Welcome note by the SN Spokesperson
 
 
  Dear colleagues and members of the SNRD Asia and the Pacific,

It was so good to see many of you at our recent Joint SNRD AP and TUEWAS Conference! The active exchange among colleagues from all across the region, from Headquarters and even from SNRD Africa, the excellent contributions and discussions at the Marketplace, during the Open Space and on the hallways as well as in the Plenary and Technical Discussion sessions were immensely inspiring and demonstrated just how diverse, engaged and highly knowledgeable and professional our members are. For all of you who weren’t able to attend, you can still get all the infos and impressions right on your screen! We have put together a brief summary of the conference and have also uploaded all the presentations that our courageous TEDx talk and Pecha Kucha speakers gave. These presentations were next level, there is no going back! 😉 Please check them out. For a visual summary of the conference, please check out this video and the many excellent photos that were taken during the event and beyond while cruising on the Chao Praya and touring Ancient City. Thanks for all your contributions and energy onsite and from afar! There were some great new ideas and impulses that will dynamize and carry SNRD AP forward into 2023 and beyond. Stay tuned!

Apart from all the links to the conference documentation, in this issue you will find a vast array of contributions from your fellow colleagues and projects in SNRD AP, including articles on agroforestry, paludiculture, and regenerative and climate-smart agriculture; on trainings on topics, such as ecotourism, wetland management and spice production; and on interesting tools, such as the SMART Tool for Protected Areas and Baigali application for biodiversity monitoring. Thank you for a record-breaking number of contributions and have fun reading!

Last but not least, we are saying thank you and farewell to Wilaiwan who is leaving the SNRD AP Secretariat team. Wilaiwan has been with us for two years and may have been the first contact to SNRD AP for any of you as she has been keeping an eye on the memberships, supporting the moderation and organisation of online events and the conference and processing all the paperwork connected. Wilaiwan has been a tremendous colleague and friend, we wish you the best of luck and happiness for your future!

Warm regards and stay healthy.
Lisa, Donaya, Natcha, Khaekhai
 
   
 
Spotlight
» Joint Sector Networks Regional Conference 2022
» Introducing the New Biodiversity Working Group Speakers
» DPPD Masterclass: Local solutions against climate change
» Farewell to Wilaiwan
Updates on latest developments and knowledge sharing
» Agriculture
o Sustainability is promising when your partners buy in!
o Digital Innovations for Sustainable Future to Support ASEAN SMEs
o ASEAN kickstarts the ASEAN SME Policy Index 2024 Development
o ASEAN-CRN embarks on defining net zero and low carbon emission pathways
o Policy Framework for Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN
o Advancing Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices and Innovations in the Southeast Asia Region
o Bike tires now sourced from natural raw materials
o A technological view on Indian cotton ginning at the Bremen Cotton Conference 2022
» Biodiversity
o Participation of Leading Farmers’ Group in BIOFACH INDIA 2022 from Three Project States from 1st to 3rd September 2022
o Learning Together - Global workshop series on Nature-based Solutions
o New app for monitoring biodiversity in Mongolia
o Local knowledge and science come together to protect their aquatic resources in Poilwa village of Nagaland
o Indo-German partnerships building a shared future for all life!
o Managing Forest Ecosystem Services to Combat Climate Change
o Digital Tools and Biodiversity
o Regenerative Agriculture: Hope for Saving Soils
» Climate Change Adaptation
o Shaping up for transformative change! Exchanges on the menu of solutions for common challenges
o Making Agriculture Climate Smart: Integrating finance with scaling-up climate-resilient technologies from small holder perspective in India
» Forest
o Informative Tour Focusing on Timber Regulations in the UK and FLEGT VPA in the European Union
o The 5th SMART Meeting — Building Up the Effective Application of the SMART Tool
o Change Management and Leadership training for local forest workers in Indonesia
o Applying paludiculture concept through farmer field school
o The Launch of the Project “Upscaling Sustainable Forest Management and Certification in Viet Nam – SFM”
o Success story: Vietnam ready for applying SMART in the national protected area system
» Hills to Ocean
o Turning tides in the Philippines
» Other
o New EbA e-learning course launched
Events, Trainings & Webinars
» Completed Events
o The Second National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Responsible Agriculture and Forestry Investment
o Asia Regional Group workshop “Updates on the Enhanced Transparency Framework and Improving Data Collection and Institutional Arrangements - A practical perspective for the AFOLU sector”
o 26th Partnership Meeting of the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
o Webinar series “How climate transparency arrangements matter at the national level – benefits of climate change reporting”
o The UNFCCC-GIR-CASTTT Programme on Greenhouse Gases (GHG) inventories
o Virtual Annual Partnership Retreat (APR)
o GIZ joined a panel discussion of G20 Agricultural Working Group (AWG)
o GIZ-SASCI supports implementation of West Kalimantan Action Plan for Sustainable Palm Oil
o First Edition of National Spice Conference: 6th and 7th October 2022
o Training of Trainers on facilitation skills and training design for wetlands management
o Community level stakeholder meetings at Bhitarkanika, Odisha
o Multi-stakeholder meetings for Integrated Management of Point Calimere Ramsar Site
o Participation of Leading Farmers’ Group in BIOFACH INDIA 2022 from Three Project States from 1st to 3rd September 2022
o Three Trainings in Tamil Nadu on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition: Linkages with the Health of Women Farmers Involved in Spice Production
o Multi-Stakeholder Workshop for Integrated Management of Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site
o Ecotourism in Bhitarkanika: Basic Eco-Guide Training for Boat Crew and Other Tourism Enablers of the Mangroves
o Sectoral Convergence for Integrated Wetlands Management in Himachal Pradesh
o Agroforestry in Bundelkhand: Workshop and Field Visit to Understand Priorities, Challenges and Opportunities
o National Workshop on Development of Implementer’s Toolkits for HWC-NAP and Guidelines for Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
o Conference of Panchayats (COP), Uttar Pradesh
» Upcoming Events
o 27th Meeting of the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
o 7th international EbA Community of Practice Workshop
o Current and Traditional Practices for the Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources
Documents & Publications
» David versus Goliath: Niche products and mainstream agricultural export commodities - to what extent do they promote sustainable development?
» Brochure: Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services project
» Factsheet: Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC) project
Other Newsletters, Useful Links & Platforms (news from other networks)
» FORCLIME Newsletter
» AdaptationCommunity.net
» GIZ International Forestry Policy Newsletter
» GIZ Philippines
» GIZ Thailand
» INA Newsletter
» Indo-German Biodiversity Programme Newsletter, Issue no. 19, June 2022
» Indo-German Biodiversity Programme Newsletter, Issue no. 20, August 2022
» Sector Network TUEWAS
» SNRD Africa
» Warta Keberlanjutan
Staff news
» Communication Advisor joins the NERAQ team
 
 
 
Spotlight
 
 
Joint Sector Networks Regional Conference 2022
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The Joint Sector Networks Regional Conference of SNRD Asia and the Pacific and TUEWAS was successfully held during 19-23 September 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. We had the pleasure of welcoming a total of 204 participants from 15 countries, mainly in Asia and the Pacific region, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. A well-balanced mix of AMAs, National Personnel, Development Workers and Integrated Experts, colleagues from GIZ Headquarters (Regional and Sectoral Departments) as well as external speakers made up our guests.

‘Transformative Change for Future-Readiness in Asia and the Pacific – Understand, Envision, Implement’ was chosen as this year’s theme as the Steering Committee agreed that the topic of transformation should be brought to our members’ attention, following the future strategy process conducted in 2020 influenced by the agenda 2030 and digitalisation to make SNRD Asia and the Pacific and TUEWAS future fit. To be “future-ready”, we need to understand what this means for the Asia and the Pacific region, we need to envision how to embrace and promote this change and how to find and implement best solutions.

