Snare collection and conservation of bears in the Nam Kan NPA in Lao PDR

Snare collection and conservation of bears in the Nam Kan NPA in Lao PDR

Two patrol teams were established to address targeted hunting of bears in Nam Kan National Protected Area, Lao PDR. Community and Ranger teams were provided with equipment, training in navigation, patrol planning and wildlife legislation. A small bonus was awarded for every snare collected. A Lao MSc student accompanied all patrols and assessed the efficiency of the two teams. Interview surveys were conducted to investigate local livelihoods and use of wildlife.

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Testing Before Scaling: Mongolia's Living Laboratory for Dryland Restoration

The Elsentasarkhai living laboratory is a permanent platform for testing dryland restoration solutions before wider investment and replication. Established in 2011 on 45 hectares at Mongolia’s dry steppe-desert steppe transition, it combines field research, multi-year monitoring, demonstration, training and knowledge exchange. Trials address drought, strong winds, shifting sand and limited water through 1 x 1 m straw checkerboards, revegetation, windbreak forest belts and cultivation of 21 rare and endangered native tree and shrub species. A 10-hectare moving-sand trial stabilized sand for three to four years when barriers were combined with revegetation. Managed by the Institute of Geography and Geoecology, the station has continued beyond the original UNDP-supported project, hosted 40+ research activities, including five international collaborations, and provided learning for researchers, students, herders and officials. Its lesson is simple: test locally, monitor over time, learn openly and scale only what works.

Regenerating Mongolia's Saxaul Forests through Livestock Exclosures and Locally Led Monitoring

Mongolia’s saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) forests stabilize Gobi soils, reduce sand movement, store carbon and support biodiversity, yet browsing and trampling can suppress seedlings. Since 2020, the GEF-funded ENSURE project, implemented by the Government of Mongolia with UNDP support, has combined site-targeted livestock exclosures with paired fenced-unfenced monitoring and practical training for local officers and rangers. The 2023 assessment covered eight fenced and eight comparison plots in four soums; it measured tree density, regeneration, vegetation, biomass, carbon and CO2 storage. Some protected sites showed substantially more young saxaul, while others showed limited differences, proving that fencing must be targeted and evaluated rather than counted as restoration by area alone. By 2024, community-driven regeneration measures covered more than 400 ha, including a 300-ha exclosure in Shinejinst. The approach links natural regeneration, local stewardship and evidence-based scaling for resilient dryland landscapes.

Tools to Connect People with Protected Areas: Community-Led Advisory Boards

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Empowering Users for Clean Cooking – A community-driven approach to electric cooking in local government of Nepal.

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Community-Led Blue Economy: Sustainable Visitor Management for Mangrove Eco-tourism in Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area

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Evidence for Nature-based Solutions: How Five Countries Built a Regionally Owned Environmental Database for Lake Victoria

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Restoring Lake Hawassa: How Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Nature-Based Solutions reverse Catchment Degradation

In Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, Lake Hawassa faces accelerating degradation from deforestation, pollution, erosion and rapid urbanisation – pressures no single actor can address alone. This solution establishes an inclusive multi-stakeholder partnership uniting public authorities, private companies and civil society to protect the lake through coordinated catchment stewardship. 

Guided by the Natural Resources Risk and Action Framework (NRAF) developed between 2015 and 2020, partners jointly assessed risks, planned actions and implemented nature-based solutions (NbS). 

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URUGUAY. Strengthening biodiversity and land conservation policies as pillars of sustainable development.

In Uruguay, against a backdrop of the loss of habitat critical to biodiversity, the degradation of vulnerable ecosystems and soils due to the intensification and expansion of livestock and agricultural activities, poor grassland management practices, and pollution of water bodies and wetlands, the project aimed to implement actions to strengthen systemic, financial, and institutional capacities for biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management, thereby improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the management of protected areas, associated productive lands, and human well-being. This was achieved through: the establishment of a regulatory, financial, and institutional framework for biodiversity conservation and land degradation neutrality; Implementation of biodiversity and land conservation measures at pilot sites; and Knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, and learning, to promote dialogue between public and private stakeholders.

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Climate-resilient Fodder Storage Infrastructure for Disaster Risk Reduction and Pastoral Adaptation in Mongolia

Mongolia’s pastoral communities are increasingly exposed to climate-related hazards, particularly recurrent droughts and dzud that cause severe livestock losses and threaten rural livelihoods. To strengthen climate resilience and disaster preparedness, the UNDP ADAPT Project implemented a climate-resilient fodder storage solution in Khovd, Zavkhan, Dornod and Sukhbaatar provinces.

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