WWF’s 2020 Living Planet Report reported that: “The world has seen an average 68% drop in mammal, bird, fish, reptile, and amphibian populations since 1970. . . .” Biodiversity is the variety of life in all its forms. It is made up of all living species, their genetic variation, and
Jurgen Johannes Streichter is a grain farmer in South Africa’s southern Cape and which lies within the Gouritz Biosphere Region where we are currently engaged in various projects. Jurgen started converting from conventional farming practices, which includes the tilling of soil, towards conservation agriculture as early as the 1980’s. He
Last week I was in South Africa with our corporate partner and the local team as our nature-based project in the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) enters Phase 2. Phase 1 evaluated the opportunity for conservation agriculture, Spekboomveld restoration, wetland protection and management, Resnosterveld management, and invasive plant to biochar
Mangroves: Buffer, Economic Engine, and Carbon Store In Senegal, mangroves dominate the coastal regions and for good reason. The mighty Senegalise mangrove provides one of the most biodiverse habitats that can be found anywhere on Earth and an equally-diverse economy stemming from it, specifically in the Sine-Saloum Delta and the
In India, onions are everything.” “In India, onions are everything,” my roommate Apurva told me as we waited outside our local vegetable stand. That summer, unseasonably heavy monsoon rains devastated onion crops across central India, causing shortages, soaring prices, and a major disruption to daily life. As I watched many
Commitments to carbon neutrality are leading many companies to invest in carbon offset projects. How do you manage the risk associated with these long-term, high ticket, high profile, no-kidding-our-kids-are-counting-on-us investments? Here’s how: pick a capable local partner, assess their managerial and technical capabilities, and invest to make them better. It’s
Investing $1 in nature-based solutions now will save at least $4 in future costs of climate-related migration. Where on earth did I get that figure? The recently released National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) Report entitled : “Climate Change and International Responses Increasing Challenges to US National Security Through 2040” should be
NBS carbon projects? Too few places, too long in set up, and unfair to local communities. Nature based solutions (NBS) can make a considerable contribution to the Paris climate goals but how do we accelerate their use? Three ways: Work with more organizations that have Trust Networks in place; Help
I was talking to my former colleague and long-time friend Tom Dillon of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the conversation came around to the topic of how we scale our efforts for addressing climate change. Our inability to scale will mean that those people, who are most vulnerable to our
During March 2021, The National Intelligence Council issued its quadrennial report on global trends. This year’s issue is Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. Global Trends assesses the key trends and uncertainties that will shape the strategic environment for the United States during the next two decades. I found
