About biodiversity
Biodiversity comprises everything living: from genes and microorganisms over insects and warm-blooded animals to entire ecosystems.
Biodiversity is essential for human well-being, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability. When working in international development, understanding the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health is crucial for promoting holistic and sustainable development.
Biodiversity provides vital resources such as: food, medicine, and ecosystem services, supporting the livelihoods of billions worldwide. Biodiversity is necessary to ensure adaptability to changing climate conditions.
Due to human interference, biodiversity is under severe threat as species are disappearing and habitats are being destroyed. This loss has far-reaching consequences, affecting livelihoods and well-being of humans, animals and the environment globally.
Forest protection and -management – why this topic?
Today, as little as 31 % of the global land area is covered by forest. The world’s forest ecosystems provide critical and diverse services to human society and animals as:
- harbouring a wide range of species
- the production of oxygen (O2) as well as the sequestering and carbon-storing both regulating the global carbon cycle, mitigating climate change
- the production and conservation of soil, stabilization of water flow, preventing land degradation and desertification
- the mitigation of natural disasters like droughts, floods and landslides
- the contribution to poverty eradication and economic development by providing food, fibre, timber, seeds, pollination, medicines and other forest products
- sites of recreational and spiritual value in cultural contexts.
Forest protection and -management encompasses…
- the preservation or improvement of forests including their soils and water bodies
- the prevention and control of damage to forests by natural causes (plant pests, storms, floods, fires)
- the prevention and control of man-made causes:
Urban sprawl
Logging
Intensive Farming
Air and soil quality changes
Change of species composition of the forests
Overexploitation of flora/fauna
Waste dumping
Harmful extraction of resources
Adverse climatic conditions
Theory of change for forest protection
Project profiles
Sudan
About the project
Project Food Security for refugees and host communities in Gedaref and Kassala State
Goal the food and nutrition security of refugees in selected camps and of residents of selected neighboring communities in the states of Gedaref and Kassala has improved.
Implementation period 09.10.2017 – 30.09.2023
Starting points to include forest protection
- climate smart tillage
- water saving house gardens
- field terrassing
- rainwater collection in haffirs* and tanks
- rehabilitation and technical improvement of existing water-management plants
- tree planting
What facilitated the project implementation?
- tapping into the knowledge of manager of a local company
- overlap between existing WASH projects in the region and value chain values
- grouping of smallholders into networks that gave them legitimacy and trading power
Climate smart tillage with erosion control through chiseling
challenges:
- excessive rain with soil erosion
- limited adoption of alternative farming techniques by refugees, more training
- limited access to drought-adapted seeds/limited production
possible next steps:
- water harvesting and saving techniques
- micro-irrigation for sensitive crops
- introduction of agro-forestry and grass strips to reduce erosion by
wind/water:
- reforestation / early planting/planting of short-maturing crops
- provision of furrow drilling machinery
Field terracing
challenges:
- technical specifications of machines arrived too late
- manual work by migrant workers (Ethiopia/Eritrea), no show (COVID)
- too expensive and very labour-intensive for local farmers
Water-saving house gardens rainwater collection in haffirs and tanks
challenges:
- high investment costs
- land ownership issues
possible next steps:
- in-kind contribution towards the building efforts
- meetings with communities who owned the land
Rehabilitation/improvement of existing water-management plants
challenges:
- contradictory approach free water versus water supply as business
possible next steps:
- meetings with communities who owned the land
- in-kind contribution towards the building efforts
Namibia
About the project
Project Using natural resources in a climate-friendly, equitable and sustainable manner Climate change and inclusive use of natural resources II Goal the capacities of the population and responsible institutions for a climate-adapted, resilient and inclusive management of natural resources are increased
Implementation period 01.04.2025 – 13.12.28
Starting points to include forest protection
- improved water infrastructure
- reducing human-wildlife conflict in the area of crop losses
- safe storage of crops against loss by rodents and other wildlife
- community gardens
- training of multipliers for climate-smart cultivation
What facilitated the project implementation?
- trust and knowledge built in the region through the preceding project
- working directly with departmental & regional actors while the ministry was informed instead
of having to make changes in the ministry
Solutions for Namibia project
- improved water structures: create boreholes & refurb old ones with solar panels
- reducing human/wildlife conflict:
by creating new water sources for humans and wildlife
repairing fences around protected areas
community house gardens around protected areas
harvest storage facilities for communities & individuals
Laos
About the project
Project Promoting responsible forest management and biodiversity in Laos
Goal the sustainability of the impact achieved for improved law enforcement in timber and wildlife trade and effective cross-border protected area management
Implementation period 01.05.2021-30.06.2027
Starting points to include forest protection
- legal timber trade with certification
- support of the Alliance for Environmental Education and Awareness Raising
- control of wildlife trade at the governmental and population levels
What facilitated the project implementation?