The Conference agenda consisted of two days of plenaries; one day of small group discussions on current thematic topics and individual sector plenaries; and one day of reflection and networking activities. Via Microsoft Teams, several sessions are livestreamed to include online participants in the hope that the livestreaming would benefit those who could not travel to the venue due to the restriction on the number of physical participants on our part. Likewise, some speakers also joined discussions and gave presentations online, exuding the new normal feel in the room.

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Participants were encouraged to discuss topics, trends, challenges, and ideas related to the global paradigm shifts and transformational changes that lie ahead of us which will shape our work and cooperation in the coming years. This includes major political, economic and societal challenges to safeguard our living planet, such as green climate resilience, just transition, building back better and building green and circular economies, halting biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystems. Key cross-cutting topics, such as gender-transformative approaches, digitalisation, strengthening partnerships and alliances, were touched upon to ensure this change happens in an inclusive, effective, and sustainable way. Various methods, including Foresight Radar, Marketplace, Open Space Technology, Panel Discussion, TEDx and Pecha Kucha style presentation, were used to facilitate the exchange.

Here are the links to the results of the discussions and details on the methods. You can continue browsing through all of the presentations, photos and recordings from the Conference here or read more about the event in the Conference report.

We thank all participants for your engagement and contributions. We hope you had a wonderful and productive time during the Conference.
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Introducing the New Biodiversity Working Group Speakers
The Biodiversity Working Group is having its new Speakers. Viviane Meyer and Ritesh Sharma will take on the role from Carina van Weelden and Bastian Flury. Let us hear a few words from them:
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Biodiversity Working Group Speaker

Viviane Meyer — Junior Advisor Institutional Strengthening of the Biodiversity Sector in ASEAN (ISB II)

Partner Organisation: ASEAN Center for Biodiversity in Los Banos, Philippines

“Watching environmental documentaries in my teenage years I quickly was motivated to follow the “nature path”. After studying environmental management and agriculture I worked for a documentary company leading an international campaign on energy transition. Afterwards I joined a nature conservation foundation to campaign for the protection of pristine Romanian forests and a salt marsh in Montenegro. In my current position I get to know GIZ and partner structures and interesting projects on protected areas, the CBD processes and mainstreaming biodiversity. The new task as a speaker for the Biodiversity Working Group is an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge and network. I hope I will be able to satisfy the great responsibility to keep the WG as active as before.”

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Biodiversity Working Group Co-Speaker

Ritesh Sharma — Forestry and Biodiversity Advisor Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem services (FES)

Local and Provincial Economic Development (LPED) and Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems (GRAPE), Nepal

“Born in the Thar desert, An Ecologist by heart and a Forest Economist by Training; this phrase explains me as a Development Professional for the last eighteen years with Master in Forest Economics.

My professional focus has been to enable conservation practices with national policymakers, International bilateral agencies, Financial Institutes, Research Institutes, and communities in India (in the Himalayas, Thar, Western Ghats and Coastal) through demonstrating the techno-economic role of natural resources.

I have been associated with GIZ since almost a decade; have contributed to the successful implementation of TEEB India Initiative. I have contributed to Forest ecosystem service approach in two consecutive projects in Western Himalayas and have contributed development of new module on Nutrition based Agroforestry under Agro-ecology Light house. I have also gained hands-on experiences on Ecological Sensitive tourism projects in GIZ as well as on Climate Change adaptation model funded by KfW. I am confident that through new role as speaker in Biodiversity Working Group of SNRD we could contribute to our vision of co-creation by sharing technical expertise and their experiences across GIZ projects in Asian Pacific region. My experiences are available to all of you in fields of Incentive based mechanism, Environmental and Resource Economics, Land restoration, Rangeland Ecology, Econometrics, Impact monitoring system in NRM as well as Geo-hydrological systems. In office meetings, I am (ill)famous for cracking jokes and breaking the ice 😉 (so that you can pour some scotch over it in evening!)

On personal front, I am married to my beautiful wife Priyanka, and we are blessed with two children, Aranyaa and Hetarth.

I gain my peace of mind through Birdwatching, Nature photography and spirituality in my leisure time.”
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DPPD Masterclass: Local solutions against climate change
Development cooperation often still offers top-down solutions to partner countries and doesn’t focus enough on the potential of local knowledge and innovation. That’s why SNRD Asia and Pacific and SNRD Africa are working together with the GIZ Data Lab to offer a Masterclass on the Data Powered Positive Deviance (DPPD) method in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The DPPD method uses pre-existing, non-traditional data sources (e.g., satellite imagery, mobile data) to identify individuals or communities who, despite facing similar challenges and limitations, achieve better results than their peers (positive deviants). Amplifying and scaling the solutions of positive deviants can help shift from top-down solutions to focusing on a community’s inherent advantages, making solutions more likely to stick and less vulnerable to social rejection. The Masterclass is structured as a cohort-based course online format with a mix of live sessions, video lectures and individual mentoring.

Over the past five weeks, seven SNRD AP teams successfully developed their own DPPD use cases, focusing on unique development challenges ranging from wetland restoration in India to waste management in Indonesia. Now that the end of the Masterclass is approaching, we are looking forward to seeing some of the use cases potentially come to life in the future. More information on the Masterclass and its results can be found on the DPPD Liveblog.
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Farewell to Wilaiwan
Wilaiwan Photharam, or as many of us may know as Fah, joined Sector Networks Secretariat as an intern to support the organisation of the Joint Sector Networks Regional Conference in 2020 and later on as a Project Assistant. For the past couple of years, she has been a solid support for the team in reviving the members’ engagement, provide administrative support to the steering group and members and well as supporting facilitation of various virtual events, and recently, the physical conference. Everyone who has met her will know her by her kind and helpful nature. Her presence and friendliness will be missed by all of us. We wish her the best of luck in her future adventure.
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“Time flies truly fast.

Life in sector network is like a roller coaster for me. I booked front roll seat. Luckily, next seats are my lovely teammates. It was amazing experiences that I could not ask from other places. I have learned a lot and also perceived how dedicated that you had contributed through the sector network. You definitely inspired me in every single exchange. It was crystal clear when we have passed the Joint Sector Network Conference in Bangkok that these are distinctive added values for our works. The conversation and collaboration were so beautiful.

No matter what, I always admired that you have been shaping our future worth living around the world. I will keep all of these good memories in my deepest mind.

From now on, a hundred percent guaranteed that you will receive good support from my super team if I was no longer be in GIZ anymore.

Please contact me via wilaiwanphotharam@gmail.com

Thank you!"
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Updates, latest development & knowledge sharing
 
 
Agriculture
Sustainability is promising when your partners buy in!
The measures, knowledge and tools developed and implemented by the Coffee+ project have been sustained through enablement of each relevant partners and farmers from various government and non-government sectors in delivering the mutual goal. The mechanisms include institutionalisation, collaboration, and capacity development.

