How supporting rangers and capacitating them to screen for disease, poisoning and poaching assisted in diagnosing a novel disease in African elephant

Zimbabwe and its neighboring countries have the largest African Savanna elephant population in the world. Some areas have a plethora of animals and these high densities are concern for diseases, poisoning and poaching. VFWT worked with conservation partners to train ZimParks rangers in North West Zimbabwe on differentiating elephant mortality events to determine natural disease incidents vs. wildlife crime scenes, and how to secure and document a crime scene. This all came to fruition when there started to be a number of elephant mortality events in the region. Through investigation and collection of samples, that were subsequently analyzed in the laboratory a novel disease Bicaard taxon 45 was discovered to be the cause of the mortality event. The disease had not been found in African elephant previously, and as a close relation to Pasturella multocida, was cause for concern as to how the disease would affect elephant species.

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Resilience Assessment and Adaptive Collaborative Management of Shanglin Community’s Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes (Chiayi, Taiwan)

Shanglin community (Chiayi County, Taiwan) is a plain landscape with predominantly Han Chinese population. Bamboo shoot cultivation is the main production activity. The riparian zones of bamboo and secondary forests in the area are home to the endemic Farmland tree frog (Zhangixalus arvalis). It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. In recent years, the decline of the bamboo shoot industry and changing land use patterns have led to its habitat loss and fragmentation.
In 2018, the Chiayi Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency began promoting Farmland tree frog-friendly farming practices in Shanglin community. In 2021, resilience assessment workshops (RAWs) were used as a tool to better understand local challenges and align conservation and development priorities. RAWs results elicited the need to enhance biodiversity-based incomes and diversify marketing channels, effectively manage water quality and quantity, and strengthen the residents’ resilience to natural disasters.

Coping with Human Lion Conflict Kunene, Namibia, community engagement and response

A prolonged, twelve year drought in Namibia’s arid northwest has exacerbated Human Lion Conflict. Prey species numbers and livestock numbers have plummeted over time (as in November 2022) and continue to do so (November 2024). Farmers, already reeling from severe losses cannot afford additional losses to this free-ranging lion population. An IUCN SOS grant enabled significant mitigation efforts in 6 Conservancies with an area of some 15 000 square kilometers and provided momentum to reduce impacts. Community consultation indicated that, several mitigation measures be implemented. These included developing early warning system, building predator proof kraals(with solar lights), response to incidents, support a community based Lion Ranger system, and concerted community engagement. Impacts of these efforts resulted in increased tolerance amongst community members and a reduction in livestock losses.

Advancing National Wildlife Disease Surveillance Planning in Liberia

Wild animal populations are critical for ecosystems and people. In Liberia, surveillance is not routinely conducted in wildlife, despite growing health threats. In March 2025 a training was held to strengthen Liberia’s capacity for wildlife surveillance, building on IUCN-WOAH “General Guidelines for Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens, and Toxic Agents in Free-Ranging Wildlife”, providing a chance to apply the Guidelines in a national context and gain feedback. Organized with national and international stakeholders, the training sought to enhance knowledge and intersectoral collaboration to monitor and mitigate wildlife-related health risks, through an overview of surveillance; reflection on recent surveillance initiatives; the ALERT game that simulates real-world surveillance scenarios; a field-based portion for surveillance scoping at human-animal-environment interfaces; and designing surveillance programs. A visit to the Central Veterinary Laboratory and Fendell Wetland reinforced surveillance system connections.