- approach over regional and departmental decision-makers sitting in ministry made it easier
Solutions for Laos project – rainwater collection
- timber trade: work with government on certification on country level on forest conserving timber supply
- environment education: bringing together government & civil society to found a centre for awareness raising /environment education
- wildlife trade: help with UNESCO World Heritage accreditation
- coordination of national efforts to implement Nat. Biodiv. Strategy Action Plans (NBSAPs), ranger program social media campaign
- challenges: the state has no financial capacity coordination between ministries
- solution: employment of a senior policy advisor who works with the government
Crosscutting resource- and cost-efficient effects
Crosscutting resource- and cost-efficient effects in Sudan
| Sudan | Animal health | Human health | Human conflict | Environment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| climate smart tillage | impact invertebrates | more food | enough food for migrants and host | less erosion |
| efficient house gardens | scraps for back yard livestock | more food | enough food for migrants and hosts | water saving |
| terrassing, water collection hafirs and tanks | shade need less water better health | food and shade less diseases but more vector-borne diseases | possiblity to disperse | Improved production less soil errosion, better water holding capacity |
| improved water purifying and water canaling infrastructure | fewer water-borne diseases, less transmission of infectious disease | fewer water and vector-borne diseases | can water animals in different locations, possibilty to disperse herds | plant watering |
| tree planting | shade and health | shade and health | less crowding | climate improvement, less errosion, better water holding capacities |
Crosscutting resource- and cost-efficient effects in Namibia
Namibia | Animal health | Human health | Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
| improved water infrastructure | good for hygiene and health | good for hygiene and health | watering of cultivated plants, against soil erosion |
| reducing human-wildlife conflict in the area of crop losses | reducing disease transmission human to animal | zoonoses avoidance, more crops better nutrition and less wildlife hunting | species protection, area protection |
| safe storage of crops against loss by rodents and other wildlife | zoonoses avoidance, more crops better nutrition and less wildlife hunting | less land use change for cultivation | |
| community gardens infrastructure | less wildlife hunted | more crops, better nutrition and less wildlife hunting, less zoonosis risk, income generation | no logging to create new fields |
| training of multipliers for climate smart cultivation | less wildlife hunted | better nutrition from cultivation | less land use change for cultivation |
Crosscutting resource- and cost-efficient effects in Laos
| Sudan | Animal health | Human health | Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
| legal timber trade with certification | more living space for wildlife | shade, medicinal plants | forest conserved, more species biodiversity |
| support of alliance for environmental education and awareness raising | better protected | enables decision making | better protected |
| control of wildlife trade at government & population level | support of alliance for environmental education and awareness-raising | spillover risk reduced, less zoonoses | more biodiversity |
Project impact and challenges
| Methods | Indicators | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| high investment could be covered by in-kind community contributions, land ownership disputes had to be resolved better create in areas not yet served by haffirs/ tanks | amount of extra income from gardens | |
| legal timber trade | number of farmers picked and trained from each community | hiring of a senior policy advisor to mobilise and connect ministries |
| support of alliance for environment, education and awareness rising | multipliers for climate-smart agriculture | |
| control of wildlife trade at governm. and population level | getting the country-certified | hiring of a senior policy advisor to mobilise and connect ministry |
| community gardens | amount of crop community buildings | |
| climate spart tillage | founding was supported by bringing together govt., NGOs and universities. | |
| water saving house gardens | not enough water in the dry season | growing drought-resistant sorghum soil erosion control through chiseling, row planting by planters (=machine) |
| field terracing | food diversity planting (in refugee and host communities) | growing drought-resistant sorghum soil erosion control through chiseling, row planting by planters (=machine) |
| rainwater collection | reduced water and wind soil erosion | technical details for machine were missing, labor force /seasonal workers from neighbor countries did not come due to COVID |
| improvement of water management plans | high investment could be covered by in kind community contributions, land ownership disputes had to be resolved better create in areas not yet served by haffirs/ tanks | contradictory approach to privatization |
| improvement of water management plans | number of haffirs and tanks installed in proposed region | contradictory approach to privatization |
| improved water infrastructure | number of trees planted and survived a certain time | |
| planting of fruit and resin trees | km of fence repaired, number of incidences of crop raiding, water source emptying by wildlife | challenges in uptake of the measure, promote agroforestry together with national forest cooperation |
| improved water infrastructure | number of trees planted and survived a certain time | |
| reducing crop losses due to wildlife | access of pupil to water, the use of WASH hygiene practices stated by individuals (by focus groups/ members of WASH communities) | number of haffirs and tanks installed in proposed region |
| reducing crop losses due to rodents | one area has not had any incidences since 2018 after they installed water sources |