Register Today for the GCBC’s Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) Information Webinar Series

Register Today for the GCBC’s Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) Information Webinar Series

Register Today for the GCBC’s Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) Information Webinar Series

The GCBC has announced a new series of four information Webinars to assist applicants to develop and submit successful and compelling Concept Notes for the Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3)

The series of four Webinars, will run between Tuesday, 21st and Thursday 30th January, 2025. Each webinar will be repeated to ensure that everyone has a convenient time to attend wherever they are in the world. The webinars will be recorded and subsequently available to view on this website.

This series comprises:

Webinar Series, Part One: RGC3 Themes = featuring an introduction to the GCBC, the Grant Competition timetable and the two focus themes for RGC3. The Webinar will provide an understanding of the GCBC nexus: Climate, Biodiversity and Livelihoods, with an emphasis on how the GCBC aims to address poverty alleviation and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity.

Dates and Times:

Tuesday, 21st January 2025 · 07:00 – 08:00 hrs GMTREGISTER

 Wednesday, 22nd January, 2025 – 16:00 – 17:00 hrs GMTREGISTER

Webinar Series, Part Two: Delivery Principles – This webinar consists of a presentation on the details behind the 10 GCBC delivery principles with case study examples and guidance for implementation within projects. This will include ▪ Inter-, intra and transdisciplinary research ▪ Innovative approaches ▪ Robust scientific methods ▪ Replicability and scalability ▪ Traditional / local knowledge, ▪ Gender equity, ▪ Social inclusion and empowerment, ▪ Equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), ▪ Collaborative partnerships, ▪ Needs driven, solutions oriented.

Date and Times:

Thursday, 23rd January, 2025 – 07:00 – 08:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER

Thursday, 23rd January, 2025 – 16:00 – 17:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER

Webinar Series, Part Three: How to Prepare a Concept Note Application – The third Webinar in the series will explore the GCBC Concept Note template and considerations for applicants in developing their content; taking on board learning from the previous two webinars on the themes and delivery principles. The Webinar will also consider both the importance of identifying demand for the project and understanding the problem that will be solved to frame the research questions addressed; and the logical approach needed to identify the project Theory of Change.

Date and Times:

Monday, 27th January, 2025 – 07:00 – 08:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER

Monday 27th January, 2025 – 16:00 – 17:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER 

Webinar Series, Part Four: Research for Impact – the fourth and final Webinar in the series comprises an introduction to the GCBC approach to systems thinking and transformative change, covering what it is and how you can be aware of it as you develop your project. This will include the details behind the GCBC science priorities: ▪ Demonstrating what works, ▪ Capacity building, ▪ Best practice, ▪ Informing policy, ▪ Finance, and ▪ Transformative change to find solutions that can be scaled in regions, within countries or across continents.

Date and Times:

Thursday, 30th January, 2025 – 07:00 – 08:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER

Thursday, 30th January, 2025 – 16:00 – 17:00 hrs GMT – REGISTER

The window for RGC3 Concept Note applications opens on Monday, 3rd February, 2025.

 

Related events

Biodiversity science in support of community-led conservation of threatened local forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate resilient local livelihoods

Country: Indonesia

Lead Partner: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA

Summary: This project will empower the communities of Tompotika, Sulawesi to protect their forests from the urgent threat of nickel mining concessions and enhance their nature-based livelihoods. The project will collaboratively (1) characterise Tompotika’s plant biodiversity through botanical inventories, species extinction assessments, climate modelling, and key ecosystem services; (2) document traditional ecological and biocultural knowledge to prioritise climate resilient species that support livelihoods and provide important ecosystem services; (3) establish a community-run plant nursery for cultivation of selected species; and (4) disseminate this knowledge to internal and external stakeholders through community education and outreach as well as scientific publications and presentations.

Through a combination of biodiversity science and capacity building, this work will support the collaborative development of conservation proposals and promote the sustainable cultivation of economically important species to alleviate poverty and support climate resilience for the communities of Tompotika.

Photograph (detail): Enrico Kumesan

 

Biodiversity potential for resilient livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia

Country: Ethiopia

Lead Partner: University of Leeds, UK

Summary: The project will fill knowledge gaps and elucidate the potential for biodiversity to contribute to and improve livelihood security, adaptation to climate change, and resilience in Ethiopia’s new Tama Community Conservation Area (CCA), where there is a data paucity to manage from.

As the local communities hold rich traditional ecological knowledge, the project will combine systemic biodiversity monitoring with ethnobotany and ethnozoology qualitative data, to address the biodiversity-livelihoods knowledge gap. Datasets will then be input into population models with climate projections to explore future change in biodiversity and thus livelihoods.

