Search Climate Insights Directory

The report examines Bolivia's conservation landscape, highlighting a tension between formal state strategies and local practices. While Bolivia has a robust system of protected areas and land tenure, conservation outside these areas is often hindered by state priorities favoring extractivism and agribusiness. The document argues that indigenous territories and community-led initiatives offer significant potential for OECM recognition, provided that the state shifts toward a more inclusive, less bureaucratic, and better-funded support system that aligns with local livelihoods.

The report examines the potential for implementing OECMs (meccs) in Brazil to achieve the '30x30' biodiversity goals. It analyzes various spatial mechanisms, including protected areas (UCs), Indigenous lands (TIs), Quilombola territories (TQs), and private lands. The document highlights that while formal protected areas are established, significant conservation occurs in traditional territories and private lands that lack formal recognition. It identifies land tenure insecurity as a primary obstacle to inclusive conservation and proposes that the mecc framework be used to prioritize land regularization for traditional peoples and communities (PCTs). The report concludes with recommendations to integrate meccs with social policies, ensure equitable governance, and provide technical and financial support to local actors.

The report examines Colombia's transition from a centralized conservation model to an inclusive approach that recognizes the role of Indigenous peoples, local communities, and private landowners. It evaluates the current state of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) and the emerging framework of OECMs, identifying systemic barriers such as land tenure insecurity, armed conflict, and an extractivist development model. Through case studies of private, Afro-descendant, and Indigenous territories, the document highlights that effective conservation often stems from cultural and spiritual motivations rather than economic incentives. It concludes with recommendations to harmonize land tenure rights, close the environmental financing gap, and integrate OECMs into national territorial planning to meet the global 30x30 biodiversity target.

The report examines Ecuador's conservation landscape, highlighting the tension between a strong legal framework for biodiversity and a dominant extractivist economic model. It evaluates various conservation modalities, including the SNAP and OECMs, and argues that for OECMs to be truly inclusive, they must move beyond symbolic recognition to provide tangible benefits, secure land tenure, and respect the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The report examines Mexico's progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's '30x30' goal, focusing on the potential of OECMs to complement existing Protected Natural Areas (ANP). It identifies that while Mexico has a strong legal framework for social land ownership (ejidos and communities), inclusive conservation is hindered by state failure to enforce Indigenous rights, contradictory public policies, and budget cuts. The document details various conservation modalities, such as Wildlife Management Units (UMA) and Community Forest Management (MFC), and uses three case studies to highlight local motivations for conservation, primarily linked to water security and sustainable livelihoods. It concludes that for OECMs to be effective and inclusive, Mexico must establish transparent recognition processes, align agricultural subsidies with conservation incentives, and ensure the free, prior, and informed consent of local rights-holders.

The report examines Peru's conservation landscape, identifying a significant reliance on the National System of State Natural Protected Areas (SINANPE) while exploring the potential of OECMs to include indigenous peoples, local communities, and private actors. It identifies critical threats such as illegal mining and deforestation, and highlights a tension between conservation policies and extractivist state actions. The document proposes a roadmap for operationalizing OECMs through improved enabling conditions, tailored incentives, and multi-level collaborative governance.

The community of San Francisco Telixtlahuaca in Oaxaca, Mexico, maintains significant forest cover through a strong communal governance system and collaboration with municipal authorities. While the community no longer identifies as Indigenous and lacks formal protected area status, it is motivated to conserve forests to protect water and soil. Conservation is primarily funded by federal payments for environmental services (PSA), though the community faces challenges regarding technical documentation, urban expansion, and river pollution. While unaware of the OECM framework, community members expressed openness to it if it provides technical and financial support without imposing new restrictions.

The document examines Ejido Noh-Bec, a 24,122-hectare community-managed forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It highlights the ejido's transition from external concessions to self-management, its achievement of FSC certification, and its resilience following Hurricane Dean in 2007. The study details a governance model involving an Assembly and an inclusive Advisory Council, as well as a diversified economy based on sustainable timber, chicle extraction, and ecotourism. While the ejido maintains a 1,200-hectare conservation reserve called 'El Huasteco,' it faces challenges from climate-related extreme weather, illegal logging linked to the Tren Maya project, and bureaucratic hurdles regarding CITES and carbon credit schemes.

The document details the transition of Rancho La Inmaculada de los Aguirre from a fully cleared cattle ranch to a holistic management model that integrates regenerative livestock farming, silviculture, and wildlife conservation. It highlights the ecological recovery of the soil and vegetation, the financial sustainability of the diversified production model, and the challenges posed by government inefficiency and regional insecurity. The study suggests that involving family in governance and seeking international recognition through the OECM framework could ensure the long-term continuity of these conservation efforts.

The Punta Balcones Environmental Conservation Area (ACA), created in October 2023 in the La Brea district of Peru, covers 913.39 hectares of critical marine-coastal biodiversity, including the westernmost point of South America. While it offers a mechanism for local municipal management and potential ecotourism development, the area faces significant legal gaps, a lack of an active Management Committee, and severe environmental threats from hydrocarbon legacy pollution and land invasions. Current efforts are driven by the Municipality of La Brea, the Regional Government of Piura, and youth volunteers from DISLAB, but sustainable management is hindered by limited local capacity and the absence of updated municipal planning instruments.