Mujeres resilientes en las áreas protegidas y conservadas del Municipio de La Calera: una experiencia con el Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Chingaza, Colombia

La conformación de la red de mujeres inició a partir de una Serie de Talleres teórico – prácticos sobre Clima cambiante y gestión del riesgo de desastres en el territorio Chingaza, como actividades de fortalecimiento de capacidades para guardabosques, líderes comunitarios del Municipio de La Calera (Cundinamarca, Colombia), auspiciado por la Alcaldía de La Calera y el PNN Chingaza. Se buscaba reconocer las áreas protegidas y conservadas del municipio como patrimonio estratégico y en sí como una solución basada en la naturaleza para la reducción del riesgo de desastres y la adaptación al cambio climático. Se hicieron visitas al parque Chingaza, reconocimiento de algunas amenazas de origen socionatural dentro y fuera del área protegida, conocimiento de las zonas de riesgo identificadas en el Plan de Gestión de Riesgos de Desastres Municipal. Se realiza una incorporación del enfoque de innovación para la vida, a través de la educación, comunicación, cooperación y protección de los modos de vida de las comunidades rurales.

Développement de Conventions Locales de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles pour la restauration des écosystèmes

A la différence des planifications spatiales au niveau régionale, communale ou autre, les CL se concentrent sur des ressources précises dont le contrôle social par usagers et riverains est réaliste. Le rôle des chefferies traditionnelle est important.

Les CL jouent sont l’interface entre la base avec ressource concrète, les communes et le dispositif régalien de l’état. Après un processus participatif structuré, les usagers et riverains directes établissent des règles de gestion et signent une convention. Cette Convention est validée par chefferie traditionnelle et commune qui la suivent.

Cette approche s’appuie sur une expérience de longue date de la GIZ . Les CL décrits ici ont été mis en œuvre par la GIZ dans le cadre du projet AREECA, un projet régional financé par l’IKI. Le projet a été mis en œuvre pour le compte du Ministère Fédéral Allemand de l’Environnement, de la Protection de la Nature, de la Sécurité Nucléaire et de la protection des Consommateurs (BMUV).

Agroecology Leadership Academy

Nearly 12 million hectares of fertile soil are lost globally every year, leading to serious consequences for the world’s food supply and climate, particularly in the arid regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The inhabitants of these areas, who rely on the land for their sustenance, are the most affected. Over the course of one year, the Agroecology Leadership Academy has collaborated with 38 leaders from seven countries and different agriculture-related sectors to promote agroecological practices aimed at conserving and rehabilitating soil in climate-smart, environmentally friendly ways. The initiative has strengthened individuals, organisations, and networks by enhancing their leadership skills and technical knowledge in agroecology. Participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Madagascar, and Tunisia engaged in various projects, tested innovative approaches, formed alliances, and contributed to shaping transformative processes and narratives for change.

Afforestation des forêts sacrées au Cameroun : Protéger le patrimoine écologique et culturel à travers des pépinières utilisant

Les Forêts Sacrées (FS) dans la région de l’Ouest du Cameroun, historiquement protégées par le droit coutumier en tant que sites rituels et sources pour la pharmacopée traditionnelle, sont aujourd’hui menacées par la pression démographique et l’absence de gestion durable des terres. Le projet AREECA, mis en œuvre par la GIZ en collaboration avec MINEPDED et MINFOF, protège et restaure ces écosystèmes uniques en établissant des pépinières locales pour produire des plants d’espèces indigènes issue des semences et sauvageons de ces mêmes forêts. En 2023/24 trois pépinières ont été mises en place dans ou à coté de forêts sacrées dans les communes de Batcham, Fongo Tongo et Babadjou, permettant de produire 6413 plants d’arbres locaux, incluant parmi d’autres le Cordia africana et Prunus africana. Puis ces plants étaient plantés dans les mêmes 3 FS et dans 3 autres FS de la zone. Le projet intègre également la création de Conventions Locales impliquant les communautés assurant une gouvernance participative et durable pour ces FS

Desert Vipers Cricket Franchise – JA The Resort BioBlitz

Global biodiversity is in decline, including in the Middle East. Historically, there have been limited wildlife observations in the UAE, so this event aimed to boost the number of national recorded observations.

Desert Vipers – a cricket franchise playing in the ILT20 league in the UAE – undertook a BioBlitz at their team hotel, JA The Resort, with Nature Wave and students from Jebel Ali School. The event lasted 90 minutes, with groups recording species at three locations on-site at the hotel using iNaturalist, competing against each other to record the most species.

