The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
Government action in stopping deforestation, how grazing livestock can help restore degraded land, and farmer field schools all featured in reports released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the FAO-Global Landscapes Forum digital forum Transforming agri-food systems with forests. Governments have a crucial role …
Human well-being is quite intrinsically linked to ecosystem services and biodiversity. There is a growing amount of literature attempting to understand the mechanisms of these interlinkages. Though there is considerable progress globally with respect to human well-being, challenges still remain in terms of access to resources. On the biodiversity front, …
This study evaluates the economic efficiency of the Uganda project using a Cost-Benefit Analysis to compare implementation costs with observed and future benefits. It also performs an equity assessment, examining the distribution of benefits among the people affected by the intervention with a particular focus on women, children and vulnerable …
At the nexus of sustainable development, human rights, climate action, and nature conservation, Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) recognises the symbiotic connections between people and ecosystems. By creating more resilient populations, such approaches can have far-reaching benefits in improving the capacity of humans to withstand not only climate hazards, but also economic …
The values assessment is a ‘methodological assessment regarding the diverse conceptualizations of the multiple values of nature and its benefits, including biodiversity and ecosystem services’ as set out in IPBES/6/INF/9. The overall scope of the values assessment is to assess multiple sources and traditions of knowledge regarding diverse values of …
This volume aims to widen the discussion about the diversity of human-nature relationships and valuation methods and to stimulate new perspective that are needed to build a more sustainable future, especially in face of ongoing socio-environmental changes. Conceptual and empirical approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies have been used …
India scored the lowest among 180 countries in this 2022 Environment Performance Index (EPI), an analysis by researchers of Yale and Columbia University which provides a data-driven summary of the state of sustainability around the world. The 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides a data-driven summary of the state of …
The State of the World’s Forests 2022 explores the potential of three forest pathways - halting deforestation and maintaining forests; restoring degraded lands and expanding agroforestry; and sustainably using forests and building green value chains - for achieving green recovery and tackling environmental crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss …
Understanding the place of humans – including investor communities – in nature is largely informed by the dissociated relationship between the market price and the value of ecosystem goods and services in economic and financial systems. Financial institutions and business can no longer overlook nature in their decision-making because functioning …
Sand plays a strategic role in delivering ecosystem services, vital infrastructure for economic development, providing livelihoods within communities and maintaining biodiversity. It is linked to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) either directly or indirectly. Despite the strategic importance of sand, its extraction, sourcing, use, and management remain largely ungoverned …
Climate change is causing ecoregions to shift in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, threatening both ecosystem services and biodiversity in the region. As these ecoregions shift, important ecological processes may be disrupted and species ranges may begin to move outside the protected areas that were designed to conserve them. Although transboundary …
Indonesia is home to an estimated 20 percent of the world’s mangroves, the largest extent of mangrove ecosystems in the world. Mangroves provide valuable ecosystem services that contribute to human wellbeing in Indonesia, including coastal protection, climate regulation, fisheries support services, raw materials provision and cultural services. On average these …
Aquaculture production has very significantly increased in tonnage and value over the last decades. It is seen as a potential solution to replace the declining wild fishery stocks. This publication is a first attempt to examine aquaculture systems within the recent framework of the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions …
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya has embarked on a low carbon, resilient recovery plan. This plan has been facilitated by a policy and legal environment that supports an effective climate change response, through the Climate Change Act 2016, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and subsequent National Climate Change …
The new Global Wetland Outlook: Special Edition 2021 from the Convention on Wetlands shows wetlands offer unmatched opportunities for reducing emissions, adapting to climate impacts and reversing biodiversity loss. But in spite of this, wetlands remain the world’s most threatened ecosystem. With 35% of global wetland area lost since 1970, …
Recent global initiatives in ecosystem restoration offer an unprecedented opportunity to improve biodiversity conservation and human health and well-being. Ecosystems form a core component of biodiversity. They provide humans with multiple benefits – a stable climate and breathable air; water, food and materials; and protection from disaster and disease. Ecosystem …
This report traces the rise of eco-compensation, explores its current use, quantifies trends, and provides recommendations to strengthen impacts. Eco-compensation is poorly understood outside of China; even within China, the disparate nature of data and the diversity of programs means that key trends and lessons are easily overlooked. Drawing on …
Women play a key role in nature conservation, yet they often lack the inputs, technologies, training and extension services, and various enablers and linkages that can enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. Evidence indicates that gender-inclusive and gender-sensitive conservation practices have far-reaching multiplier impacts. This report brings out gender-specific knowledge …
This report is the second output of the joint NGFS-INSPIRE Study Group on Biodiversity and Financial Stability. The group was established to help central banks and financial supervisors fulfil their mandates in the face of financial risks stemming from biodiversity loss. The report is intended as a stocktake of the …
Alongside their contribution to biodiversity conservation, protected and conserved areas are increasingly recognised as important sources of a wide range of benefits, or ecosystem services, that humans gain from intact, natural ecosystems. Well-governed and well-managed protected areas are among the most effective tools for maintaining ecosystems – such as forests, …
