IUCN review protocol for biodiversity net gain

IUCN review protocol for biodiversity net gain

This guide aims to assist companies, which are interested in transforming their operations to meet today’s widely-accepted global goals for biodiversity and sustainable development. It reflects input from numerous IUCN colleagues, partners and experts, who are actively engaged in on-site biodiversity management. The IUCN Review Protocol for Biodiversity Net Gain aims to contribute to a growing understanding and series of tools that can assist business and governments committed to safeguarding nature.

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2017

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Priročnik in orodja za presojo vplivov v kontekstu svetovne dediščine

As the World Heritage Convention celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, over 1100 sites around the world are recognized as World Heritage – places  that are so valuable to humanity that there conservation has been deemed our collective responsibility. Yet many of these exceptional places face  increasing pressure from diverse types of development projects within and around the sites. Assessing the impacts of such projects is essential to both prevent damage to World Heritage and identify sustainable options. This Guidance and toolkit explains the process for achieving these goals. Offering practical tips and tools including checklists and a glossary, it provides a framework for conducting impact assessments for cultural and natural heritage sites.

Guide sur l’évaluation des impacts cumulatifs sur la biodiversité des projets éoliens et solaires et des infrastructures associées

Un objectif clé de ce guide est de recadrer l’EIC pour aider à soutenir la conservation de la nature et la réalisation des objectifs mondiaux en matière de biodiversité (aux côtés des objectifs climatiques et autres objectifs de développement sociétaux). Ce guide est centré sur la biodiversité et le développement éolien et solaire, et s’adresse principalement aux planificateurs gouvernementaux et aux promoteurs de projets. Cependant, étant donné qu’il est conçu pour aider à relever certains des défis existants de l’EIC, sa portée est potentiellement plus vaste. 
 

Standards, methods and guidelines for cross-referencing ecosystem classifications and maps to the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology

This publication establishes a structured, rigorous standard for cross-referencing ecosystem types to the GET. It first reviews the need for reliable interoperability among ecosystem classifications and the role of the GET as a framework for synthesis. Second, it reviews the conceptual foundations of ecosystem classifications and introduces the structure of the GET. Third, the guidelines introduce key principles for cross-referencing the units of other ecosystem classifications to GET Ecosystem Functional Groups. In particular, it identifies the range of land and water classifications that may be suitable for crossreferencing to the GET. The next section describes the steps, methods and guidance for defining membership relationships to GET Ecosystem Functional Groups. Finally, it foreshadows emerging tools to assist users in crossreferencing tasks with example applications.

Panduan upaya konservasi berbasis kawasan yang efektif lainnya (OECM)

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Gender-Inclusive Apiculture for Mangrove Protection and Livelihoods in Kwale and Tanga

The IKI-BMUKN funded project Transboundary conservation and sustainable management of coastal and marine biodiversity in Kwale, Kenya and Tanga, Tanzania supports the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity through community-based and gender-inclusive approaches. To reduce pressure on mangrove ecosystems, the project introduced sustainable apiculture as an alternative livelihood for local communities in Kwale and Tanga. The mentorship training takes place in two parts: The first part focuses on beehive construction, colony management and honey production. The second part is delivered when the honey is ready for harvest and builds skills in processing and value addition, including the use of beeswax for making products such as candles and ointments. Through mentoring and inclusive training design, women who were previously excluded due to cultural taboos have now become active participants in beekeeping. The project supports both environmental protection and local income generation.

Sparśa Ambassador Program: Youth-Led Menstrual Health Education and Stigma Reduction in Nepal

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Defining a Good Menstrual Pad: A User-Centered R&D Process in Nepal

This initiative is part of the Sparśa Solution, a Nepali non-profit company that locally produces and distributes compostable menstrual pads with an absorbent core made from banana fibre. The solution focuses on defining what makes a good menstrual pad, combining research, prototyping, quality assurance, and continuous user feedback. 

