Biodiversity offsets seek to counterbalance loss of biodiversity due to major developments by generating equivalent biodiversity benefits elsewhere, resulting, at least in theory, in ‘no net loss’ (or even a ‘net positive gain’) in biodiversity. While local costs of major developments themselves receive significant attention, the local costs of associated biodiversity offsets have not.

Colombia’s Andean-Amazonian foothills are among the most pressing deforestation hotspots in the country. Yet, the relationships and dependencies of underlying deforestation drivers are not well understood. For an adequate territorial reorganization in the post-conflict era that is sensitive to local context, a targeted analysis of the present situation at the local level is required.

Namati and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) have published two new guides to help communities prepare for interactions with investors and;if they so wish;negotiate fair;equitable contracts.  Namati’s Rachael Knight and CCSI’s Kaitlin Cordes describe why and how these guides came to be.

The shortcomings of the current land reforms suggest that voluntary;market-based transactions of land might not be a suitable measure to redistribute land;not to speak of wealth and power. The “policy” of national reconciliation has delivered one-sided benefits.

The “Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Friendly Agriculture” Project was implemented in Turkey to improve the sustainability of agricultural and forest land use in the area by rehabilitating degraded forests and rangelands, promoting climate-smart agriculture and establishing a favourable enabling environment.

The forest-water nexus is crucial for ensuring water and food security, as well as for achieving sustainable development objectives. Only by recognising the interlinkages of forests and water, and how the management of these resources influences productive multi-functional landscapes can appropriate long-term benefits from landscape planning and management be actualized.

The “Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Friendly Agriculture” Project was implemented in Turkey to improve the sustainability of agricultural and forest land use in the area by rehabilitating degraded forests and rangelands, promoting climate-smart agriculture and establishing a favourable enabling environment.

The successful reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation requires forest governance to be efficient, effective and equitable.

To implement the ambitious REDD+ actions required to halve deforestation and forest degradation, developing countries need to adopt innovative and ambitious financing approaches.

The “Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Friendly Agriculture” Project was implemented in Turkey to improve the sustainability of agricultural and forest land use in the area by rehabilitating degraded forests and rangelands, promoting climate-smart agriculture and establishing a favourable enabling environment.

Land and forest tenure systems greatly influence a country’s ability to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. Clear and legitimate tenure rights over forests can provide an incentive to manage forests sustainably and simultaneously reduce deforestation and forest degradation.

Given its ability to innovate, rapidly adapt to changing conditions and leverage capital for new market opportunities, the private sector can play a key role in helping countries meet the Sustainable Development Goals and their climate commitments, such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and REDD+.