Using Solar Dryers for Value Addition and the Reduction of Post Harvest Loss

Magarini Mangrove Forest in Kilifi County, Kenya, is a vital ecosystem that supports biodiversity, protects coastlines, and sustains local livelihoods. However, years of overharvesting, weak governance, and climate change threatened its survival. Community engagement in conservation was low, and the Magarini Mangrove Community Forest Association (CFA) struggled with unclear leadership and limited capacity. With support from the German government through BMZ grant in a three-country consortium project-BENGO, Nature Kenya worked towards responding to capacity gaps identified. 

The COVID-19 pandemic affected conservation and the livelihoods of communities around Murchison Falls National Park, which drove them to poaching and habitat destruction.  To address these challenges, EGI trained communities in Pakanyi Sub-County to embrace beekeeping as an alternative livelihood, through a project supported by IUCN Save Our Species co funded by European Union. The project established 106 traditional hives

Through community based trainings, the communities who included poachers,  youth, were trained on key skills, including colony management, hive maintenance, product diversification, and proper packaging techniques. These efforts led to an increase in honey production, from 190 litres to 340 litres per harvesting session. The communities also produced value-added products such as bee venom, medicines, and honey wine,  With improved packaging, income from honey sales rose from 1.8 million UGX to 3.35 million ( further diversifying their income and this reduced the poaching in the area by 60 percent.  

Research shows that people are becoming increasingly disconnected with nature and are, therefore, less likely to adopt pro-environmental behaviours. To inspire Jersey Zoo visitors to take up simple, but effective, conservation actions we developed an ‘Investigation Station’. The staff and volunteer-led station consists of various interactive, sensory-based items and activities to educate visitors about Sumatran orangutans and promote sustainable palm oil use. Each activity also incorporated at least one of the five Nature Connection Pathways (Sensory, Beauty, Emotion, Meaning, Compassion) to, hopefully, reconnect visitors with nature and our orangutans. During the Easter school holidays, alone, the station opened for 56 hours, engaged 2,152 visitors (21.7% of admitted visitors), recruited 12 volunteers to help run it and achieved a mean visitor dwell time of 4m57s. 

Declining soil health and biodiversity loss, rising input costs, and decreasing fertilizer effectiveness all point to a common potential solution: a transition to more sustainable systems of agriculture, with reduced dependence on chemical-based inputs.
A key enabler in this transition can be the utilisation of biofermenters for producing high quality biological inputs on farm. It helps to restore soil ecosystems, increase farmers’ resilience to climate change, and to reduce dependence on market-sourced inputs. Implementing complementary practices such as intercropping and mulching further enhances these benefits.
However, the manual preparation of biological inputs is labour-intensive, time-consuming, and often unpleasant due to strong odours. To overcome these adoption barriers, the Green Innovation Centres – India piloted a solar-powered bio-fermenter for apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh. The solution reduces labour cost, improves input quality, and supports a broader, farmer-led transition to natural farming.

Societies around the globe harvest wild species, to a greater or lesser extent, for food, building materials, healthcare, medicines, pest control, ornamentation, income, recreation, and cultural and spiritual purposes. While this use of wild species directly contributes to the well-being of billions of people globally, over-exploitation of wild species is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. The IUCN Guidelines on harvesting threatened species advise decision-makers on whether, how and what to harvest to ensure the sustainable use of threatened animal, plant and fungal species. Drawing on insights from the IPBES Sustainable Use Assessment, they complement and expand on existing guidance and tools, such as the Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of IUCN Red List Data in Harvesting of Threatened Species and recent CITES guidance on the conduct of Non-Detriment Findings.

Ngao Model Forest in Lampang, Thailand, faces significant wildfire challenges due to agricultural burning, which affects the environment and local livelihoods. The community, led by a team of women in Ban Pong village, has successfully managed to keep the area fire-free for the past decade through regular patrols, awareness campaigns, and the use of modern technology. Their efforts have not only reduced wildfires but also expanded community forests, created economic opportunities, and empowered women in leadership roles. This initiative highlights the importance of community engagement and sustainable practices in addressing environmental issues while bringing social and economic benefits.