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The document details the application of MODIS satellite imagery and automated algorithms to track land use dynamics in the La Plata River Basin. It focuses on the transition of agricultural frontiers—from deforestation to intensification—and the use of remote sensing to estimate evapotranspiration and water balance. A case study in Mato Grosso demonstrates how these tools can map the expansion of soybean and sugarcane, the adoption of double-cropping systems, and the resulting impacts on natural biomes like the Cerrado and Amazon forest.

This report provides a spatial analysis of disaster incidence in Central America and the Dominican Republic between 1950 and 2020. It identifies that hydrometeorological events, specifically floods and landslides, are the most recurrent threats, often coinciding with high-density urban areas and coastal zones. The study highlights a significant increase in recorded disasters since 1990, peaking in 2010. It further correlates disaster risk with physical variables, noting that 70.7% of records occur below 1,000 meters above sea level and that a high percentage of critical territories are located in areas with medium to high population density. The analysis also observes a decline in forest cover and an increase in pasture land from 1990 to 2018, linking these land-use changes to increased disaster vulnerability.

The study finds that women living near ASM sites in Eastern DRC are more likely to experience both intimate partner sexual violence and sexual violence by others. This risk is particularly acute for women in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Maniema living near mines controlled by armed actors.

The study finds that high urban population growth is significantly associated with increased social unrest, but only in peri-urban areas (the urban outskirts). In contrast, population growth in primary urban cores is negatively associated with unrest. The researchers found no evidence that this relationship is driven by environmental push factors such as nearby droughts; in fact, droughts hitting urban areas directly were found to be negatively associated with unrest.

The document argues that ethno-nationalist violence is driven by structural relations between ethnic groups and governments rather than simple demographic diversity. Using the Ethnic Power Relations (EPR) and GeoEPR datasets, the research demonstrates that groups excluded from executive power, particularly those who recently lost power, face a significantly higher risk of civil war. Additionally, horizontal inequality—where a group is either significantly poorer or wealthier than the national average—increases the probability of conflict. The text suggests power-sharing or partition as potential solutions to these entrenched conflicts.

The authors analyze how violence spreads in space and time during civil wars, distinguishing between relocation diffusion (shifting violence) and escalation diffusion (expanding violence). Using a modified joint count statistic and Monte Carlo simulations on ACLED event data from Bosnia, Kosovo, Burundi, and Rwanda, the study finds that violence typically expands in scope, supporting the theory that irregular warfare lacks demarcated front lines.

The research examines the long-term effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide on primary school dropout rates, specifically analyzing whether living near genocide-targeted areas increases dropout risk and if development aid mitigates this effect. Using a sample of 63,892 respondents and spatial data, the study finds that while proximity to genocide events alone does not significantly increase dropout probability, the presence of aid projects in those areas reduces the likelihood of dropout by 20%. This effect is most pronounced in low-income households, where the probability of dropout decreases by 10.6%. The study also identifies that child-headed households and rural residence are associated with higher dropout rates, while female students and those with educated household heads are less likely to drop out.

The study finds a significant negative relationship between local agricultural price indices and the risk of violent conflict in Africa. Using a meso-level approach with a spatial-temporal grid, the author argues that falling agricultural prices lower the opportunity costs for rural populations, thereby facilitating rebel recruitment and civilian support. The results suggest that negative price shocks have a more detrimental effect on conflict risk than positive shocks have a mitigating effect, supporting the 'opportunity cost' mechanism over the 'state capacity' explanation.

The paper finds that while low Human Development Index (HDI) levels predict aid for excluded group-majority provinces, overall aid distribution is significantly biased in favour of the politically dominant Christian lowlanders. Previous exposure to armed conflict increases the likelihood of new projects only in Christian-majority provinces, and previous disaster exposure is a weak, sometimes negative, predictor of aid across all provinces.

The research analyzes the geographical evolution of African civil wars using the UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset (GED). It argues that rebel groups with strong ethnic ties or significant military strength tend to maintain stable, localized conflict zones, whereas groups lacking these attributes—or those receiving external military support—are more likely to be 'roving.' The study finds that the greatest mobility occurs when rebels have neither strong local ties nor the strength to compete conventionally with government forces.

The study identifies biophysical conditions, accessibility, and land management as the primary drivers of forest loss in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's CARPE landscapes. Under a business-as-usual scenario, it predicts a loss of approximately 332,200 hectares of forest and 205 million metric tons of CO2 emissions between 2015 and 2025, with the majority of loss occurring in the Ituri-Epulu-Aru and Lac Télé-Lac Tumba landscapes.

The study analyzes the impact of urbanization on natural infrastructure in 10 major Indian cities from 2000 to 2015, finding significant increases in built-up areas and a corresponding loss of surface water and groundwater recharge potential. It advocates for an integrated urban blue-green approach to planning to mitigate risks like urban flooding and water scarcity.

The report 'Reefs at Risk' assesses the global status of coral reefs, finding that 58% are potentially threatened by human activities. It identifies overexploitation and coastal development as the primary drivers of risk, with Southeast Asia being the most threatened region. The study utilizes a map-based indicator to flag high-risk areas, particularly biodiversity hot spots, and evaluates the current state of marine protected areas (MPAs).

WWF has developed ArcNet, a systematic, whole-ocean network of 83 priority areas for conservation (PACs) covering 5,087,000 square kilometres (31% of the study area) in the Arctic Ocean. Using the Marxan tool and a database of over 800 conservation features, ArcNet aims to provide a blueprint for Arctic governments and the Arctic Council to meet the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's target of 30% protection by 2030. The network is designed to be adaptive, allowing for iterative refinement as climate change shifts species distributions and habitats.

The 2022 KAZA Elephant Survey estimated a total population of 227,900 elephants across the KAZA TFCA, with the majority located in Botswana (58%) and Zimbabwe (29%). The survey also identified 26,641 elephant carcasses, resulting in an all-carcass ratio of 10.47%, which the authors suggest may be a "warning sign for the health and stability of the elephant population." Beyond elephants, the survey estimated populations for various wildlife species and domestic livestock, noting a ratio of 1.16 wild animals to 1 domestic animal in the survey area. The report details the technical execution of the survey, including the use of systematic transect sampling across 179 strata and the implementation of CITES MIKE Aerial Survey Standards.