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 …
The Asia-Pacific regional assessment focuses on the critical importance of nature’s contribution to people and people’s well-being. The assessment aims to assist in the development and implementation of cross-scale and cross-sector policies, as well as institutional and governance-related interventions. It also identifies and proposes practical management options, methodologies, tools and …
Africa’s immense natural resources and its diverse cultural heritage are among its most important strategic assets for both human development and well-being. Africa is the last place on Earth with a wide range of large mammals, yet today there are more African plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and large mammals …
Sustainability challenges for nature and people are complex and interconnected, such that effective solutions require approaches and a common theory of change that bridge disparate disciplines and sectors. Causal chains offer promising approaches to achieving an integrated understanding of how actions affect ecosystems, the goods and services they provide, and …
Social conditional transfers (CTs) and payments for ecosystem services (PES) have the same starting point: the assumption that direct, conditional incentives are the most effective way to change behaviour. However, contextual disadvantages affect the capacity for the very poor to comply. Recognising this is important in the design of inclusive, …
The world’s largest works-based social protection scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has covered all of India since 2006 and aims at enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose …
Over 80 modeling tools for mapping ecosystem services have been developed to help decision-makers better understand their local systems. These often consist of a set of models, each representing a particular ecosystem service. However, the usefulness of these modeling tools to support decision-making in practice is limited, partly because governments …
Wetlands cover 5–10% of the earth’s terrestrial surface. They are important ecosystems that supply goods and services for human wellbeing. Despite their rich biodiversity, social and economic values, wetlands are in immense pressure, and are undergoing constant degradation due to several anthropogenic forces, such as urban development, expansion of agricultural …
This study investigated the dependence of three riparian communities on ecosystem services in northern Ghana. Participatory mapping and ranking exercises in gender-segregated groups were used to elicit information on the communities’ livelihoods. The most important ecosystem-based activities (EBA) are farming, fishing, livestock watering and grazing, collection of wild fruits and …
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have it rough in many ways. They are perhaps best known for their vulnerability to climate change, as a result of high poverty, rural populations, dependence on traditional agriculture, tourism-based economies and other factors. A new manual from FAO, Land Degradation Assessment in Small Island …
The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) has conducted innovative research in the upper watersheds of the Ganges, Mekong, Red and Nile river basins. WLE sought to identify how to improve people’s livelihoods in ways that are equitable, profitable and sustainable, while also improving ecosystem services locally …
The residents of the Ganges and Mekong River deltas face serious challenges from rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, pollution from upstream sources, growing populations, and infrastructure that no longer works as planned. In both deltas, scientists working for nearly two decades with communities, local governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have …
Women play an increasingly greater role in agriculture. Ensuring that they have opportunities—equal to those of men—to participate in transforming agriculture is a prerequisite for sustainable intensification. Increased gender equity in agriculture is both a practical and a social justice issue: practical because women are responsible for much of the …
The world’s forest ecosystems provide critical and diverse services and values to human society. As primary habitat for a wide range of species, forests support biodiversity maintenance and conservation. Yet, continuing forest loss worldwide negatively impacts the livelihoods of millions of people and poses major challenges to sustainable development, in …
The Tana River is one of Kenya’s most important rivers. It is the principal water source for Nairobi, the capital city, providing water for hydroelectric power generation and irrigation. Several of the flagship projects laid out in Vision 2030 – the blueprint that guides Kenya’s national development – are located …
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and costs of restoring forests and landscapes in countries around the world, demonstrating how smart policies and innovative financing can help governments meet their restoration targets. The authors find that finance, both public and private, for restoration is inadequate for seven …
FAO is leading efforts to improve food security and nutrition through integrated approaches on the ground. These initiatives are based on the resilience and social equity of communities, and preserving the natural resource base upon which all food production depends. We know we can meet the challenge of ending hunger, …
Money invested by governments, aid agencies and funds raisedby supporters across the globe to save wild tigers have unseen benefits for Asia’s wildlife and millions of people, according to a new WWF report - Beyond the Stripes: Save tigers, Save So Much More. Tiger landscapes - which range from the …
Mountains provide vital resources to a significant proportion of the global population, particularly as the ‘water towers’ of the world, and as a result of their high biological diversity at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. As well as benefiting people and industries in lowland areas, these ecosystem services (ES) form …
The fifth volume of the Report of the Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income (DFI) examines the strengths, weakness and reforms in the agricultural system. The focus is on promoting a sustainability approach in the future development of India’s agricultural system. In a rush to secure its food supply system, the …
Despite increasing recognition of the importance of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, implementation remains mostly underdeveloped worldwide. Lack of knowledge on the implementation process present an important barrier. This publication presents details on Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC), a global initiative which promoted ecosystem-based …