Improving smallholder coffee farming systems in Southeast Asia (Coffee+ Project) is a regional public – private partnership project (DeveloPPP) implemented through a strategic alliance between GIZ and Nestlé in the three countries namely, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. The project aims to improve the economic viability of 10,500 Small holder coffee farmers in the three countries: Indonesia (7,000), Philippines (1,500) and Thailand (2,000) through good farm management that are economic, environmentally friendly, valid and practicable. Read More
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Digital Innovations for Sustainable Future to Support ASEAN SMEs
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Speakers during “SMEs’ Digital Innovations towards Sustainable Future” topic on 8/8/2022. [GIZ / Diella Dachlan]

Together with network partners, the Indonesia Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (MCSME) promoted SME internationalisation by showcasing the ASEAN Access MATCH platform. This was through market talks and virtual business matching activities under the G20 Side Event: “Digital Economy to Support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” on 8 August 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. Read More

Contact Person
Yacinta Esti Wulan Wahyu Jati — Technical Advisor
ASEAN SMEs

Key buzzwords
matchmaking, aseanaccess, digitalisation, asean, business
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ASEAN kickstarts the ASEAN SME Policy Index 2024 Development
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Group photo of ASEAN SME officials during the event to update ASEAN SME Policy Index through a hybrid event from 26 – 27 July 2022 in Jakarta. [GIZ]

Fifty-five officials of the ASEAN Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) kicked started the development of an updated ASEAN SME Policy Index in Jakarta at the end of July 2022 (26-27 July). With a launching plan in 2024, the upcoming edition will examine recent developments and new trends impacting the SME policy landscape in Southeast Asia and the ten ASEAN Member States (AMS), among others, digitalisation and sustainable economic development. Read More

Contact Person
Yosthana Siphomsay — Component Leader
ASEAN Regional Economic Integration

Key buzzwords
policy, aseanaccess, digitalisation, asean, SMEs
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ASEAN-CRN embarks on defining net zero and low carbon emission pathways
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Participants shared their observations and takeaways during the climate policy negotiations training in Bali on days 2 and 3, 28-29 September 2022. [GIZ / Anggara Mahendra]

After energy, the agriculture sector is the second-biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in early November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, will continue the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) agenda item, highlighting the topic of agriculture and climate change. Read More

Contact Person
Moch Taufiqul Mujib
Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in ASEAN (ASEAN AgriTrade)

Key buzzwords
Climate, negotiation, COP27, net zero
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Policy Framework for Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN
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Mr Errol N. Perera, the lead expert and Ms Pouchamarn Wongsanga, Regional Component Leader, GIZ

Focusing on awareness raising and obtaining recommendations, the ASEAN Member States (AMS) representatives concluded the Workshop on ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Sustainable Agriculture in the first week of August 2022. Read More

Contact Person
Natasha Angsakulchai
Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in ASEAN (ASEAN AgriTrade)

Key buzzwords
Sustainable Agriculture, ASEAN, guidelines
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Advancing Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices and Innovations in the Southeast Asia Region
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[GIZ / Diella Dachlan]

From December 2021 to October 2023, the Agrinnovation Fund in ASEAN (AIF) and partners will implement 27 innovations, throughout various value chains in agriculture, from processing methods, incorporating climate-friendly approaches to digital solutions, involving 2,800 smallholder farmers in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam. Read More

Contact Person
Vivi Octavianty
Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains in ASEAN (ASEAN AgriTrade)

Key buzzwords
Nature-based Solutions, #climateactions, #climatechange, #climateresilience
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Bike tires now sourced from natural raw materials
Fostering sustainable rubber production in Indonesia
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Natural rubber production in Kapuas Hulu, Indonesia [GIZ / Canopy Indonesia]

While natural rubber is an industrial raw material of essential importance for 6 million smallholder families in the tropics, Indonesia is one of the largest producing countries. In the Kapuas Hulu region of West Kalimantan, the GIZ Global Programme "Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains" (ProAgriChains) is implementing a joint project with the tire manufacturer Continental AG. The project trains smallholder farmers in the region to produce high-quality natural rubber in compliance with clearly defined sustainability criteria. Through increased productivity and quality, the smallholder farmers benefit from a growing income. At the same time, environmental impacts are minimised, and the supply chain becomes transparent and traceable, supported by digital technologies. Recently, the project has reached an important milestone: since this summer, all newly produced tires in Continental's "Gravity" mountain bike tire product range contain responsibly sourced natural rubber from the joint project.

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Smallholder farmers in Kapuas Hulu, Indonesia [GIZ / Canopy Indonesia]

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Valerie Steinkamp — Advisor
Global Programme "Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains" (ProAgriChains)

Key buzzwords
Natural Rubber, Indonesia, Agricultural Supply Chains, Living Income
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A technological view on Indian cotton ginning at the Bremen Cotton Conference 2022
The cotton supply chain from shelf to field is often highly complex and fragmented. In India, about 6 million farmers are planting and harvesting the cotton that is used for shirts or bedsheets available in our shops. The project “Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains” in India works to increase the value addition from sustainable cotton production and to strengthen domestic supply chains for processing sustainable cotton. Read More

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Vanessa Berghoff — Advisor
Global Programme “Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains (ProAgriChains)”

Key buzzwords
Cotton, india
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Biodiversity
Participation of Leading Farmers’ Group in BIOFACH INDIA 2022 from Three Project States from 1st to 3rd September 2022
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Discussion of farmers on value addition for organic spices [GIZ/Poonam Pandey]

The DPPP Spices project of the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme facilitated the participation of leading farmers from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Kerala in BIOFACH India 2022, a Trade Fair and Exhibition for the Organic Industry of India that connects all industry key players for knowledge exchange. Over the course of three days, the farmer group interacted with various industry experts, NGOs, and businesses on different aspects of organic production and marketing practices supported under the project. Read more

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Poonam Pandey — Project Manager
Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmers’ Capacities in Sustainable Farming

Key buzzwords
BIOFACH India, Nürnberg Messe India, Organic Products, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala
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Learning Together - Global workshop series on Nature-based Solutions
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Workshop Series on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). [© GIZ / Gabriel Däßler]
 
Two online workshops on 1) Restoration of wetlands and Nature-based Solutions and 2) One-Health and Nature-based Solutions were organised in May and June 2022. One highlight was the observation that the restoration of wetlands provides a multitude of ecosystem services and directly contribute to NbS. Furthermore, ecosystem health has not yet been widely implemented, but remarkable potential for One Health exists, especially in Asia.

Nature-based Solutions gained considerable political attention within development cooperation and are playing an increasingly important role in international frameworks, such as the climate and biodiversity conventions. The workshops were jointly organised by the Biodiversity Working Group of SNRD AP and the Sector Programme Conservation of Biodiversity on Land with the support of many contributors from Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Having started last year with four related workshops, the overall aim of the series was to strengthen capacity development on NbS and enable practitioners to design, implement, and promote NbS in priority topics with a special focus on South-South cooperation and networking. In case you missed one of the workshops, you can find recordings and relevant materials by following the links below.

Link to full article

Link to further materials Contact persons
Carina van Weelden — Speaker
Biodiversity Working Group, SRND Asia and the Pacific
Carolin Frisch — Advisor
Sector Programme Conservation of Biodiversity on Land

Key buzzwords:
NbS, sustainable use, restoration of wetlands, One-Health, Ecosystems
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New app for monitoring biodiversity in Mongolia
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Overview of the Baigali app as well as download links. The app is available in Mongolian or English language.

BAIGALI (Eng. nature) is the name of the new mobile app, complemented by a website, on Mongolian biodiversity to inform citizens and engage them in biodiversity monitoring – the first of its kind in Mongolia. The Supporting Protected Areas for the Conservation of Ecosystem Services in Mongolia (SPACES) project has been supporting the development of these media since April 2020 and officially launched them at the end of May 2022. The app provides information on the different species, including photos, and their distribution in Mongolia. The website displays additional locations and pictures of sightings and invites everyone to identify observations. A special expert version of the app (“Baigali expert”) focuses on biodiversity monitoring in the field.

The app offers citizens the opportunity to improve their species knowledge, get support from national experts in identifying species and contribute actively to biodiversity monitoring. Additionally, considering the vast landscape of Mongolia, this data can help scientists to increase knowledge on occurrence and abundance of species in the country. Since the official launch of Baigali more than 1.600 registered users already submitted around 4.600 observations.

