GCBC Private Sector Study Factsheet Now Available

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GCBC Private Sector Study Factsheet Now Available

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GCBC Private Sector Study Factsheet Now Available

Published 30 Jan 2025

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A recent study by Stantec, now available to download, explored the Biodiversity / Nature Based Solutions (NbS) private sector investment market and the technologies and data use. Its focus was on the GCBC priority countries covering knowledge for the ‘Global South’ NbS market through a range of stakeholders including Nature Tech Firms, Interest Groups, Investors and Academics.

Conclusions from the study suggest that the market is nascent and dynamic but expected to expand and mature in the future. There was consensus that the current NbS investment market is not meeting the demand but this could change as the market grows (and the pipeline of investable projects increases); project costs fall (due to economies of scale and technologies); and regulation evolves to support the market. The Nature Tech market is crowded and has challenges in balancing robustness with cost-effectiveness; but the Nature Tech could be simplified and made more usable without losing quality.

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

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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 GMT – REGISTER

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

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.

 

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Agriculture Agroforestry Capacity Building Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions Partnership Small Island Developing States

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Research Grant Competition 2 (RGC2): The GCBC awards £13.4 million in UK ODA grants for research to find nature-based solutions to climate change and poverty reduction   

Published 14 Jan 2025

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RGC2 awards 18 new project grants worth £13.4 million based on the theme: “Driving innovation in how biodiversity can support climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods through practice and governance”. 

Initial concept note applications for the second GCBC research grant competition (RGC2) numbered 507 from lead delivery partners in 60 UK-ODA eligible countries. This response more than trebled the 155 applications submitted for the first round of grants in 2023. From the initial concept notes, 56 applications were selected to submit full proposals.    

Grant awards were made using several criteria, including applications’ contribution to the context of the RGC2 theme. These involved assessing applicants’ understanding of how addressing evidence gaps in the potential of nature-based solutions using less utilised species (plants, animals, insects, fungi, trees etc.) can contribute to:   

  • improving poor livelihoods through more resilience to climate change;  
  • meeting resource or service demands; and  
  • protecting and conserving traditional knowledge and biodiversity.  

Filling these evidence gaps is critical to finding innovative approaches to guide practice and governance.  

Climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty are three of the most pressing challenges facing the world today and are fundamentally inter-linked. Climate change, driven by human activity, is increasingly and negatively affecting people and the natural environment. Biodiversity loss, which also results from human activity, is causing degraded landscapes and soil and increasing food insecurity. This exacerbates climate risk by reducing the resilience of natural and managed ecosystems. Unfortunately, those living in poverty are often the most vulnerable and the least able to respond to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

By working in partnership with scientists, research institutions and practitioners around the world, the GCBC seeks to develop innovative research and scalable approaches to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, contributing to poverty alleviation and helping countries to achieve a nature-positive future. The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs working in partnership with DAI as the Fund Manager Lead and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as the Strategic Science Lead.  

The 18 projects awarded under RGC2 will be implemented in 16 UK ODA-eligible countries in the Global South; seven countries from Latin America (including Central America) and the Caribbean (Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Panama; Peru); six from Sub-Saharan Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Ghana; Kenya; Tanzania; Republic of Congo); and three from South East Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia; Indonesia; Vietnam).  

Eleven of the RGC2 projects cover broad thematic areas: Agroforestry; Community led approaches; Integrated land / water management; and Forest restoration. Seven of the projects cover more uniquely focused research areas: Seagrass restoration; Carbon markets; Biodiverse seed bank; Mangrove restoration; Peatlands; Land use (landscape level); and Underutilised species for soil restoration.  

“This new round of 18 diverse and innovative projects represents a consolidation of the ‘Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate’ as Defra’s flagship ODA R&D programme.  These new projects will continue GCBC’s growing reputation for delivery of high-quality evidence about the effective and sustainable use of biodiversity for climate resilience and to improve livelihoods.” said Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

“As fund management lead, DAI is delighted to continue our relationship with Defra and especially to welcome the successful applicants who are joining the GCBC’s project portfolio for the next phase of the programme’s development. Through this project round, we will continue to support scientists, academics and research institutions working to build stronger capacity, increase collaboration, deliver high-impact projects and share learning on the biodiversity-climate-livelihoods nexus that will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss and contributing to poverty alleviation,” said Luqman Ahmad, Senior Vice President, DAI.  

“As strategic science lead, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew also welcomes the new projects to the growing portfolio. The new evidence, data and knowledge across pressures/drivers, solutions and enablers for the different themes of the grant competitions will support the adoption of systems approaches in tackling the nexus of climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. By understanding and managing the complex interactions between science, society and the multiple interacting systems through temporal and spatial scales it will be possible to recommend solutions – orientated approaches for transformative change across different sectors and regions,” said Professor Monique Simmonds, Deputy Director, Science (Partnerships), The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.    

