From One to Six MPAs: Scaling Marine Protection through Bottom-Up MPA framework

This solution applies a bottom-up, community-led approach to establishing MPAs by involving local communities in every stage of decision-making. In coastal areas where trust and support for MPAs are often limited, this approach ensures that protection measures are built with the community.

The process includes ecological assessments, public consultations and hearings, presentation of the proposed area’s status and expected benefits, and gathering community opinions, concerns, and suggestions. If the proposed MPA does not sit well with the community, concerns are identified, openly discussed, and the proposal is refined or adjusted before proceeding. Communities are then further engaged through training in monitoring, leadership development, and participation as Bantay-Dagat or members of the management body.

This approach builds trust, encourages informed decisions, strengthens stewardship, improves compliance with regulations, and increases long-term community support for MPAs and other marine conservation initiatives

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The Concept of One Health Village: A Model for Integrating Environmental, Veterinary and Human Health Surveillance

The One Health Village model is a community-based framework integrating human, animal, and environmental health systems at the rural level. Implemented since 2020 in a semi-rural Indian village, it addresses fragmented surveillance systems that limit early detection of zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and environmental health risks.

The approach combines village level governance (panchayat), animal health monitoring, environmental assessment, and human health data from Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Integration of these data streams enables cross-sectoral risk identification and coordinated response.

Key outcomes include improved rabies prevention through mass stray dog vaccination and Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs, identification of environmental contamination pathways, and increased awareness of antibiotic misuse contributing to AMR. The model also explores the use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and Digital Twin frameworks for predictive health monitoring for further integration.

#TogetherforTurtles: Network-wide Marine Turtle Conservation in El Nido, Palawan

Prior to its designation as a Managed Resource Protected Area, El Nido was declared a Turtle Sanctuary in 1984, due to its vital role as a habitat for marine turtles to mate, nest, forage, and develop. All five marine turtle species found in the country have been recorded there, with three species, namely, green, hawksbill and olive ridley, nesting on its beaches. Despite this, these species remain threatened by rising sea levels, high temperatures, predation, poaching, fisheries interaction, and coastal development—all contributing to mortality without sustained intervention. In response, the El Nido Marine Turtle Conservation Network (ENMTCN) was created in 2017 to promote a collaborative, science-based approach for turtle conservation in El Nido. Since then, it has saved over 2,000 nests, released more than 150,000 hatchlings, rehabilitated 10 strandings, led a campaign against motorized vehicles in beaches, sustained 4 years of incubation temperature monitoring, and engaged thousands of locals and tourists.

National Natural Park Serranía de Chiribiquete (Colombia): World Heritage, Conservation, and Social Resilience

The Serranía de Chiribiquete National Natural Park is Colombia’s largest terrestrial protected area, covering more than 4 million hectares, and for that reason presents multiple challenges for its management and protection. Its inscription on the World Heritage List as a mixed site in 2018 raised important questions about the area’s sustainability and the best approach to its management. Among the main challenges for managing this World Heritage Site (WHS) are climate change, tourism, and deforestation associated with unauthorized land uses, the latter occurring in areas surrounding the site. However, the greatest challenge likely relates to the presence of uncontacted indigenous communities within the WHM, which is why access to the area is strictly restricted for conservation purposes. Consequently, various strategies have been proposed, including a working strategy focused on the area of influence to address the threats facing the site.

Environmental education and awareness-raising to improve the sustainable use of natural resources and preserve biodiversity in southern Kyrgyzstan

The project “Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction through Community-Based Management of Walnut Forests and Pastures,” funded by BMZ and implemented by GIZ and CAMP Alatoo, promoted sustainable natural resource use in Kyrgyzstan from 2018 to 2023.

A key outcome was strengthening environmental education. In remote mountain areas, biology and ecology were taught mainly in theory, with materials poorly adapted to local realities. To address this, local teachers and the project team developed a teacher’s manual with practical exercises and teaching guidance. Approved by the Kyrgyz Academy of Education, it was introduced in 35 schools, with potential for nationwide use. The project also supported integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into pre-service and in-service teacher training

Micro-Reserves: Community-based OECMs and Biodiversity Conservation in the Kyrgyz Mountains

In the mountains of the Kyrgyz Republic, biodiversity conservation is closely linked to the natural resource use practices of local communities, particularly pasture management and hunting. Areas outside formally designated protected areas are especially vulnerable. Despite their ecological importance and economic value to communities, these territories often lack formal protection, systematic monitoring, and adaptive management mechanisms.

Officially designated in 2025, Baiboosun is a specially protected natural area of local significance and one of the first formally recognized community-managed micro-reserves in Kyrgyzstan. What began in 2019 as a voluntary community initiative responding to declining wildlife populations evolved into a legally institutionalized conservation model covering more than 20,000 hectares of high-mountain, subalpine, and alpine ecosystems. Micro-reserves can help support Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to protect 30% of its territory by 2030.

Participatory development of an action plan for the restoration of the landscape and forests at the headwaters of the Mékrou Watershed

In northern Benin, the decline in vegetation cover is contributing to soil degradation and biodiversity loss. The headwaters of the Mékrou River basin (TBV), covering an area of 36,316 hectares and located in the Atacora department, is severely affected by this phenomenon. Between 2005 and 2020, nearly 95% of the dense forests have disappeared, and 46.6% of the gallery forests are now degraded, thereby weakening ecosystems and the living conditions of local populations. The participatory development of an action plan for landscape and forest restoration (LFR) constitutes a restoration solution that involves all stakeholders, with a focus on local communities and their restoration needs. This process, developed at the Mékrou TBV level, resulted in an RPF action plan validated by all stakeholders, whose shared vision is: to restore and protect the Mékrou forest landscape in order to improve socioeconomic conditions by 2030.