The project will co-create management plans for the CCA with its staff, making them climate-resilient. Throughout all activities, capacity building will take place for continuing biodiversity monitoring and resilience assessment by CCA staff through linkages with AMU, so that the CCA can practice evidence-informed adaptive management in the future.

The main impact is to improve social-ecological resilience for beneficiaries in the Mursi, Bodi, Bacha, and Aari communities. The project will contribute to outcomes across the following strategic science principles – creating wide participation to support capacity building for the CCA and communities through robust data collection, sharing best practices and demonstrating what works to inform policy in the Tama CCA, but also other CCAs to inform their sustainable management.

Photograph (detail): Rod Waddington

BREL-Borneo: Benefits of Biodiverse Restoration for Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Borneo

Country: Indonesia

Lead Partner: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK

Summary: Bornean lowland forests harbour globally important biodiversity and carbon stocks but are severely degraded and reduced in extent. In Indonesia, there are government and community initiatives to restore forests, but due to capacity constraints, only a small suite of species is used, meaning restored forests lose potential to capture carbon and support livelihoods.

This project will increase the number of native Bornean species available in forest restoration supply chains in Kalimantan, by (i) removing supply constraints through providing new data on distributions and germplasm supply; (ii) aiding take-up of under-utilised species by restoration actors through new planning tools; and (iii) supporting monitoring, reporting and verification of biodiversity benefits of restoration.

The outcome will be an increased area under higher-biodiversity restoration, which has benefits for carbon capture and also livelihoods, through restoration supply chain involvement and potential for biodiversity credit trade.

Photograph (detail): Denis Luyten

EMBRACE: Engaging Local Communities in Minor Crop Utilisation for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment

Countries: Ghana and Kenya

Lead Partner: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana

Summary: EMBRACE is a comprehensive project aimed at improving the livelihoods of 1250 impoverished households in Ghana and Kenya, to achieve a 40% improvement by 2027.

EMBRACE will work with 25 communities to promote sustainable agricultural practices, forest conservation, and community empowerment, targeting significant poverty, biodiversity loss and inequality reduction.

EMBRACE’s approach involves establishing 25 agroforestry model farmsteads that integrate snail, mushroom, and beekeeping production, and training 500 women and youth in sustainable agriculture and nursery management to enable them to produce diverse and nutritious food, generate income, and conserve natural resources. The project will also support community-owned nurseries and revolving funds to promote self-sufficiency, gender equity, and social inclusion.

Additionally, EMBRACE will engage stakeholders such as local governments, community leaders, and the private sector, to influence policies that support resource and biodiversity conservation. Through EMBRACE, communities will be empowered to drive their development and make informed decisions about their natural resources.

The project’s impact will be felt beyond the 25 communities, serving as a model for sustainable development and community-led conservation in Ghana and Kenya. Thus, EMBRACE will contribute to a more just and sustainable world, where communities thrive in harmony with nature.

Photograph (Detail): McKay Savage

Exploración de vías de uso sostenible de la tierra para los ecosistemas, la seguridad alimentaria y la mitigación de la pobreza: oportunidades para el programa de propiedad de alimentos de Indonesia

País: Indonesia Socio principal: Universidad de Sussex Resumen: Este proyecto transdisciplinar se ocupa de comprender la dinámica del cambio en el uso de la tierra y de apoyar la creación conjunta de vías hacia un uso sostenible de la tierra que aborde los problemas de la biodiversidad, el cambio climático, la seguridad alimentaria y la pobreza. Se centra en las oportunidades de los programas de agricultura sostenible en Indonesia, en el contexto de la gran preocupación que suscitan sus efectos medioambientales y sociales adversos. El programa trabajará con comunidades agrícolas, ONG, agencias conservacionistas y organismos gubernamentales, reuniendo datos cuantitativos y cualitativos (y conocimientos formales e informales) para visualizar y evaluar los múltiples valores de los paisajes y el impacto de las intervenciones en fincas alimentarias en lugares con diversos sistemas de monocultivo y agrosilvicultura. Pretende apoyar un diálogo productivo y basado en pruebas mediante el desarrollo y el uso de una herramienta de cartografía y modelización de acceso abierto; desarrollar escenarios de uso de la tierra que integren la resiliencia climática y la conservación de la biodiversidad en iniciativas que apoyen los medios de subsistencia sostenibles de las comunidades agrícolas y preocupaciones más amplias sobre la seguridad alimentaria. A través de la investigación-acción participativa y de actividades de desarrollo de capacidades con las principales partes interesadas, el programa identificará oportunidades de planificación del uso de la tierra y del proceso político, así como puntos de intervención práctica.