The ownership as well as maintenance of Baigali have officially been handed over from the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism to the newly established “Mongolian Biodiversity Foundation”. Founders of this foundation are Mongolia's most important environmental NGOs and scientists in the field of biodiversity.

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With the support of the SPACES project rangers have been trained in using the Baigali app for their biodiversity monitoring in the field. [Narangerel Yansanjav]

Link to further materials Contact Person
Thorsten Harder — Senior Advisor
Supporting Protected Areas for the Conservation of Ecosystem Services in Mongolia (SPACES)

Key buzzwords
biodiversity monitoring, Mongolia, citizen science, mobile app
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Local knowledge and science come together to protect their aquatic resources in Poilwa village of Nagaland
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The fast flowing Tepuiki River in Nagaland is rich in aquatic biodiversity [GIZ / Aja Zinyu]

As a transdisciplinary exercise, the pilot models of NERAQ Project bring together science, community and policy in a symbiosis. Read More

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Patricia Dorn — Project Manager
Protection and Sustainable Management of Aquatic resources in the North-Eastern Himalayan Region of India (NERAQ)

Key buzzwords
Aquatic Resources, Biodiversity, Northeast India, Nagaland, Climate Change, Traditional Knowledge, Tepuiki, river
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Indo-German partnerships building a shared future for all life!
International Biodiversity Day with MoEF&CC at Chennai
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Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change - Mr Bhupender Yadav; Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change - Mr Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority – Dr VB Mathur at the IDB exhibition in Chennai [©GIZ]

On the occasion of International Day for Biodiversity, 22nd May, 2022, a national event and exhibition was organised by the National Biodiversity Authority, Government of India. This initiative was supported by the Indo-German ABS partnership project (2016-2020). The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity announced Biodiversity Day 2022 slogan as: “Building a shared future for all life” to continue building momentum and support for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at the upcoming fifteenth UN Biodiversity - Conference of Parties (CBD-COP15).

The exhibition provided one such valuable space to discuss steps taken by the Indo-German cooperation projects implemented in the areas of sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity towards bending the curve of biodiversity loss.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh - Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak— Team Leader
Access and Benefit Sharing Partnership project

Key buzzwords
biodiversity, shared future, sustainable use, conservation
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Managing Forest Ecosystem Services to Combat Climate Change
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Forest in Himachal Pradesh [©GIZ / Aashima Negi]

Since the onset of the industrial revolution, forest ecosystems are being impacted with an increased pace due to direct or indirect drivers of change. Climate change is one of the prominent drivers affecting these ecosystems and their functions. In India, the adverse impacts of climate change on the country’s forests are increasingly visible. Considering this, the role of forest ecosystem services approach in tackling climate change is important and should cover both mitigation and adaptation strategies (Turner et al., 2009). The Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES) Project of the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme is contributing to build climate resilience as a co-benefit from its forestry related mitigation (afforestation etc.) and adaptation (technical and institutional capacity building, awareness creation etc.) oriented interventions and participatory approaches.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh - Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Sanjay Tomar — Team Leader
Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services project

Key buzzwords
climate change, ecosystem services, ecosystems, forests
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Digital Tools and Biodiversity
Developing digital tools for biodiversity conservation and management
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Wetlands of India Portal – a dynamic knowledge repository for Indian wetlands

Digitalisation brings many challenges to international cooperation, including inadequate infrastructure, a skills shortage and problems with IT security, but also many opportunities. It can be a game changer: it can change the framework conditions, provide networking opportunities beyond borders and open up new avenues for action. This has proven especially relevant during the coronavirus pandemic and will remain so after it.

The last few years have seen an increased need, interest and launch of many digital tools in India for outreach and governance. Some tools were developed under the ambit of the Indo-German partnership jointly with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD) in the thematic areas of sustainable use of biodiversity, forest ecosystem services, wetland management and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. While most tools were developed to help policymakers in effective decision-making by providing relevant and up-to-date information from the field, the others also created a space for discussion, exchange and citizen science.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh - Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme

Key buzzwords
Digitalisation, digital tools
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Regenerative Agriculture: Hope for Saving Soils
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Healthy soil is the cornerstone of a healthy community, and regenerative agriculture ensures it by focusing on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, supporting bio sequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil. To learn more, watch this animated film produced under the developPPP.de project on ‘Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmers’ Capacities in Sustainable Farming’.

Watch the film

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh - Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Poonam Pande — Advisor
Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmer’s Capacities in Sustainable Farming project
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Climate Change Adaptation
Shaping up for transformative change! Exchanges on the menu of solutions for common challenges
[Cross-cutting with Hills to Ocean Working Group]
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An open exchange among Asia Pacific projects on solutions for adaptive management

An open space session at the Joint SNRD-TUEWAS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, was facilitated to discuss menu of solutions to address challenges faced in facilitating transformative change. The session is part of a series of exchange among bilateral and regional GIZ projects to document old and new solutions (and ideas) that address the issues and challenges commonly encountered by the projects.

Common challenges and solutions in project implementation can be grouped into the following classification: temporal (timeline), conceptual (thematic/sectoral concerns), internal (within the project cooperation systems), and external (outside area of influence e.g., pandemic, disasters, wars, and other crises).

One of the key highlights of the discussion was on the sustained engagement of partners given the changing environment from politics to work-set up. The group shared experiences from their projects of sharing documents and assets, aligning interests, joint planning, enhancing connections through informal conversations, and expertise exchange.

The exchange of experiences demonstrates the importance of innovative, practical, and contextual solutions in facilitating development cooperation as we adapt to the changing environment. Documenting strategies and sharing through knowledge exchange fora is a meaningful practice on how projects can sustain up-to-date solutions to shape up for challenging times ahead.

Contact Person
Marion Daclan — Senior Advisor
E2RB Project
Mary Katherine Lao — Technical Advisor
HMCCC Project

Key buzzwords
#openspace #adaptivemanagement #strategydevelopment #transformativechange
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Making Agriculture Climate Smart: Integrating finance with scaling-up climate-resilient technologies from small holder perspective in India
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Farmers and users at workshops sharing their experiences of using few of the presented climate-resilient solutions [GIZ]

GIZ India is proactively connecting and engaging the three important stakeholders, community institutions, technology players, financial institutions to dialogue, discuss and develop models to bring-in financial linkages for climate-resilient technologies to be taken by small-holder farmers. For financial institutions this provides an opportunity to dwell on how they can marry climate resilient agriculture with their business growth, considering the climate risks due to extreme weather or other conditions like soil degradation. Many of these technologies are relatively new, and thus unknown to the financing world. Thus, there is a need for channels to familiarise the financial sector to the solutions. Read More

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Anindya Das — Junior Climate Change Advisor
Climate Adaptation and Finance in Rural India (CAFRI NABARD)

Key buzzwords
Climate Adaptation, Climate Resilient Agriculture, Adaptation Finance, Climate-Smart Technologies, Cost effective End-user financing
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Forest
Informative Tour Focusing on Timber Regulations in the UK and FLEGT VPA in the European Union
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Delegates visiting Weltholz Wood Import Company - Kloepfer Group and its timber warehouse in Germany. [©GIZ / To Thi Thu Huong]

To promote market and trade transformation towards ensuring legal timber value chains, an informative tour in the UK and European countries was organised in July 2022. Joining the tour were delegates from government agencies and timber associations of Viet Nam and Laos.

As a result, the participants have gained a more in-depth understanding of the import control systems’ function in the UK and Europe through joining the Chatham House Global Fund, and exchanges with relevant state agencies, associations, research institutes, NGOs, and timber companies. They also learned about these countries’ policies and how to effectively implement them to remove illegally attained wood from supply chains.

