Items tagged:
Conservation
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Bwindi: bees, baskets and brilliant guided walks
Tracking rare mountain gorillas is on the bucket list of many a traveller – both at the luxury end of the market and for backpackers. But what about the people who live in the same places as gorillas? Dilys Roe reports on a project helping local people to develop new businesses that benefit from tourism
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Evaluating change can be challenging; it starts with quality data collection
NGOs are increasingly being asked to report on the impact of their work, and good monitoring and evaluation is key. Conservation Through Public Health, a Ugandan NGO, has some lessons to share with other small NGOs and – spoiler alert – it all begins with good data
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Wild meat: is there an appetite for alternatives?
The age-old tradition of hunting wild meat has, in many cases, become unsustainable. Efforts to change local habits have had little effect. Ahead of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, guest blogger Stephanie Brittain argues that to protect biodiversity, without compromising health and livelihoods, we need to understand much more about why people eat wild meat
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Livelihoods Insurance from Elephants (LIFE) in Kenya and Sri Lanka
IIED is working to facilitate private markets to insure small-scale women and men farmers for damage caused by human-wildlife conflict, primarily from elephants. This will provide support for insurance in two countries, Kenya and Sri Lanka
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Why eat wild meat?
There is growing concern that hunting for wild meat consumption is unsustainable and threatening biodiversity conservation and food security across sub-Saharan Africa. But for initiatives that promote alternatives to succeed, they must be based in a strong understanding of why people eat wild meat
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New collection of publications on community engagement to tackle illegal wildlife trade
IIED and IUCN have published case studies, a policy briefing and a toolkit to help practitioners and stakeholders build community engagement in combatting illegal wildlife trade.
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To save Africa's wildlife, conservation needs a radical shake-up
To mark World Wildlife Day on 3 March, Dilys Roe and James Mayers highlight that, despite over 100 years of international investment in conservation in Africa, wildlife is in serious trouble. Clearly, conservation needs a rethink
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Q&A: How can we achieve 'fairer conservation'?
Now is the time to consider understanding and assessing equity in protected area conservation, says Phil Franks
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Wild life, wild lives: enough talking already
As conservation policymakers from across the globe meet in Geneva to discuss international wildlife trade, one item on the agenda is the role of local people in making decisions about such issues
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Park action plans: increasing community engagement in tackling wildlife crime
In Uganda many people poach because of human-wildlife conflict or lack of income earning opportunities. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has a community programme to address such problems, but it is hampered by limited capacity and support. At Murchison Falls National Park IIED and partners are piloting an approach that aims to increase community engagement in tackling wildlife crime by implementing park-level acton plans
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Spinach soup, gorillas and cow dung baskets – what's the connection?
Tourism generates crucial revenue that helps conserve mountain gorillas and other species in Uganda. We're working to share the financial benefits with local people too, and help them develop better tourism products and services
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Taking a more rigorous approach to evaluation
Evaluation researcher Barbara Befani explains how a different methodological approach helped IIED evaluate whether the Uganda Poverty and Conservation Learning Group had influenced policy
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IUCN seeks proposals for involving indigenous communities in combating the illegal wildlife trade
Call for proposals for a regional workshop to be held in Vietnam on how to engage Indigenous Peoples and local communities as active partners in protecting wildlife against the illegal wildlife trade
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Towards a fairer future for conservation
Conservation at a crossroads: Phil Franks explains why conservation must take fairness more seriously
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Submissions sought for new online wildlife crime resource
Engaging communities in tackling wildlife crime – IIED is inviting submissions of case studies following the launch of a new online database
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How can we engage communities to help reduce illegal wildlife trade?
Engaging local communities is recognised as a key approach to tackling the illegal wildlife trade. But a key problem remains: deciding what to do, and how to do it
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RIP Cecil the lion – what will be his legacy? And who should decide?
Outrage over the death of Cecil the lion has led to calls for a ban on trophy hunting, but would this have the desired results?
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Strengthening civil society to support natural resource management
A new report finds that civil society organisations in Africa struggle to get the support they need to play an effective role in natural resource management and conservation.
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Using incentive mechanisms to conserve biodiversity
How and what incentives work to conserve biodiversity and ensure positive sustainable development outcomes?
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Equity, justice and ecosystem services: what do we mean?
Conservation efforts are increasingly supposed to achieve equity – but what does this mean and how can it be assessed? Phil Franks shares some ideas that may help
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Built on collaboration: how conservation research can benefit local people
A collaborative research project into effective conservation in Uganda showed that building relationships with the authorities can be crucial, resulting in immediate action to tackle a problem, benefiting some of the poorest in the community
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'Imagine Bwindi' music video launched on World Wildlife Day
A music video, 'Imagine Bwindi', celebrates the wildlife of Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and highlights the links between the park and local communities
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Innovative approaches to tackling wildlife crime on the frontlines
Ground-breaking community-led approaches to combating wildlife crime around the world will be shared at an international symposium taking place in Muldersdrift near Johannesburg from 26-28 February, attended by researchers, community groups, government officials, UN agencies and NGOs. The findings will be taken to the high level wildlife conference in Kasane, Botswana in March
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Symposium examines how communities can be helped to combat wildlife crime
Local communities can play a crucial role in preventing wildlife crime. An international symposium looked at how government and institutions can support communities in combating the growing problem of the illegal trade in wildlife.