The hotel uses treated wastewater to create a stunning area for its guests, cultivating several dozen irrigated plant species. It is also situated next to the sea, meaning there are a range of different habitats, so this solution aimed to understand in greater detail how many species were being supported by the site.

In total, 97 species were recorded over 310 observations, and all parties involved had a superb time, learning more about nature and biodiversity.

Promoting Community Coexistence with African Wild Dog

African wild dogs living in community conservation areas in northern Kenya face challenges due to predation on livestock, which results in a negative perception and, at times may culminate in retaliatory killings. Additionally, there is an ever-increasing threat of catching diseases like rabies and canine distemper that comes mainly from domestic dog populations. As the human population increases it will only mean more domestic dog vs. wild dog interaction and hence more chance for negative attitudes and disease spread.

Over the 3 project years, we were able through grassroots community engagement to change the perception from 10% positive (the percentage of people willing to Coexist with African Wild Dogs in the same shared grazing areas) at the beginning of the project to about 70% positive at the end.

We also increased the Rabies and Canine distemper vaccination coverage area from less than 6000 km2 to over 10,000 km2.

Effectively no wild dog deaths from diseases during the project period.

Rangeland Restoration for endangered species habitat recovery

In 2022, an eco-literacy (healthy soil, abundant water and healthy plants) and Holistic land and livestock management education approach has been adopted in El barta, Samburu, in Northern Kenya to scale up land restoration efforts. This initiative was designed to educate communities on the importance of ecological processes and effects of herding. GZT, in collaboration with the community, implemented this strategy to address threats to human livelihoods and the loss of wildlife habitats. Key activities included constructing semicircular bunds to control runoff, clearing invasive species to create space for native vegetation, and planting perennial grass species.

This initiative has yielded numerous benefits: Grevy’s zebras have returned to their original habitats, livestock grazing conditions have improved, and women have gained an economic opportunity by harvesting and selling grass seeds. Additionally, partners contributed to the effort by constructing a hay store for the community, further supporting sustainable land use

Build the capacity for comprehensive survey and monitoring of key wildlife species and habitat features in the Niokolo-Koba Nati

Niokolo-Koba National Park (NKNP) harbours relict populations of highly threatened mammal species, some of which have otherwise become regionally extinct in West Africa. In 2007, it was added to the UNESCO List of Endangered World Heritage Sites due to drastic wildlife declines and localized habitat degradation. PA of similar global and/or regional importance generally have comprehensive monitoring programs nested within adaptive PA management frameworks, which keep track of the status and trends of key PA assets. All such mechanisms were lacking in NKNP before this project, and the park authority the Direction des Parcs Nationaux (DPN) depended on outside assistance to produce relevant updates on the status of key wildlife species and habitats. The proposed project aimed to strengthen the DPN’s ability to effectively (and eventually autonomously) address habitat and wildlife monitoring needs in the park, a key corrective measure proposed by the IUCN to remove the park from the UNESCO List of Endangered World Heritage Sites

Corrales de Pesca : The Fishing weirs of Chipiona

Stretching along the shorelines of Chipiona, Spain, the corrales de pesca—historic stone fishing weirs—offer a glimpse into a centuries-old fishing practice that has been both a livelihood and a tradition. Dating back at least six centuries, these ingenious structures are a testament to ancient craftsmanship that is still in use today. The corrales, are stone enclosures built along the coast, each one carefully positioned to harness the rhythm of the tides. They create shallow lagoons, cleverly designed to trap fish as the tide recedes, leaving behind a bounty of species nestled among the rocks. But for the people of Chipiona, these corrales represent more than just a sustainable fishing method; they are a cherished part of their heritage, a reminder of the times when the weirs fed whole communities and shaped the town’s identity. The weirs are remarkable in their simplicity and sustainability.