The lessons learned will be shared with the Timber Legality Assurance System development in Viet Nam and Laos, focusing on mutually supportive, legally binding import measures.

Contact Persons
Anja Barth — Chief Technical Advisor
Forests and Biodiversity
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The 5th SMART Meeting — Building Up the Effective Application of the SMART Tool
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Overview of the 5th meeting of the SMART Network [© GIZ / Le Thanh An]

The Viet Nam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) officially issued Decision No. 197 on the Process of implementing the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in special use and protected forests on July 4th, 2022. In order to provide more specific guidance for national parks influenced by this Decision, on August 17th, VNFOREST and GIZ organised the 5th meeting of the SMART Network with the participation of over 140 delegates.

The meeting specifically discussed the operational framework of the SMART network in Viet Nam within the context of the newly issued Decision 197. It also reached an agreement on the process of receiving feedback and updating the SMART data model, which is expected to be implemented in September of this year.

These efforts aim to promote the mass implementation, along with the synchronous and effective application of the SMART tool. This will undoubtedly serve to better assist in the management and protection of forests in Viet Nam.

Contact Persons
Anja Barth — Chief Technical Advisor
Forests and Biodiversity
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Change Management and Leadership training for local forest workers in Indonesia
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“It was not like any other training session that I have ever attended and has been very useful for us as leaders and future leaders.” was the impression of one of the participants that attended Change Management and Leadership training for local forest workers in easternmost part of Indonesia.

Forests and Climate Change Programme (FORCLIME) facilitated this training, aiming to prepare foresters to become future leaders in Tanah Papua, which is the easternmost island of Indonesia. Some of the topics covered in the training were organisational competence of leaders, managing teams, decision making, facing new challenges, and managing changes. Read More

Link to further materials

Contact Persons
Edy Marbyanto — Strategic Area Manager for Human Capacity Development
Forests and Climate Change Programme

Key buzzwords
Indonesia, Tanah Papua, leadership training, change management
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Applying paludiculture concept through farmer field school
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The paludiculture concept was introduced during the farmer field school in Atap village, Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan. The farmer field school was held in 4 series and started in September 2022. This activity was attended by 45 people from Forest Farmer Group (HKM Seribu Temunung and HKM Emplinit), representatives of village government, Sembakung Sub-district officer, and Nunukan Forest Management Unit. Flood is the limiting factor for the farmer which affects crop harvesting. This activity aims to enable the community to cultivate crops in a sustainable manner while maintaining the nature of peat ecosystem and secure the community livelihood.

During the field school, the participants were introduced to the main aspects of paludiculture i.e planting the local species with highly tolerant to peat environment, soil management, species/commodities selection, and usage of organic fertiliser. The paddy species which is tolerant to the inundated area is locally called siam unus. The participant is enthusiastic to learn more about the paddy strain since their area regularly flooded. The head of the village, Mr Tahir, stated that “the community experienced difficulties in managing peatlands due to a lack of knowledge about cultivation on peatlands and this bring disadvantage economically to them. We express our gratitude to the development partner for valuable knowledge.

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Contact Persons
Novita Andes Nurdiana — Advisor on Community-Based Peatland Management Peatland Rehabilitation and Management Project (Propeat)

Key buzzwords
Paludiculture, social forestry group, peatland
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The Launch of the Project “Upscaling Sustainable Forest Management and Certification in Viet Nam – SFM”
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The event welcomed 70 delegates from the MBFP, the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST), representatives of the three partnering provinces and international development partners. [©GIZ / Pham Phuong Thao]

The kick-off event on 26 July 2022 marked the official launch of the project "Upscaling Sustainable Forest Management and Certification in Vietnam (SFM)" in Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen. The event was held in combination with the fruitful Project Planning Meeting that happened on the previous day. The 70 delegates that attended were provided with a clear project overview and introduced to potential on-site forestry interventions that the project can support.

The SFM project started in 2021 and will be implemented up until 2024. It will be working at national as well as provincial level, focusing on the provinces Quang Tri, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen in order to assist Viet Nam in its transition to sustainable, climate-friendly forest management. The approach is to shift the current practices to longer rotation times and more diverse forests. This will generate further benefits in terms of climate resilience and the economics associated with forestry. Additionally, it will improve biodiversity and the livelihood of people.

Contact Persons
Anja Barth — Chief Technical Advisor
Forests and Biodiversity
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Success story: Vietnam ready for applying SMART in the national protected area system
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Officer Pham Xuan Dam of Forest Protection Department using a drone to check forest fires [©GIZ / Binh Dang]

The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is applied in many countries across Asia Pacific. SMART contributes to improving efficiency in biodiversity monitoring and conservation. Vietnam has developed a standardised data model, manuals and training curriculum, which are available for scale up throughout the entire system of protected areas. This is well coordinated by the national SMART network constituted of different authorities and development partners. The recently issued national guidelines on the unified application of SMART enshrines the use of SMART in the protected areas system. Is your country also applying SMART? Reach out for an exchange!

Link to full story

Contact Persons
Anja Barth — Chief Technical Advisor
Forests and Biodiversity
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Hills to Ocean
Turning tides in the Philippines
Reduction of plastic leakage into Manila Bay
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One of the 22 MRFs rehabilitated by the project (before the project) [Katherine C. Viñegas]

The Philippines is the third largest contributor of mismanaged plastic waste into the ocean, with 0.28 to 0.75 million tons annually. (Jambeck et. al. 2015). Much of these plastic wastes entering the ocean is attributed to the coastal communities in urban areas, such as Metro Manila. The Reducing Plastic Leakage into the Ocean Project, a development partnership with Holcim and GIZ, aimed to improve land-based waste management to prevent plastic leakage into the Manila Bay by applying environmentally and socially sound waste management solutions. Read More

Link to further materials
Contact Person
Katherine C. Viñegas — Senior Advisor
Reducing Plastic Leakage into the Ocean (finished)
Institutional Strengthening of the Biodiversity Sector in the ASEAN

Key buzzwords
Marine litter, Manila Bay, Philippines
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Others
New EbA e-learning course launched
Grow your knowledge with us!
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EbA course card [GIZ, IUCN, IISD]

A new e-learning course on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), developed by GIZ, IUCN and IISD was launched recently on October 4. The course already has more than 2000 enrollments, with numbers continuously increasing. Read More

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Ms. Luise Richter — Advisor
Global Project Mainstreaming EbA, GIZ

Key buzzwords
EbA, Ecosystembasedadaptation, EbACommunity, NaturebasedSolutions, nature, elearning, MOOC
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Events, Trainings & Webinars
 
 
Completed Events
The Second National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Responsible Agriculture and Forestry Investment
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Building on the success of the first Dialogue in 2021, this year’s event convened stakeholders with the aim to review the progress of implementation of responsible investments in agriculture and forestry in Lao PDR, exchange experiences and discuss responsibilities to foster collaboration efforts.

Representatives from national and local government, the private sector, local communities, CSOs, academia and the international donor community shared approaches to strengthen responsible governance and implementation of land investments and reflected on arising opportunities and challenges and the changing investment environment in Laos. Special focus was on local awareness raising, participatory and inclusive consultation processes, investors engagement and capacity building, land allocation for investments, contractual arrangements, grievance redress mechanisms and tools for investment project monitoring.

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The dialogue took place as hybrid meeting, garnering over 220 participants in total. It also included an exhibition on good practices on responsible agricultural and forestry investment and a reflection session on lessons learned from 10 years of implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT).

The event was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and supported by GIZ. Thematic contributions were made by MPI and MAF and its local line agencies, the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the FAO, the Mekong Region Land Governance project, Village Focus International, GIZ and selected discussants.

