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Cross-Sectoral Exchange For Improved Management Of Natural Resources In Rwanda
The Cross-Sector Taskforce (CSTF) was established in 2015 to coordinate Rwanda’s response to the Bonn Challenge and enhance Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) efforts. Comprising 35 member organizations, including government bodies, NGOs, private sector actors, and research institutions, the CSTF fosters collaboration, shares technical knowledge, and harmonizes FLR monitoring systems. It provides a platform for addressing deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss while aligning restoration efforts with national and international strategies like the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS), AFR100, and the Paris Agreement. Recent meetings have focused on integrating FLR with sustainable food systems, improving monitoring tools, and incentivizing local farmers. By facilitating knowledge exchange and improving governance, the CSTF enhances restoration efforts and strengthens Rwanda’s ability to meet its target of restoring 2 million hectares of land by 2030.
Embedding Integrated Water Resources Management in Rwanda’s Sebeya Catchment
The Sebeya catchment in Western Rwanda, once prone to recurrent flooding, erosion, and landslides, was transformed through the “Embedding Integrated Water Resources Management in Rwanda (EWMR)” project. Led by Rwanda Water Resources Board and partners, the project applied Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to restore 7,700 hectares using terraces, trenches, riverbank protections, and afforestation. The approach combined land rehabilitation with innovative financing, value chains, and inclusive planning. Over 35,000 green jobs were created, alongside improved soil health, aquifer recharge, agricultural productivity, and livelihoods. By integrating community-driven land use planning into district-level governance, the project laid the foundation for long-term resilience and scalability.
The Green Project Model: Regreening Rwanda Bugesera for People and Nature
The Green Project in Gashora Sector, Bugesera District, Eastern Rwanda, transformed the country’s driest agro-ecological zone through regenerative, farmer-led land restoration. Facing severe land degradation, poor soil fertility, and widespread poverty, the project implemented agroforestry-based conservation agriculture using shrub-tree hedgerows, rotation cropping, and organic mulching. Designed as a low-cost, inclusive and replicable model, the project improved soil health, enhanced biodiversity, increased yields, and diversified household incomes. Starting with just six farmers, it now engages over 1,000. The intervention shows how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tailored to local conditions can reverse degradation, boost resilience, and uplift rural livelihoods.
Community-Based Bat Conservation and Ecotourism Development at the Three Sisters Giant Caves, Fikirini Village (Kwale, Kenya)
The Three Sisters Giant Caves are located in Fikirini Village, near Shimoni in Kenya’s coastal Kwale County, within a 10-hectare Kaya Forest of both ecological and cultural importance. Three caves serve as vital roosting sites for several bat species, including the Endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae), while a fourth cave is reserved for community spiritual practices. Degradation from deforestation, fires, and unsustainable guano harvesting has threatened the site’s integrity. In response, the Tswaka Three Sisters Giant Caves Community-Based Organization (CBO), supported by Bat Conservation International (BCI) and local partners, initiated a community-led effort to restore habitats, enhance protection, and develop eco-tourism as an alternative livelihood pathway that links biodiversity conservation with local economic and cultural resilience. This activity was financed under the GIZ-led IKI Kwale – Tanga Transboundary protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal regions project.
GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE HANDLING AND RELEASE OF SENSITIVE SPECIES INTERACTING WITH THE TUNA PURSE SEINE FISHERY
In 2016, three fishing companies carried out a pre-assessment to establish a Marine Stewardship Council program. In 2017, two more joined, launching the Fishery Improvement Project toward MSC certification. Member companies, including NIRSA, Jadran Group, Servigrup, Eurofish, Tri Marine, Marbelize, Manacripex, Pacifictuna, and Tunaquick, have worked with the support of the Ecuadorian government and WWF to improve fishery management and reduce environmental impact.
TUNACONS promotes sustainable fishing in the Eastern Pacific by optimizing tuna yields through scientific research. It also trains the sector and supports the reduction of ecosystem impacts.
Since October 2017, a code of good practices for handling and releasing bycatch has been implemented, aimed at captains and crew. Key actions include:
– 59 vessels recording data on bycatch reduction and incidental catches
– Collaboration in a manta ray tagging program
– Training sessions on IATTC resolutions, sensitive species handling, and external evaluations.
Smart DESERT project: Sustainable Agriculture for Resilient Livelihoods and Economic Empowerment
The Smart DESERT project was funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) with a total budget of EUR 10 million and implemented by a consortium of organisations led by IUCN ROWA, targeting the area of the North-East Badia highlands in Jordan. The project was designed to achieve two key objectives: (1) increased year-round income and (2) improved work conditions, with an overarching goal of economic empowerment of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians in the agricultural sector.
The project addresses key challenges such as water scarcity, land degradation, rural unemployment, and limited market access. By introducing water harvesting systems, regenerative agriculture practices, and digital tools, Smart DESERT helps farmers improve productivity, conserve natural resources, and build climate resilience. It also supports the creation of home-based agribusinesses and facilitates connections to markets and finance.
Community of women committed to preserving the Nosy Hara marine protected area
Nosy Hara National Park is part of Madagascar’s network of protected areas. A genetic reservoir of marine biodiversity, it is a sustainable fishing site par excellence, for the fishing community living around the park. Mangrove crabs, octopus and reef fish are the most commonly caught species. The Park is renowned for the production of octopus, fish for local, regional and even national consumption.
