December 22, 2019

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Land is an important resource for humanity as livelihoods depend on it. Humans utilize land to sustain livelihoods, but it is degraded partly because of the increasing human population and climate change, among other factors. Land degradation is thus a threat that needs to be addressed globally, partly through restoration. Within Eastern Africa, as is…

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South African grasslands are rich in flora and have co-evolved with fire. Fires have been the primary tool used to manage grasslands for livestock production for many years, however, there is debate about how they impact and alter landscapes. There are two schools of thought in the literature, one that states fires are detrimental to…

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Fire regimes that deviate from inferred historical norms are a management concern in biodiverse, fire-prone regions.  Plant communities are considered to have been historically filtered by a specific fire regime, generating a community of species with life history traits linked to that regime.  If the filter (i.e., fire regime) is changed, specialized or endemic species…

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Most tropical forests are threatened by a myriad of human-induced disturbances associated with land use changes, altered fire regimes, and direct deforestation. The combined effect of multiple disturbances can shift forests towards a new, resilient state that is qualitatively distinct in structure, species composition, and function. We found that abandoned pastures affected by fires showed…

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The unprecedented levels of degradation of the Earths ecosystems can be seen from space.  Anthropogenic and natural impacts have altered vital ecosystems and the services they provide for humans and nature. The recognition that self-sustaining and functional ecosystems are vital for our collective human wellbeing formed the premise behind the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration….

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The Baviaanskloof catchment in the Eastern Cape of South Africa encompasses the Kouga and Baviaanskloof mountains and is comprised of private farms surrounded by the largest wilderness area in South Africa. The catchment is a source of water for the agriculturally significant Gamtoos Valley as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay municipal area. As part…

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The increasing complexity between individual land management, farming area scarcity, and water availability is of emergent concern in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural production requires huge natural resources, which is why decision-makers have to consider the demand and supply of food, energy and water. Applying the three elements in an action concept allows to identification of synergetic…

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With limited water resources, there is increasing demand on water from various stakeholders in Iraq. Upstream stakeholders use the water for agriculture using sumerian flood irrigation techniques. These irrigation techniques were adequate when there was a flood pulse that healed the farmlands from salt, however, with building dams upstream, floods have stopped and the agricultural…

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The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus framework considers tradeoffs between food, energy, and water sectors in order to achieve effective, integrated solutions to natural resource challenges. Despite the capacity of restoration to address challenges at the intersection of human and ecological systems, and the acknowledgement of the central importance of ecosystem services to FEW systems, restoration has…

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Increasing awareness among governments, companies, and financial institutions has spurred interest in ‘green’ labeled bonds and other investment vehicles as a mechanism to reduce risk and increase sustainability. Commonly used as long-term debt instruments, green bonds are issued by governments, companies, and other institutions to finance or re-finance assets or activities with environmental benefits. They…