The event was organised by the “Promoting Responsible Governance of Investments in Land” project co-funded by BMZ and the EU.

Date 15-16 September 2022
Time 2 full days
Location Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

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Link to further materials

Contact Person
Visakone Thammavong — Communications Advisor
Lao-German Land Programme (Lao-German Land Programme consists of projects ELTeS, RGIL, LMDP, ILM-MR)
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Asia Regional Group workshop “Updates on the Enhanced Transparency Framework and Improving Data Collection and Institutional Arrangements - A practical perspective for the AFOLU sector”
Image The Secretariat of the of Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA) convened a three-day workshop for the Asia Regional Group to provide detailed updates on the outcomes of the negotiations at COP26 on the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) and share information and guidance on various methods and tools used to collect and report on GHG emissions and removals from the AFOLU sector.

About 90 participants attended the event to learn and exchange on best practices in the application of various tools and methods to improve activity data collection in the land use sector and enhance the capacities for national reporting on mitigation action in the land use sector. Peer-to-peer learning was facilitated on exploring the challenges and solutions for the transition from the current MRV system under the UNFCCC to the ETF of the Paris Agreement.

Key takeaways can be found here

Date 5 - 7 April 2022
Location Virtual

Link to further materials Contact Person
Roziya Kirgizbekova — Advisor/Asia Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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26th Partnership Meeting of the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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The Secretariat of the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA) hosted its 26th Partnership meeting on the side-lines of the 56th Subsidiary Bodies Meeting in Bonn, Germany.

This year’s Partnership Meeting brought together more than 80 negotiators and practitioners from partner countries and international organisations to exchange on the issue of global and national benefits of climate reporting and the related challenges, opportunities and needs of the countries for transitioning to the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement.

All the participants were invited to share views and experiences on the global and national benefits of climate reporting and the relevant challenges and needs through an open and facilitated exchange. Representative of Germany, Republic of Korea, South Africa, United Kingdom, Panama, Dominican Republic, and international organisations took the floor to share their insights and experiences.

More information on the partnership meeting and key takeaways of the event can be found here: link

Date 8 June 2022
Location Bonn, Germany

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Roziya Kirgizbekova — Advisor/Asia Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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Webinar series “How climate transparency arrangements matter at the national level – benefits of climate change reporting”
On the 26 July, The UNFCCC secretariat, and the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) organised regional webinar on the national benefits of climate change reporting for the Asia and the Pacific region.

The Webinar aimed to showcase the potential national benefits of climate transparency and discuss processes and approaches that might be useful to deliver the national benefits of climate transparency, as well as discuss often seen challenges to deliver the national benefits of climate transparency and possible ways to address them. The Secretariat of Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA) presented the publication National Benefits of Climate Reporting to showcase different benefits that countries can derive from climate reporting supported with country examples.

More information on the webinar: Webinar series “How climate transparency arrangements matter at the national level – benefits of climate change reporting"

Date 26 July 2022
Time 6:30 - 7:30 GMT
Location Virtual

Link to further materials Contact Person
Roziya Kirgizbekova — Advisor/Asia Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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The UNFCCC-GIR-CASTTT Programme on Greenhouse Gases (GHG) inventories
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The UNFCCC-GIR-CASTTT Programme on Greenhouse Gases (GHG) inventories was a professional training on GHG inventories for national experts from developing countries. It was jointly organised by the Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center of Korea (GIR), the Secretariat of UNFCCC and the Partnership on Transparency in Paris Agreement (PATPA).

The programme brought together 31 selected participants from 25 countries, including from Asia, Africa, Latin America and representing ministries, governmental agencies, education, and research institutions. During an intensive three-week training the participants, of which more than 60% were women, learned about the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement, basics of national inventory report, emissions projections, as well as dedicated sessions on sector GHG emissions and MRV methodologies for the AFOLU sector, Energy, IPPU and waste sectors and preparation of Biennial Update Reports (BUR) and National Communications (NC).

Each session was supplemented with hands-on trainings and country case studies to provide a space for knowledge and experience exchange between the participants.

Date 25 July - 12 August 2022
Location Seoul, South Korea

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Roziya Kirgizbekova — Advisor/Asia Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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Virtual Annual Partnership Retreat (APR)
With the proximity of COP 27, to be held in Egypt in November this year, the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA), on behalf of its founding partners – the Republic of Korea, the Republic of South Africa, and the Federal Republic of Germany – has hosted its Annual Partnership Retreat. The event, which usually precedes each COP, was held on September 20th-22nd and offered an informal space for countries to discuss amongst each other topics pertinent to the negotiations and implementation of the agreed rules on transparency.

The meeting sessions were comprised of the following themes:
  • Day 1: Building momentum for the ETF: National and global benefits of climate transparency.
  • Day 2: Continuous improvement towards the ETF and beyond: Major tasks and challenges for an effective transition to the ETF.
  • Day 3: Voluntary review of adaptation reporting at COP27 and digesting the MPGs on NDCs and support.
The event’s target audience was UNFCCC transparency negotiators from both developing and developed countries, policymakers and practitioners working on climate transparency topics, such as reporting and GHG inventories, and representatives from international organisations.

Date 20 – 22 September 2022
Location Virtual

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Catarina Tarpo — Advisor/Anglophone Africa Regional Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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GIZ joined a panel discussion of G20 Agricultural Working Group (AWG)
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Opened by Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the discussion in AWG demanded joint movement and commitment from the G20 countries to take immediate action and accelerate the transformation of agricultural food systems. Mr. Per Rasmussen represented GIZ Indonesia in a panel discussion, together with IFAD, IFPRI/CGIAR, and the Japanese Ministry of International Affairs, and moderated by FAO, on the topic: “Leveraging Digital Agriculture and Revitalizing the Role of Women and Youth towards Agriculture Entrepreneurship.”

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Date 27 September 2022
Time All day
Location Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia

Contact Person
Per Rasmussen — AV SASCI and DV BioFrame Pilot Project
Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (SASCI)
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GIZ-SASCI supports implementation of West Kalimantan Action Plan for Sustainable Palm Oil
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Supporting Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative (UNDP-SPOI) on Forum Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (Palm Oil Initiatives - Indonesia Palm Oil Platform (foksbi.id)), GIZ-SASCI initiated and supported data consolidation related to the implementation of West Kalimantan Provincial Action Plan for sustainable palm oil. Data and information collected by different organisations were shared and consolidated among the government, development agency, non-government organisation, farmer association, and palm oil company. Two days of meetings were attended by 25 and 35 participants respectively, and the results data were consolidated among the FOKSBI members on monthly basis and agreed to have a regular quarterly meeting.

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Date 10 - 11 August 2022
Location Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Per Rasmussen — AV SASCI and DV BioFrame Pilot Project
Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (SASCI)
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First Edition of National Spice Conference: 6th and 7th October 2022
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Presentation on DPP Spices Project [©GIZ/Dr. Rajpurohit]

GIZ DPP spices project in collaboration with World Spice Organisation (WSO) and IDH - the sustainable trade initiative of Netherlands, organised a two-day National Spice Conference on 6th and 7th Oct in Mumbai to tackle the challenges regarding overall food safety. The conference witnessed the presence of over 300 delegates, including 100 farmers, along with other key government and industry stakeholders. The theme for the conference was “Food Safe Spices: Getting the Basics Right" and it consisted of FPOs, farmer groups, retailers, traders, exporters, and other service providers. The conference discussed emerging trends in food safety regulations, changing consumer and demand patterns, ground-level challenges for sustainability and biodiversity, innovations, and new trends in value chain partnerships.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Poonam Pande — Advisor
Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmer’s Capacities in Sustainable Farming project

Key buzzwords
food safe spices, food safety, Indian spices
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Training of Trainers on facilitation skills and training design for wetlands management
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Training of trainers for wetlands management - World Café in progress [© GIZ / Yaiphaba]

In consultation with MoEFCC and State Wetland Authorities, state-level institutions have been identified namely, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, Chilika Development Authority and Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment. These institutes will conduct specific trainings on wetlands management for different stakeholder groups in the respective states and help formulise a scalable wetlands management training plan for the country.