Overfishing in accessible areas by small-scale fishermen, the failure of nomadic fishermen to comply with fishing closures, and the lack of park staff for surveillance are among the daily challenges faced by park managers.
Co-management through the effective involvement of the local community in the preservation of the park is an approach adopted, particularly by the women’s community of the village of Ankingameloka, who actively participate in the co-monitoring of mangroves, the restoration of the ecosystem and the monitoring of fishermen’s daily catches.
National Park Method for Ecotourism & Visitor Management
Unplanned visitation often causes environmental impacts, biodiversity loss, and reduced visitor satisfaction. At the same time, tourism holds strong potential to generate income, strengthen community resilience, and support conservation financing. The Solution applies the National Park Method for Ecotourism & Visitor Management, a practical method inspired by best practices in national parks planning, into private areas management. It has 3 principles: preserving nature, enchanting visitors, and generating income. In practice, the approach guides how to develop the Visitor Management Plan. Positive results include better organization of visitation, reduced environmental impacts, greater community income from ecotourism services, and improved visitor experiences. By combining technical planning with a strong focus on people and nature, the Solution demonstrates how tourism can be a driver of both conservation and sustainable developmen
El té que renace al Bosque Atlántico: Yerba mate, cultura y biodiversidad.
El Bosque Atlántico es considerado uno de los bosques tropicales más biodiversos del planeta (Hotspot de biodiversidad), el segundo más grande toda Sudamérica y la primera Área Importante para las Aves (IBA) del Paraguay con alto endemismo de aves y especies amenazadas. Actualmente el desarrollo de agricultura extensiva y urbanización redujo su cobertura original a menos del 7% de superficie en Paraguay. San Rafael ha sido ampliamente reconocido como la principal prioridad de conservación del Bosque Atlántico en Paraguay. La solución para su conservación a largo plazo y evitar la pérdida de conectividad con otras áreas importantes del Bosque Atlántico, consiste en un modelo de producción innovador basado en la recuperación de áreas degradadas del Bosque Atlántico en el área de influencia de San Rafael con Ilex paraguariensis – yerba mate con otras especies nativas, fomentando su conservación tanto natural como cultural, así como su viabilidad económica de comunidades rurales e indígenas.
Conservación y Aprovechamiento Sustentable de los Recursos Naturales para la Agricultura en la Región del Bajío Guanajuatense
En México, la agricultura de pequeños productores bajo condiciones de temporal ha dejado de ser una alternativa viable para la mayoría de las familias campesinas, debido a su baja productividad y el alto costo de los insumos. Esto se traduce en altos índices de siniestralidad, bajo precio de las cosechas obtenidas, migración y la degradación de sus recursos naturales. Ante esta problemática, investigadores del INIFAP desarrollaron 5 componentes tecnológicos que ayudan a los agricultores a reducir los costos de producción e incrementar su rendimiento: a) Labranza de conservación, b) Nutrición orgánica, c) Selección de semilla propia, d) Manejo ecológico de plagas y e) Método alternativo para el almacenamiento de granos y semillas.
El objetivo general del proyecto fue consolidar este modelo de producción agrícola sustentable, mediante el fortalecimiento de la organización social de los productores de la región, así como la implementación y réplica del modelo de cinco ejes sustentables.
Creando capacidades sobre Servicios Ecosistémicos y Cadenas de Valor sostenible dentro de la Secretaría de Agricultura de México
La agricultura depende en gran medida de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos, sin embargo, el sector agrícola a menudo suele no tomar en cuenta su valor y los costos ambientales de prácticas no sostenibles dentro de las políticas y la toma de decisiones. Por esta razón se diseñó una estrategia para sensibilizar a personal de la Secretaría de Agricultura, a cerca del valor que representa la biodiversidad dentro del sector y su importancia dentro de las cadenas de valor en el sector rural. Para ello se desarrollaron e instalaron dos capacitaciones virtuales, una para servidores públicos sobre integración de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos (ISE) en la agricultura y otra para técnicos sobre cadenas de valor sostenibles. Su fin es integrar el valor de la biodiversidad y los servicios de los ecosistemas en los instrumentos de toma de decisiones, al igual que ayudar a productores a implementar proyectos de producción sustentable y amigable con la biodiversidad.
Integración del Enfoque de Restauración de Paisajes en la Cadenas de Valor Lactea
Los cantones de Puriscal y Turrubares son paisajes degradados por el avance de la frontera agrícola. El cultivo de tabaco y la ganadería extensiva causaron la pérdida del 60% de la cobertura forestal en el área entre las décadas de 1,950 a 1,980; actualmente, la ganadería doble propósito (carne y leche); y la agricultura (cultivos del café, hortalizas, caña de azúcar y plantas ornamentales) son los ejes principales de la economía de la zona.
Con esta solución se propuso un esquema para aumentar la oferta de bienes y servicios ambientales en sistemas silvopastoriles, incorporando: a) practicas sostenibles (introducción de pasto mejorado, inocuidad y ordeño limpio, sistemas de riego e incorporación del componente arboreo en las unidades productivas), y b) la combinación de financiamiento publico (PSA) y privado (Creditos).
