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The document explains the mechanics of carbon credits, distinguishing between regulated markets under the Paris Agreement and voluntary markets. It highlights that while Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 22% of global carbon credit sales in 2021, the region lacks the robust regulation needed to prevent environmental and social risks. The guide warns against over-reliance on the forestry sector, the risk of 'greenwashing' in voluntary markets, and the potential for 'double counting' of emission reductions. It recommends establishing transparent national registries, ensuring fair benefit-sharing with local communities, and prioritizing structural decarbonization over simple offsetting.

The technical appendices describe the use of a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) general equilibrium model to simulate the effects of adopting the MyPlate and Harvard Healthy Eating Plate dietary guidelines. The analysis focuses on the resulting shifts in U.S. crop acreage, specifically the reduction of cereal grain production in favor of fruits, vegetables, and other crops. Key findings include a projected 8% decline in U.S. cereal grain acreage under the Harvard scenario and significant changes in land rental rates and production levels for various food sectors.

The executive summary argues that strengthening legal forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities is a vital tool for mitigating climate change. It finds that forests under strong legal recognition and government protection experience significantly lower deforestation rates than those without such protections. The document emphasizes that legal rights alone are insufficient if governments undermine them through the allocation of resource concessions or failure to prevent illegal encroachments.

The document examines coral reef recovery in Costa Rica's Caño Island Biological Reserve and Cocos Island National Park after severe bleaching events. Despite predictions of slow recovery, both protected areas show positive signs of recolonization, with Cocos Island seeing live coral cover increase from 3% in the 1980s to 23% in 2002. The authors suggest that designating reefs as protected no-take zones reduces localized human threats and enhances resilience to climate change.

Initiative 20x20 is a regional partnership in Latin America and the Caribbean designed to restore degraded landscapes through reforestation, agroforestry, and silvopasture. The initiative has surpassed its initial goal of 20 million hectares and has earmarked US$2.4 billion for project financing. The program addresses the fact that at least 200 million hectares of land in the region are severely degraded and that 49% of regional emissions stem from land-use change, forestry, and agriculture.

The document evaluates the evolution of REDD+ from local projects to jurisdictional approaches, noting that while national initiatives have improved forest monitoring and governance, most have failed to reverse absolute deforestation. It highlights the emergence of subnational jurisdictional strategies as a way to link climate incentives with sustainable supply chains and recommends a rights-based approach that prioritizes indigenous peoples and local communities.

The report argues that traditional 'gray' infrastructure alone is insufficient to meet global development goals and climate adaptation needs. It proposes a 'next generation' approach that combines built solutions with 'green' systems—such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves—to improve water supply, flood management, and hydropower efficiency. The authors provide a framework for evaluating these projects across technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions, emphasizing that green infrastructure can lower costs, increase resilience, and empower local communities if rigorously designed and supported by enabling policies and innovative financing.

The report argues that combining natural systems—such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves—with built infrastructure can lower costs and increase resilience against climate change. It provides a technical, social, and economic framework for project appraisal and highlights the need for enabling policies and innovative financing to mainstream these 'next generation' infrastructure solutions.

The Restoration Diagnostic is a three-step guide developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to increase the success rate of forest landscape restoration (FLR). By analyzing 16 historical case studies and peer-reviewed literature, WRI identified a suite of 'key success factors' categorized into three themes: motivation, enabling conditions, and implementation capacity. The diagnostic allows users to define a geographic scope, assess the status of these factors (in place, partly in place, or missing), and develop targeted strategies to close identified gaps. The tool is designed for mid-level managers in government, NGOs, and the private sector and serves as a component of the broader Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM).

The document describes El Niño as a natural Pacific Ocean cycle that is being strengthened and made more frequent by climate change. It highlights the resulting increase in coral bleaching, particularly around the Galápagos Islands, and the broader global risks including severe droughts in India and the Horn of Africa, and heavier rains in the United States. The text notes that the 2026 El Niño event is breaking temperature records, with NOAA predicting it will reach "very strong" levels. WWF is responding by using its Oceans Futures platform to mitigate fisheries conflict and restoring mangroves in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador to improve coastal resilience.

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and river system, containing one in 10 known species on Earth and storing between 90 billion and 140 billion metric tons of carbon. It is currently threatened by deforestation driven by cattle ranching, soy farming, and infrastructure, as well as climate change, which has caused rainfall to decline across 69% of the forest since 2000. WWF is implementing conservation strategies such as the Amazon Region Protected Areas program in Brazil to maintain a network of 120 protected areas.

The 'Food is Local' fellowship by WWF International provides funding for master's and PhD students from 32 eligible countries to conduct interdisciplinary research on transforming food systems to be more sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient. Eligible applicants must be citizens of the listed countries, have two years of conservation experience, and plan to start their studies by January 2024. Research proposals are encouraged to cover themes such as agroecological practices, gender equity, and the role of food systems in achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The project successfully established foundational content for national planning and fostered inclusive dialogue across six countries, though it faced challenges with ambitious targets relative to its budget and timeline. While most output targets were met, the evaluation noted weaknesses in the integration of knowledge products and inconsistencies in the global monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. Gender mainstreaming was a strong design priority, with significant achievements in Nepal and Namibia, although qualitative impact measurements were lacking. Sustainability is rated as moderately likely, contingent on securing long-term financial support and maintaining political will for the implementation of the resulting national plans and the recognition of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).