The process began with a nationwide study of 820 women and girls, whose insights shaped the pad prototypes. Pads were then developed in two phases: manually and later with machines, testing different material combinations to balance absorbency, comfort, and compostability. Internal testing protocols and certified laboratory analysis ensured hygiene and compliance with national and international standards. 

Feedback from users, collected through simplified surveys in Nepali and English, provides the basis for ongoing refinement of both pad design and packaging. By linking social research with technical innovation, the solution delivers pads that are safe, eco-friendly, and culturally acceptable.

Smart Conservation Platform-Driven Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the Bogda Component, Xinjiang Tianshan World Natural

The Bogda Component of Xinjiang Tianshan World Natural Heritage Site exemplifies representative geomorphological features and ecosystems of Xinjiang Tianshan. As a quintessential arid landscape in Eurasia’s hinterland, it showcases remarkably distinct and complete vertical zonation of mountain natural landscapes within minimal distances. This includes: snow-capped peaks and glaciers, pristine forests and meadows, crystal-clear rivers and lakes, expansive deserts. It achieves a remarkable convergence of stark contrasts: heat and cold, aridity and humidity, desolation and beauty, grandeur and delicacy. To realize win-win protection and development, the site is steadily advancing its smart conservation management platform, providing foundational support for sustainable development.

Case study of collective forest management in Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, Gansu Province — a case study of collective

Liziba Village has abundant natural resources and a good ecological environment, but excessive logging, illegal medicinal plant collection, and poaching have caused losses to villagers’ lives. In 2003, with the support of the Gansu Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve Administration and the local village committee, villagers spontaneously formed a forest protection team to expel illegal loggers and poachers and to educate and supervise fellow villagers. After the introduction of conservation agreements in 2007, illegal activities decreased and the ecological environment improved. The promotion of tea industry technologies and mechanized management increased tea farmers’ income. Villagers shifted from traditional forest-dependent livelihoods to diversified development, becoming protectors and managers of forest resources. This transformation boosted the community economy and living standards, and promoted harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

From Plants to Power: Integrating and Strengthening Community Voices in the Value Chain

In Côte d’Ivoire, most local communities are barely involved in the valorisation of genetic resources like medicinal plants – beyond providing them as raw or minimally processed material. They are unaware of what happens to these resources beyond local markets. 

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Demystifying Mainstreaming of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

The situation is not new: a ministry is assigned responsibility for a socio-political issue but lacks the assertiveness, resources, or political backing to advance it effectively. More powerful ministries – such as those for economics, finance, or trade – often perceive the topic as marginal and economically insignificant, leading to disengagement. The responsible ministry frequently fails to recognise the broader socio-political relevance or how to engage more influential stakeholders to mainstream the topic and its implementation.

The approach to mainstreaming Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) taken by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative (ABS Initiative) highlights solutions to overcome these challenges but also reveals their limitations. Mainstreaming can be seen as a process whereby ABS is systematically integrated into existing or future structures, laws, strategies, plans, policies and programmes of other ministries and stakeholders. However, the methods used to implement mainstreaming are of crucial importance.

From Fields to Forests: Integrating Nature into Kharagpur’s Agriscapes

The Sustainable Agriscapes for Future (SAF) project, led by IUCN and ITC, addresses ecosystem degradation in the Kharagpur Agriscape of Bihar, India through nature-based solutions. The Agriscape, reliant on forests and a lake, faces challenges such as deforestation, soil erosion, spread of invasive species, and unsustainable farming practices. Through spatial planning, the project delineated the Kharagpur Agriscape and developed Kharagpur Agriscape Plan aimed at conserving and enhancing natural ecosystems vital for supporting agriculture within the cluster. This included interventions such as women-led eco-nurseries, vermicomposting using  using invasive water hyacinth, and community pastureland for fodder. These nature-based, community-centered solutions enhance soil health, reduce pressure on forests, and empower women and farmers. Capacity-building, alternative livelihoods, and improved ecosystem services underpin this replicable approach for sustainable rural development.