Permitir la restauración forestal a gran escala y resistente al clima en la Amazonia Oriental

País: Brasil Socio principal: Universidad de Lancaster, Reino Unido Resumen: El estado amazónico brasileño de Pará tiene el ambicioso objetivo de restaurar 7,4 millones de hectáreas de bosque tropical para 2036, lo que representa >el 50% de los objetivos de restauración de Brasil. Restaurar bosques diversos a escala requiere liberar el potencial de la regeneración natural. Este proyecto lo logrará orientando dónde debe producirse la restauración para maximizar los beneficios para el clima, las personas y la biota. También investigará cómo garantizar la permanencia a largo plazo de la regeneración natural, también llamada bosques secundarios, en el paisaje; actualmente, la mayor parte de la regeneración natural se convierte de nuevo en agricultura en un plazo de cinco años. Este trabajo, creado conjuntamente con diversas partes interesadas de la Amazonia, aborda tres retos que se pasan por alto cuando se trata de restaurar las selvas tropicales. En primer lugar, al situar la biodiversidad en el centro de la planificación de la restauración, define dónde la restauración maximizará la diversidad de especies, la conectividad del paisaje y apoyará a las especies de interés para la conservación. En segundo lugar, va más allá del secuestro de carbono y hace una evaluación novedosa de los beneficios climáticos locales y regionales de la restauración. En tercer lugar, ayuda a garantizar la permanencia de la restauración mediante la comprensión de las amenazas clave, como los incendios. Por último, el proyecto codesarrollará una herramienta de priorización fácil de usar para ayudar a guiar la aplicación y hacer de la regeneración natural una solución escalable para las crisis climática y de biodiversidad de la Amazonia.

Gestión Integrada de Tierras y Aguas del Sistema de Humedales del Gran Amanzule

País: Ghana Líder del proyecto: Universidad de Educación, Winneba – Ghana Resumen: El Humedal del Gran Amanzule (GAW) está amenazado por la minería artesanal, el cambio climático, las plantaciones de caucho y la agricultura de subsistencia, a pesar de su apoyo ecológico a la fauna y la flora. Las principales intervenciones se han centrado menos en los sistemas hidrológicos del SAM. Este proyecto pretende colmar esta laguna de conocimientos mediante paquetes de trabajo: análisis de los sistemas hidrológicos y los servicios ecosistémicos; agricultura climáticamente inteligente para los hogares; y desarrollo de herramientas de decisión e informes políticos para mejorar los esfuerzos de conservación. Los resultados previstos son i) mapas de uso del suelo y base de datos espaciales que indiquen las zonas de degradación significativa para informar sobre las actividades de restauración; ii) mapas hidrológicos e informes sobre el nivel de contaminación; iii) informe sobre los servicios ecosistémicos para comprender el beneficio ecosistémico de las VAG para los hogares y los retos que afectan a los servicios; iv) mejora de las actividades de subsistencia de más de 400 hogares que recibirán formación en apicultura, agrosilvicultura y viveros de especies autóctonas; v) mapas e informes que indiquen el paisaje restaurado; vi) herramientas de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para que los funcionarios del gobierno y las partes interesadas mejoren la planificación y las decisiones ecológicas; y vii) difusión de informes y notas sobre políticas. El objetivo último es ayudar a mejorar los medios de subsistencia de los hogares y los servicios ecosistémicos de la VAG bajo las crecientes presiones del hombre y el cambio climático. Asimismo, ayudar a Ghana a conservar sus humedales y mantener sus Contribuciones Nacionales Determinadas con respecto al carbono.

NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities

Countries: Colombia, Dominican Republic

Lead Partner: University of Lincoln, UK

Summary: Tropical river floodplains host precious biodiversity but are affected by a range of human impacts at the scale of basin and river networks such as forest clearcut, excessive erosion, sediment mining, and occupancy of flood-prone areas. Floodplains tend to host deprived communities increasingly exposed to flooding risks due to climate change.

The project aims at breaking the vicious circle of unhealthy fluvial ecosystems driving livelihood losses, exacerbated by climate change that increases flooding and droughts. The project couples dialogue with local/Indigenous communities and stakeholders, advanced modelling tools, and field data collection. It will develop an evidence-based, bottom-up, and scalable new paradigm of floodplain use that reduces the impacts on the eco-geomorphological diversity of rivers while improving the use of the floodplains to increase the sustainable production of food.

The concept will be tested in two study sites where local households and stakeholders will reduce their impacts on the eco-geomorphological diversity of rivers while improving livelihood. This will be accomplished by creating pilot green gardens in safe portions of the floodplain to secure an income for households (in Colombia), and by including improved ecosystem services into water security investments (in Dominican Republic). The outcomes will profit local communities and will increase ecosystem services for the benefit of humanity.