The GCBC 2025 Research Symposium Open Day

The GCBC 2025 Research Symposium Open Day

The GCBC 2025 Research Symposium Open Day

Join us online for the GCBC Research Symposium Open Day – 4 March 2025

Each year, the GCBC hosts a research symposium focused on sharing big ideas, transformative practice, and stories of impact. This year we are inviting the entire GCBC community to be part of the Symposium by taking part in an online Open Day on Tuesday 4 March 2025 from 10:00 – 17:00 hrs, UTC.

Register to attend online via Eventbrite here.

Or paste this link into a new browser window: https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/4KH4CngPRT3jAWQHRcVSJ_I0C

The Open Day programme will feature four engaging sessions featuring speakers from around the world:

  • Opening Session: Why supporting innovative research at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty alleviation matters (10:00 – 11:15 GMT)
  • Panel Discussion 1: Contributing to global goals – Exploring the science behind national and global frameworks and targets (11:15 – 12:30 GMT)
  • Panel Discussion 2: Strengthening the connection between evidence and policy with a focus on practice from across the GCBC community (13:30 – 15:00 GMT)
  • Panel Discussion 3: Harnessing private sector investment in Nature-based Solutions (15:30 – 17:00 GMT)

By registering to attend online via Eventbrite you will be able to join the discussions that are most relevant to you. You do not have to register to attend specific sessions.

Join us on Tuesday 4 March for this very special online learning event.

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

 

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): Shahibul Anwar

Creation of an Intercultural biodiverse Seed Bank with the Indigenous “Resguardo Puerto Naranjo” for enhancing restoration and conservation efforts in degraded areas in the Colombian Amazon

Country: Colombia

Lead Partner: Fundación Tropenbos Colombia

Summary: The programme will establish intercultural seed banks to store and distribute a wide variety of seeds of indigenous forest species for a variety of uses such as food, medicine, architecture and art, in line with the government’s restoration objectives.

The programme will integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge to identify and geo-reference seed source trees. Laboratory tests will determine the most efficient local practices for seed production. Local methodologies, participatory action research and quantitative data coming from a live laboratory will be deployed to create a sustainable strategy for intercultural seed banks suitable for the climate and geography of Puerto Naranjo Resguardo and the Amazon.

A systemic approach will allow for innovation in the creation of a scalable plan that positions intercultural seed banks as a local solution to help improve livelihoods, address the current effects of climate change and restore biodiversity in indigenous territories.  Outputs will include local research, scientific articles, a collaborative database, storytelling and a business plan for the community to transform the initiative into a sustainable income-generating opportunity.

Photograph (detail): Dmitry Makeev

 

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

Restauración forestal en tierras indígenas: Restauración de la biodiversidad para múltiples servicios ecosistémicos, resiliencia comunitaria y sostenibilidad financiera mediante estrategias e incentivos informados localmente.

País: Panamá Socio principal: Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales, Panamá Resumen: El proyecto se centra en un sistema socioecológico con investigación y formación social y biofísica participativa y vinculada que conduce a una innovadora iniciativa indígena de restauración forestal. Los principios de justicia social y equidad impulsarán los pagos por servicios ecosistémicos para proteger la biodiversidad, mitigar el cambio climático y mejorar la vida de las personas que rechazaron una industria extractiva. Los resultados contextualizados de la compleja gobernanza local a la nacional proporcionan información vital para la ampliación regional. Fotografía (detalle): Fran Hogan

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.

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.

 

Soluciones basadas en la naturaleza para la resiliencia climática de las comunidades locales e indígenas de Guatemala

País: Guatemala Socio principal: Universidad de Greenwich, Reino Unido Resumen: Los sistemas de conocimientos científicos y tradicionales locales e indígenas se integrarán en el diseño y la evaluación de soluciones basadas en la naturaleza (NbS) para mejorar su impacto en la resiliencia climática y el justo bienestar de las comunidades rurales de dos regiones de Guatemala. Los responsables de la toma de decisiones locales y nacionales utilizarán directrices y herramientas que integren los valores, conocimientos y cultura locales y de los Pueblos Indígenas en el codiseño de NbS para la resiliencia climática del paisaje. Se empoderará a las personas, los hogares y las comunidades para que ocupen un lugar central en la planificación y aplicación de las NbS mediante una mayor concienciación sobre el papel actual y potencial de los ecosistemas en sus vidas y sobre los factores necesarios para que las NbS produzcan resultados justos y satisfactorios. Las herramientas y pruebas resultantes de la aplicación de este enfoque se pondrán a disposición para informar la planificación de la resiliencia del paisaje en toda Centroamérica. Fotografía: Arjuno3