An inception meeting was held in Bhubaneswar, on 28th September 2022 followed by a three-day long Training of Trainers (ToT) where participants learned and applied various brainstorming and group work methods; participated in and conducted icebreaking sessions; and developed and demonstrated training plans.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands
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Community level stakeholder meetings at Bhitarkanika, Odisha
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Fisherfolks engaged in the community dialogues for Bhitarkanika’s wise use and management [© GIZ / Shambhavi]

The Mangrove Forest Division (WL), Rajnagar - Odisha, in collaboration with Odisha State Wetland Authority and GIZ have prepared the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for Bhitarkanika, in line with the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA), a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Consultations with various stakeholders is vital to formulate optimal management responses and identify areas for convergence to achieve wise use of wetlands.

For Bhitarkanika IMP, stakeholder consultations were organised on 23rd, 24th and 25th September 2022, with fisherfolk, farmers and Panchayati Raj Institutes, respectively. These stakeholder groups were from the representative villages in Kendrapada district and were invited to discuss the challenges in wetland management, and their vision for the future.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands, stakeholder consultations, integrated management
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Multi-stakeholder meetings for Integrated Management of Point Calimere Ramsar Site
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Stakeholder meeting at Thiruvarur [GIZ / TNFD]

The Wildlife Division (Tamil Nadu Forest Department), in collaboration with Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) and GIZ, have prepared the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, the first Ramsar site to be designated in Tamil Nadu. This IMP describes the strategies and actions needed to achieve its wise use, through a cross-sectoral approach involving stakeholders such as Water Resources, Fisheries, Agriculture, Rural Development, Pollution Control, and Panchayats, among others.

In this context, two stakeholder meetings were organised with the government line departments in Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts on 13th and 14th September 2022, respectively, to discuss the integrated management plan (IMP) and finalise joint management actions.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands, integrated management, stakeholder consultations
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Participation of Leading Farmers’ Group in BIOFACH INDIA 2022 from Three Project States from 1st to 3rd September 2022
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Discussions underway [©GIZ / Poonam Pandey]

The DPPP Spices project of the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme facilitated the participation of leading farmers from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Kerala in BIOFACH India 2022, a Trade Fair and Exhibition for the Organic Industry of India that connects all industry key players for knowledge exchange. Over the course of three days, the farmer group interacted with various industry experts, NGOs, and businesses on different aspects of organic production and marketing practices supported under the project.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Poonam Pande — Advisor
Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmer’s Capacities in Sustainable Farming project

Key buzzwords
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, organic products
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Three Trainings in Tamil Nadu on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition: Linkages with the Health of Women Farmers Involved in Spice Production
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Thalavadi [GIZ / Vignesh Moha]

Given the role of Biodiversity in forming the basis of agriculture, and women farmers the backbone of it, the DPP GIZ-AVT McCormick project organised three trainings on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition: Linkages with the Health of Women Farmers involved in Spice Production in Thalavadi, Erode and Gobi blocks of the Erode district of Tamil Nadu with turmeric farmers. Women farmers enthusiastically participated in the group activities and shared their valuable knowledge about various local species of plants and their nutritional and health benefits as well as their medicinal properties, along with industry experts who taught them about the importance of a diversified and balanced diet.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Poonam Pande — Advisor
Enhancement of Smallholder Spice Farmer’s Capacities in Sustainable Farming project

Key buzzwords
Tamil Nadu, Erode, Women farmers, balanced diet, biodiversity
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Multi-Stakeholder Workshop for Integrated Management of Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site
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IMP discussions underway [©GIZ / Harsh Ganapati / WISA]

The Wetlands Project together with Himachal Pradesh State Wetland Authority (HPSWA), Wildlife Division (Himachal Pradesh Forest Department) and Wetlands International South Asia (WISA), has drafted an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for Pong Dam Lake, in line with National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA). It aims to maintain and improve the habitats to sustain biodiversity including migratory waterbirds, as well as ecosystem services such as water supply, hydropower, buffer against extremes, tourism, and support wetland-dependent livelihoods in a sustainable manner.

In this context, a one-day workshop was organised at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner Kangra in Dharamshala to discuss management responses and identify areas for joint actions for Pong Dam Lake Ramsar Site. Workshop participants comprised of representatives from various district-level line departments, including district administration, tourism, fisheries, forest, rural development, agriculture, pollution control board, Jal Shakti Vibhag, disaster management, and police.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands, integrated management, stakeholder consultations
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Ecotourism in Bhitarkanika: Basic Eco-Guide Training for Boat Crew and Other Tourism Enablers of the Mangroves
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Session in progress in Bhitarkanika environs [© GIZ / Shambhavi]

As the boating operations in Bhitarkanika resume and the site also re-opens for visitors, a basic eco-guide training was conducted for the boat crew and tourism-associated staff from 25th to 29th July 2022, under the Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project. The training, conducted along with Mangrove Forest (Wildlife) Division, The Naturalist School and APOWA, was an experiential, hands-on learning experience designed to provide hands-on training, practical information on the ecological and geographical significance of the Bhitarkanika landscape and wildlife, along with tourist facilitation skills. The trainees included boatpersons ferrying the tourists and other staff associated with tourism in Bhitarkanika, all from the villages surrounding the area, and Forest Department staff.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands, ecotourism, tourist facilitation
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Sectoral Convergence for Integrated Wetlands Management in Himachal Pradesh
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Community-level stakeholder consultation at Taran village near Renuka lake [©GIZ / People’s Science Institute]

The Wetlands Project has developed draft Integrated Management Plans (IMP) for two Ramsar sites in Himachal Pradesh – Pong Dam and Renuka wetlands. These plans are supported by assessments on hydrology, ecosystem services and livelihoods, as well as an analysis of climate risk on key wetlands features, keystone species and ecosystem services. At the district level, two introductory stakeholder meetings were held under the chairpersonship of the Deputy Commissioners of Kangra and Sirmaur with participation of key line departments such as Forest (Wildlife), Tourism, Fisheries, State Pollution Control Board, Rural Development and Jal Shakti Vibhag (JSV) on 18 and 22 July, respectively.

These meetings will be followed by multi-stakeholder consultations at district level to incorporate suggestions into the final wetland IMPs. In addition, stakeholder consultations are also being held with local communities and stakeholders, and all these would inform the state level consultation to be held in Shimla.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Geetha Nayak — Team Leader
Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project

Key buzzwords
wetlands, integrated management, stakeholder consultations
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Agroforestry in Bundelkhand: Workshop and Field Visit to Understand Priorities, Challenges and Opportunities
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©GIZ/Aashima Negi

Unsustainable agriculture has become one of the major challenges in the drylands of the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). Farmers face various issues in the production, protection and marketing of their produce while soil fertility also declines due to increasing land degradation. Considering this aspect, a one-day workshop on ‘Understanding Priorities, Challenges and Opportunities for Agroforestry in Bundelkhand Region’ was organised at Jhansi, Madhya Pradesh, on 17 June by the Indo-German “Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES)” Project. The workshop was oriented towards officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the U.P. Forest Department. The workshop intended to highlight the role and integration of agroforestry in enhancing farmers’ income and increasing risk-bearing capacities.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Sanjay Tomar — Team Leader
Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services project

Key buzzwords
agroforestry, soil conservation
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National Workshop on Development of Implementer’s Toolkits for HWC-NAP and Guidelines for Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
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©GIZ

To support implementation of India’s ‘National HWC Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan (HWC-NAP) and Guidelines’ a 2-day hybrid workshop was organised on June 7-8, 2022 in Delhi at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) jointly by MoEFCC and GIZ under the Indo-German project on ‘Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation’ in India. A consulting firm ‘DEVOPSYS’ is supporting the project in this process. Over 43 participants joined the two day workshop from the domains of policymaking, forestry, media, wildlife, agriculture, disaster management, veterinary, capacity development and communication. During the workshop, the participants worked on developing the structure of the implementer’s toolkits for strategic priorities of HWC NAP, implementation and monitoring framework and guidelines through a process of intensive brainstorming and discussions.

