This newsletter issue provides details of the IDRC implementation of a project in Ethiopia and Uganda in scaling sustainable land management (SLM) innovations, for positive and timely outcomes for livelihoods, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. Research evidence has shown that farmers in the region can increase their farm productivity by up to 5 times upon adoption of SLM innovations. In scaling-up, the project will pay particular attention to policy and institutional processes.

Scaling up is not just about technology transfer but a critical understanding of the needs and visions of farmers as well. Despite the success of pilot projects for Integrated Natural Resource Management implemented in the study area, effect and uptake of the pilot tested innovations have been insignificant. This study assesses implications of adopting Innovative Platforms (IP) as a means of accelerating uptake and utilization of sustainable land management (SLM) technologies in the highlands of eastern Uganda.

The core of this successful climate change adaptation project is the quarterly climate change preparedness workshops conducted every 3 months. These provide a platform for reporting back to the larger community, to share new ideas with fellow farmers and scientists, and to plan next steps. Through a case study of Rooibos tea growers, this paper documents a community-based climate change adaptation project in the Suid Bokkeveld district of South Africa.

The objective was to improve agricultural productivity and increase rural income and

Land degradation is severe in the steep sloping highlands in eastern Africa; natural resource management is central to good governance and increasing enfranchisement of rural people. Devolution, the transfer of roles, responsibilities and rights of natural resource management to institutions and communities has proved effective in accelerating adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) innovations beyond pilot sites. The SLM technologies practiced in the area include the use of trenches, contour bunds, terraces and agro forestry.

Key challenges encountered while operationalizing the African Highlands Initiative (AHI) devolution model are linked to coordination management, with issues arising out of collaboration processes. Capacity at local government level is weak and characterized by high turnover of staff. Joint visioning, planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, are essential. Team building skills, leadership, and systems thinking are required.

This e-newsletter issue argues for the prioritization of Sustainable Land management (SLM), given the dependency of the livelihoods of local communities on land and land resources. There are existing legal and legislative frameworks for citizens’ participation in decision making and development, however practice to date does not reflect effective participation of districts in central government planning, and sub-counties in district level planning. The report outlines barriers to policy development and practices as well as reparative policy reform proposals.

Within the ecosystem services framework, cultural ecosystem services (CES) have rarely been applied in state-wide surveys of protected area networks. Through a review of available data and online research, we present 22 potential proxy indicators of non-material benefits people may obtain from nature in Natura sites in Greece. Despite the limitations due to data scarcity, this first distance-based study screens a recently expanded protected area system (446 Natura sites) providing steps towards an initial CES capacity review, site prioritization and data gap screening.

Maintaining good soil quality is crucial for the sustainability of agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the visual soil assessment (VSA) method by testing it on two soil types and two agricultural management practices (AMP) (organic and integrated) that are considered to protect soil quality. We selected two farms with plots on two river terraces with different soil properties.

Maytenus senegalensis subsp. europaea is a shrub belonging to the Celastraceae family, whose only European populations are distributed discontinuously along the south-eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, forming plant communities with great ecological value, unique in Europe.

Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) is considered worldwide as a powerful approach to recover ecological functionality and to improve human well-being in degraded and deforested landscapes. The literature produced by FLR programs could be a valuable tool to understand how they align with the existing principles of FLR. We conducted a systematic qualitative review to identify the main FLR concepts and definitions adopted in the literature from 1980 to 2017 and the underlying actions commonly suggested to enable FLR implementation.

Bioenergy is an important and feasible option for mitigating global warming and climate change. However, large-scale land-use change (LUC) to expand bioenergy crops, such as sugarcane, raises concerns about the potential negative environmental and socioeconomic side effects. Such effects are context-specific, and depending on the LUC scenario and management practices, several co-benefits can be attained.