The 18 Projects funded by RGC2:

Assessing Carbon Credits as a Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Participatory Forest Management in Tanzania – Lead Grantee: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (Country: Tanzania)

Biodiversity for climate and social resilience: Empowerment of coastal communities in sustainable production practices in Ecuador – Lead Grantee: Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral – ESPOL, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)

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 – Lead Grantee: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA (Country: Indonesia)

Biodiversity potential for resilient livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia – Lead Grantee: University of Leeds, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

BREL-Borneo: Benefits of Biodiverse Restoration for Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Borneo – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa (CROSSROADS-SSA) – Lead Grantee: University of Aberdeen, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

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 – Lead Grantee: Fundación Tropenbos, Colombia (Country: Colombia)

EMBRACE: Engaging Local Communities in Minor Crop Utilisation for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment – Lead Grantee: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana (Countries: Ghana and Kenya)

Enabling large-scale and climate-resilient forest restoration in the Eastern Amazon – Lead Grantee: Lancaster University, UK (Country: Brazil)

Exploring sustainable land use pathways for ecosystems, food security and poverty alleviation: opportunities for Indonesia’s food estate programme – Lead Grantee: University of Sussex, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Forest restoration on Indigenous lands: Restoring biodiversity for multiple ecosystem services, community resilience and financial sustainability through locally informed strategies and incentives – Lead Grantee: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama (Country: Panama)

Integrated Land and Water Management of the Greater Amanzule Wetland System – Lead Grantee: University of Education, Winneba, Ghana (Country: Ghana)

NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities – Lead Grantee: University of Lincoln, UK (Countries: Colombia and Dominican Republic)

Nature based solutions for climate resilience of local and Indigenous communities in Guatemala – Lead Grantee: University of Greenwich, UK (Country: Guatemala)

Realising the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon: developing climate resilient sustainable bioindustry – Lead Grantee: Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)  

Recognising and rewarding the contribution of Indigenous knowledge for the sustainable management of biodiversity – Lead Grantee: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), USA (Country: Cambodia)

TRIALS: Translating Research into Action for Livelihoods and Seagrass: Establishing scientific foundation for seagrass restoration and blue carbon potential, with sustainable livelihood development for coastal communities in Central Vietnam – Lead Grantee: WWF-UK, UK (Country: Vietnam)

Using biodiversity to support climate resilient livelihoods in intact tropical peatlands  – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK   (Countries: Peru, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo)  

 

Photo Credit (Detail): Laitche

 

 

 

 

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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

Published 14 Jan 2025

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Country: Indonesia

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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

 

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

Published 14 Jan 2025

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Agroforestry Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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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

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Agroforestry Conservation and Restoration Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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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

Published 14 Jan 2025

Project Details

Region: Amazonas

Country: Colombia

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Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions Partnership

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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

 

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

Published 14 Jan 2025

Project Details

Country: Ghana

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Agriculture Capacity Building Food Systems Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions Partnership

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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

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Agriculture Capacity Building Food Systems Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions Partnership

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Forest restoration on Indigenous lands: Restoring biodiversity for multiple ecosystem services, community resilience and financial sustainability through locally informed strategies and incentives

Published 14 Jan 2025

Project Details

Country: Panama

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Agroforestry Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions

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Country: Panama

Lead Partner: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama

Summary: The project’s focus is on a social-ecological system with participative and linked social and biophysical research and training leading to an innovative, Indigenous forest restoration initiative. Social justice and equity principles will drive payments for ecosystem services to protect biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and improve the lives of people who rejected an extractive industry. Contextualised results from complex local to national governance provide vital information for regional scaling.

Photograph (detail): Fran Hogan

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Agroforestry Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions

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Enabling large-scale and climate-resilient forest restoration in the Eastern Amazon

Published 14 Jan 2025

Project Details

Country: Brazil

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Agroforestry Capacity Building Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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Country: Brazil

Lead Partner: Lancaster University, UK

Summary: The Brazilian Amazonian state of Pará has an ambitious target to restore 7.4 million hectares of tropical forest by 2036, accounting for >50% of the restoration targets of Brazil. Restoring diverse forests at scale requires unlocking the potential of natural regeneration. This project will achieve this by guiding where restoration needs to happen to maximise benefits for climate, people and biota. It will also investigate how to ensure the long-term permanence of natural regeneration, also called secondary forests, in the landscape; currently, most natural regeneration is converted back to agriculture within five years.

This work, co-created with a diverse range of Amazonian stakeholders, addresses three overlooked challenges when it comes to restoration of tropical rainforests. First, by bringing biodiversity to the centre of restoration planning, it defines where restoration will maximise species diversity, landscape connectivity, and support species of conservation concern. Second, it goes beyond the carbon sequestration and makes a novel assessment of the local and regional climate benefits of restoration. Third, it helps to ensure the permanence of restoration by understanding key threats, such as fires. Finally, the project will co-develop a user-friendly prioritisation tool to help guide implementation and make natural regeneration a scalable solution for the climate and biodiversity crises in Amazonia.

Photograph (detail): Vinícius Mendonça

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Agroforestry Capacity Building Conservation and Restoration Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities

Published 14 Jan 2025

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Country: Dominican Republic

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Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions

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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.

 

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