The Bosque Local Señor de la Cumbre (BLSC), established in 2020 in Madre de Dios, Peru, covers 3,179.41 hectares and is critical for the water supply of Puerto Maldonado. Managed by the Municipality of Inambari, the area faces severe threats from illegal mining, agricultural expansion, and selective logging. While a Payment for Ecosystem Services (MERESE) mechanism is in place to fund conservation and sustainable production, the site lacks a formal management plan and a functional Management Committee. Local stakeholders identify ecotourism and agroforestry as sustainable economic alternatives, but emphasize the need for stronger institutional capacity, legal security, and better access to financing to sustain conservation efforts.

The document examines ACOMAD, an association of 15 members managing 16 forest concessions (approximately 171,424 hectares) in the Manu-Tambopata corridor of Madre de Dios, Peru. It highlights the contrast between the highly resourced Los Amigos conservation concession—the first recognized OECM in Peru—and other members who rely on limited self-funding or sporadic international aid. Key challenges include illegal mining, illicit crops, land trafficking, and a lack of consistent state supervision by OSINFOR. The report argues for stronger public institutional support, official recognition of Technical Forestry and Wildlife Administrations (ATFFS) as Regional Authorities (ARFFS), and the development of sustainable economic models such as ecotourism and non-timber forest products (e.g., Brazil nuts and aguaje) to ensure long-term conservation viability.

The author argues that systemic issues, such as confusing date labels and liability concerns for grocers, drive significant food waste in the United States. The text advocates for two bipartisan bills: the Food Date Labeling Act, to standardize date labels and facilitate food donations, and the NO TIME TO Waste Act, to establish a USDA Office of Food Loss and Waste and aim for a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.

The author argues that food production is the primary driver of habitat loss, freshwater use, and a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the document proposes 'Codex Planetarius', a global baseline of minimum environmental performance standards for food exports focusing on six key impacts: habitat loss, biodiversity loss, soil health, water withdrawals, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. To fund the transition for the least efficient producers—who are identified as the bottom 10-20% responsible for 60-80% of negative impacts—the author proposes a '1% Fund'. This would be a 1% insurance premium on key food commodity exports, which in Brazil's case could generate approximately $750 million annually from beef, hides, soy, maize, and cotton to help producers improve practices and secure land titles.

The authors argue that policy delays regarding deforestation do not mitigate the physical risks to business continuity, such as soil degradation and disrupted water cycles. They urge companies to engage with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) public consultation on Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance and to continue preparing for the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to ensure long-term supply chain resilience and market access.

The document outlines a structured approach to biodiversity monitoring, emphasizing the need for early planning and the selection of appropriate indicators based on project goals. It categorizes projects into four types—target-based, area-based, co-benefit, and restoration—and details various monitoring methods ranging from direct observation to advanced technologies like eDNA and AI. The guide highlights the importance of baselines, the distinction between correlation and causation, and the role of diverse actors, including rangers and citizen scientists, in data collection.

The Next California project, now operating through the Delta Ag Alliance, seeks to increase specialty crop acreage in the Mid-Mississippi Delta from 0.19% to 3% by 2034. This transition is designed to unlock $3.2 billion in annual farmgate revenue and protect US food security as climate change forces production shifts away from California. The project employs a four-pillar strategy: farmer-led discovery, innovative funding structures (including operating loans and infrastructure funds), support for farmer-entrepreneurs, and public sector research alignment. Early pilots like Delta Harvest have demonstrated the economic viability of specialty rice, while other ventures like Peebles Organics and Delta Dirt Distillery showcase the potential for organic produce and value-added processing. To scale these efforts, the alliance is focusing on bridging the 'chasm' between early innovators and the early majority through targeted capital and the development of regional processing infrastructure.

The document details Project Catalyst, a partnership launched in 2009 by WWF-Australia and The Coca-Cola Foundation to implement sustainable sugarcane farming practices in Queensland. The project focuses on reducing nitrogen run-off, which contributes to Crown of Thorns starfish outbreaks and coral deterioration. Since 2019, the initiative has prevented 36.2 metric tons of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from entering the Great Barrier Reef across the Wet Tropics, Burdekin, and Mackay Whitsunday regions.

WWF advocates for locally-led conservation based on the sustainable use of natural resources, arguing that creating economic incentives for communities leads to better wildlife protection. The organization highlights the success of communal conservancies in Namibia, which have contributed to the recovery of black rhinos, elephants, and lions, and supports co-management frameworks for Indigenous subsistence practices in the Arctic to address challenges posed by climate change.

The report provides a comprehensive safeguard framework for a GEF-funded project in Madagascar's Diana, Manambolo-Tsiribihina, and Mahafaly seascapes. It identifies potential risks—including elite capture, livelihood disruption due to resource access restrictions, and gender-based violence—and outlines mitigation strategies. The framework mandates site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) to ensure that the expansion and legalization of LMMAs do not adversely affect vulnerable populations, such as migrant fishers and women.