The post-harvest management (PHM) is generally part of training approaches on Good Agricultural Practices and Farmer Business School. However, specific training material has been elaborated in some countries. The training not only refers to technical solutions, but also assesses the perceptions of stakeholders along the whole value chain and identifies critical loss points to locate the most effective entry points for successful interventions.

The main implementing organizations are partners from the public and private sector and training centers in the countries.

Adapting to climate change: Innovative techniques in the smallholder aquaculture sector

In response to challenges faced by small-scale aquaculture farmers due to climate change, the Global Programme Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (GP Fish), implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), developed adaptation strategies for the sub-sector to mitigate these impacts. These strategies include the intermittent harvest method, the implementation of agroforestry practices, and digital climate information systems.