Link to further information

Contact Person
Ravindra Singh — Programme Director
Indo-German Biodiversity Programme
Dr Neeraj Khera — Team Leader
Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC) project
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Conference of Panchayats (COP), Uttar Pradesh
The Indo-German development cooperation project ‘Climate Adaptation and Finance in Rural India (CAFRI)’ is working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) to establish a network of local actors and local governance institutions bodies (panchayats) to promote on climate change adaptation. As part of this effort, the project has supported the development of a framework for resilient village planning and further piloted climate and disaster resilient village planning in selected rural areas of state. To further strengthen the response and to promote learning and exchange among the panchayats, GoUP along with technical support of CAFRI organized the Conference of Panchayats (COP) on 05 June 2022 at Lucknow, which brought together 58,000 village panchayats and relevant state stakeholders at one stage.

Date 5 June 2022
Time 10 am onwards
Location Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Link to further materials

Contact Person
Kirtiman Awasthi — Senior Policy Advisor
Climate Adaptation and Finance in Rural India (CAFRI)
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Upcoming Events
27th Meeting of the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
The 27th Partnership Meeting is to take place in the frameworks of the COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The Meeting will reflect on the work of PATPA in 2022, with a focus on key insights collected at the recent Annual Partnership Retreat of PATPA and their relevance for the overarching goal of the COP Presidency to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The participants will be invited to reflect jointly on how negotiations result in transparency are being applied in practice by countries and to assess which guidance practitioners may need in the near future. Further, the Meeting will provide an opportunity for participants to identify priority areas in transparency that PATPA could support in 2023.

In addition, it provides PATPA members and newcomers with networking opportunities, and informal discussions outside of the UNFCCC negotiations.

Date 10 November 2022
Time 18:30 - 22:00 (Egypt time)
Location Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Contact Person
Roziya Kirgizbekova — Advisor/Asia Group Coordinator
Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement
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7th international EbA Community of Practice Workshop
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7th International EbA Community of Practice [GIZ]

The IKI-funded and GIZ-implemented Global Project Mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is delighted to invite you to attend the 7th international EbA Community of Practice Workshop happening on 23rd - 24th November 2022. Themed “The Future of the EbA CoP – looking back, taking stock and planning ahead” – this is a hybrid event in Bonn and online.

The objectives of the event are to exchange learning to foster and improve the implementation of your EbA work, provide insights into, and discussions on, the current and future developments of EbA.

Please forward this invitation to your colleagues as deemed suitable. Registration deadline is October 28th.

Date 23 – 24 November 2022
Time 23rd November: 14:00-19:00, 24th November: 09:00-13:30
Location Online

Link to join the workshop

Contact Person
Ms. Erinda Pubill Panen — Advisor
Global Project Mainstreaming EbA, GIZ
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Current and Traditional Practices for the Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources
The workshop will bring together leading researchers, civil society and policy makers working in the field of traditional ecological knowledge on aquatic resources in North-East-India and abroad. It will focus on understanding current ongoing work in this field and will identify which further strategy and actions are needed to successfully integrate traditional and local knowledge for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Management in Aquatic Ecosystems in both research and management on the ground.

Date 24 - 25 November 2022
Location Kohima Science College, Kohima, Nagaland, India

Contact Person
Patricia Dorn — Project Manager NERAQ project
Protection and Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources in the North-Eastern Himalayan Region of India
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Documents & Publications
 
 
David versus Goliath: Niche products and mainstream agricultural export commodities - to what extent do they promote sustainable development?
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The study examines the differences between globally traded agricultural commodities and domestic niche products with regard to the economic, ecological and social impact on the region of origin. The results provide new indications for making supply chains more sustainable and offer a useful basis for discussion for future projects.

Link to Publication
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Brochure: Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services project
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The brochure covers the ‘Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services (FES)’ project that is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), State Forest Departments of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) from 2021 – 2023. The project aims to strengthen forest and agroforest management to integrate the Forest Ecosystems (FES) approach with emphasis on water availability.

Link to Publication
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Factsheet: Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC) project
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The Factsheet covers the ‘Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation’ (HWC) project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and State Forest Departments of Karnataka, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The project aims at providing technical support at the national level, and effective implementation of HWC mitigation measures in selected states of India. The project pilot sites are Haridwar Forest Division and adjoining landscape including Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, Gorumara Wildlife Division in West Bengal, and Kodagu Forest Circle in Karnataka.

Link to Publication
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Other Newsletters, Useful Links & Platforms
 
 
FORCLIME Newsletter - This monthly newsletter is a medium for sharing with partners and wider stakeholders about our Forests and Climate Change Programme (FORCLIME) activities in Indonesia.

AdaptationCommunity.net - The Global Programme Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change (HMCCC) have launched a global website, a subpage on Climate Change and Migration under the AdaptationCommunity.net. Please click the link for an introduction to the topic of climate change-induced human mobility, publications, and other resources. The global programme operates in the Pacific Islands, the Philippines and the Caribbean, and is supported by a team in Bonn.

GIZ International Forestry Policy Newsletter - Subscribe now to get news and updates on GIZ International Forest Policy. If you would like to receive the GIZ International Forest Policy Newsletter, please send a message to forests@giz.de

GIZ Philippines - Get updated on GIZ Philippines and Pacific

GIZ Thailand - Learn about GIZ Thailand activities and other updates

INA Newsletter - Read news from the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA), an association of players from within the private sector, civil society, and politics.

Indo-German Biodiversity Programme Newsletter, Issue no. 19, June 2022 - This bi-monthly newsletter is a service by the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme (IGBP). The newsletter features project updates from across India and interesting thematic articles on the challenges of biodiversity conservation and management from the IGBP projects. Subscribe here.

Indo-German Biodiversity Programme Newsletter, Issue no. 20, August 2022 - This bi-monthly newsletter is a service by the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme (IGBP). The newsletter features project updates from across India and interesting thematic articles on the challenges of biodiversity conservation and management from the IGBP projects. Subscribe here.

Sector Network TUEWAS - Sector Network Transport, Environment, Energy, and Water in Asia. Click here to subscribe to TUEWAS Newsletter!

SNRD Africa - Stay informed what is happening with our sister network

Warta Keberlanjutan - A communication platform to share SASCI (Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains in Indonesia) and SASCI+ (Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains in Indonesia) projects’ updates to the partners and stakeholders. Warta Keberlanjutan covers updated both projects’ activities and progress on a quarterly basis, and six editions have been produced since May 2021. The newsletter is available and shared in printed and pdf versions to strategic project partners and relevant stakeholders.

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STAFF NEWS
 
 
Communication Advisor joins the NERAQ team
Ms Usha Dewani Das is a communication professional with about 13 years’ experience in varied forms of media - text, photographs, film and social media in the development sector, particularly in issues concerning the environment, climate change, agriculture and gender. She has recently joined NERAQ team as Communication Advisor.
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Bangkok 2022
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