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Wildlife crime and local communities
IIED believes that efforts to tackle wildlife crime are only going to be effective in the long term if they involve the local people who live alongside wildlife
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Ensuring equitable management of protected areas: we're still defining the issues
Last month's once-a-decade World Parks Congress didn't talk enough about 'equity' when managing protected areas — but at least it's on the agenda
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It's time to end conservation injustice
Human injustices in the name of nature conservation have to become a relic of the past. It's time to get serious about human rights at the World Park Congress
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Human Rights Standards for Conservation (Part III)
This discussion paper looks at the mechanisms for redress against injustice available to indigenous peoples and asks: should a body focused on the conduct of conservation initiatives be formed?
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Human Rights Standards for Conservation (Part II)
This paper identifies key documents that contain provisions relevant to upholding the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in a conservation context
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Human rights standards for conservation: rights, responsibilities and redress
IIED and Natural Justice sought feedback on a series of papers that aimed to be a foundation for clear guidance about the human rights obligations of conservation actors
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IIED at the World Parks Congress 2014
The full programme of IIED activity at this year's World Parks Congress, including news, events, blogs and updates
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Addressing the interplay between agribusiness investments and ape conservation
This three-year project aims to explore the current evidence base on the interplay between agribusiness investments and effective ape conservation – including both the risks and the opportunities
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Q&A: Why the PCLG website is the place to be for poverty and conservation issues
The PCLG website is at the heart of the Poverty and Conservation Learning Group. It has been relaunched with a new look and updated content
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Human Rights Standards for Conservation (Part I)
Human rights appeared in international law in the early 1900s when it was widely considered to apply only to states. This discussion paper provides an overview of the evolution of international law and policy as relevant to conservation initiatives, and presents the case that diverse actors such as international organisations, businesses, NGOs and funders, also have responsibilities and obligations for ensuring just conservation
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What's next for REDD+?
After several years of negotiations, a framework has been agreed to compensate developing nations for avoiding deforestation. IIED hosted a conference to examine what happens now
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Making REDD+ work for communities and forests: three shared lessons for project designers
The challenge of bringing a business-like approach to forest conservation, using REDD+ schemes, is complex and daunting. But three lessons learnt by a project in southeastern Tanzania can help ensure success
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Coverage of Moving ahead with REDD+: Prospects and challenges workshop
From 9-10 April, IIED hosted a workshop that aims to explore the latest thinking on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) — see the highlights here
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Spreading the word about the no-till agricultural revolution
Never heard of no-till agriculture? It's revolutionising agriculture in Australia and other drylands countries. "No-Till Bill", a pioneer in the technique, is now spreading the word in Europe
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Payments for ecosystem services: We can't leave people out of the equation
What's next for schemes that pay communities to protect local ecosystems? This is what leading researchers and practitioners in the field came together to discuss at IIED's conference in Edinburgh last week
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Project sheds light on complex links between poverty and threats to wild species
Project by IIED and partners helps conservation to benefit poor communities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.
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Conservation Initiative on Human Rights
This collaborative initiative with a consortium of international conservation organisations was formalised in 2009 to improve conservation work by promoting the integration of human rights principles into conservation policy and practice
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PCLG: an international learning network on the links between people and nature conservation
PCLG international shares opportunities and research through two regular newsletters, and supports PCLG national groups in Cameroon, DRC and Uganda
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Introduction to conservation, communities and equity
Conservation is critical to protecting nature and biodiversity. But many conservation interventions have negative impacts on local people. IIED and partners are helping to build capacity to understand and implement equitable conservation activities and to enhance community voice in national and international conservation policymaking
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IUCN World Conservation Congress
The IUCN World Conservation Congress is a large, conservation event held every four years.
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5-step guide to help farmers evaluate agriculture’s hidden heroes
Smallholder farmers will soon be better able to weigh up the cost and benefits of adopting new practices that support some of the most overlooked contributors to global food security — the insects and other animals that pollinate their crops and boost yields.
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Major deposit in biodiversity bank to protect future of food
The future of the world's fourth most important crop will receive a boost thanks to plans by communities in Peru to send thousands of seeds for storage in a fortified vault, deep in an ice-clad Norwegian mountain.
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Can hunting wildlife contribute to biodiversity conservation?
It’s a politically and ethically charged debate. Can hunting animals really contribute to wildlife conservation and biodiversity objectives?
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Charting a course for biodiversity and the poor
Negotiations by parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) continue in Nagoya, Japan. Biodiversity researchers, advocates and government officials have gathered here to strike a deal that will, hopefully, safeguard life on Earth over the next decade.
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Bushmeat stew: complexities of a shadowy trade
It’s hard for some to imagine sitting down to a meal of baboon, green monkey and warthog meat.