Community-based pasture management to conserve walnut forest and State Forest pastures

The GIZ project ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction through Community Based Nut Forest and Pasture Management’, implemented from 2015 to 2023 in southern Kyrgyzstan, piloted a participatory pasture management approach. Livestock breeding is the main source of income for the local population. The pressure on pastures is increasing annually due to misuse and constant growth of livestock (+3% per year). Intensive grazing also damages the unique walnut forest, which covers an area of 13,000 ha. Due to grazing in the forest, damage to the forest is expressed in the loss of seedlings and ageing of the forest due to lack of regeneration. During the project, a plan for participatory pasture management was developed by involving residents in the state forest fund. A platform for general discussion of pasture issues called District Pasture Commission was also established. During 8 years the platform has shown its high efficiency in solving conflict issues.

The information campaign carried out by CAMP Alatoo PF under the Eco-Education, Forest Management and Value Chain components

Walnut forests in southern Kyrgyzstan are negatively affected by human activities. In the Arstanbap area, where a large proportion of the forest is concentrated, forests serves as the main source of income for the communities. However, there is unsustainable use of natural resources, manifesting itself in the illegal felling of healthy trees, grazing in the forest, and improper harvesting. The residents’ behavior is explained by their high dependence on pasture and forest resources, low or complete lack of knowledge and information about the harms of their actions. The information campaign carried out by CAMP Alatoo PF under the Eco-Education, Forest Management and Value Chain components included in the project “Biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction through community-based management of walnut forests and pastures” aimed at raising people’s awareness and knowledge, changing attitudes and values, providing tools and knowledge necessary for sustainable management and biodiversity conservation.

Inclusive and sustainable nature education at the Limay Geological Site Nature Reserve

The Limay Geological Site Regional Nature Reserve, located on the outskirts of an urbanized area, welcomes a diverse range of visitors year-round to its activities, with the aim of raising awareness of our natural heritage among as many people as possible in the context of climate change. In Limay, these visitors are often local residents rather than tourists.

To ensure everyone has access to nature, the nature reserve team offers inclusive and diverse walks and activities open to all: people with mobility challenges, those with disabilities, seniors, children of all ages, and more—by providing adapted equipment and a variety of educational resources. The focus is on accepting others’ needs, mutual support, and participation according to one’s own abilities.

In addition to energy efficiency and the sustainability and repairability of infrastructure and equipment, the team supports and encourages its visitors in the transition by promoting sustainable transportation to the site and waste reduction.

Green Value Chain Development through Restoration, Dja et Mpomo Model Forest

Cameroon’s forests face pressures from logging, agricultural expansion, population growth, and climate change. These challenges are made worse by inadequate forest management. In response, the Dja and Mpomo Model Forest (FOMOD) in eastern Cameroon developed an agroforestry model across its 1.6 million-hectare Congo Basin landscape. This began in 2011 with two pilot micro-enterprises. The first focused on Moringa cultivation, valued for its ecological co-benefits. This success led to the expansion into four municipal level enterprises. These were later consolidated through the “Eco Agricultural Business for the Adaptation to Changes in Climate (B-ADAPT)” project on eco-agricultural adaptation to climate change. FOMOD has sought to increase institutional visibility, combat endemic poverty, strengthen governance for vulnerable groups (Indigenous peoples, women, and youth), and build financial self-sufficiency through agroforestry and new partnerships. Core to building self-sufficiency is the development of green value chains.

Community Empowerment to Conserve Forests and Water Sources in Cerro San Gil, Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala

The Motagua River Basin Integrated Environmental Management Project aims to reduce land-based pollution and unintentional emissions of POPs that affect aquatic ecosystems—particularly marine and coastal ecosystems—through integrated watershed management and capacity building in Guatemala and Honduras. Within this framework, a pilot project was implemented to protect and restore water recharge areas in the Cerro San Gil Springs Protected Reserve, Puerto Barrios, Izabal, within the Las Escobas River basin, the municipality’s main water source. Through partnerships between public institutions, conservation organizations, and local communities, ecological restoration efforts, patrols, and conservation agreements were promoted. A total of 85 hectares were restored and 1,800 hectares were protected. The initiative benefited more than 32,000 residents and strengthened local governance for water and ecosystem conservation.

Strengthening the Environmental Public Fund to Finance Biodiversity Projects in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico

Mexico is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world, home to rich fauna and flora and considered a biocultural hotspot. However, ecosystem degradation and climate change have threatened biodiversity across the country.

Amid this situation, the Ministry of Environment and Land-use Planning of the state of Guanajuato, with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), strengthened the management and mobilization strategy of Guanajuato’s Environmental Public Fund. Following these reforms, the fund’s annual revenue increased by USD 545,110 (MXN 10,000,000), improving its capacity to finance biodiversity-relatedprojects.

This initiative is part of a broad strategy to implement the BIOFIN methodology at the subnational level across 15 state governments in Mexico, enhancing biodiversity finance while adapting to the context and priorities of each state.