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CIFOR-ICRAF collaboration with the Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) recognizes that keeping global warming below 2 degrees requires nature-based solutions. CIFOR and COWI were selected by the GCF to write the Sectoral Guides on forests and land use, and on ecosystems and ecosystem services. CIFOR-ICRAF is involved in a number of GCF-supported projects:

  • In The Gambia, where annual rainfall has decreased and become more erratic and temperatures have risen by up to 2°C, scientists are providing technical support to the government to use an ‘ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)’ approach to restore degraded community forests and community protected areas, reduce human–wildlife conflict and help move the country towards climate resilience.

  • In Sri Lanka, CIFOR-ICRAF partners across government are pioneering highland restoration to protect the water storage capacity of reservoirs – vital for irrigating lowland rice – and are introducing payments for environmental services to sustain it. This addresses the climate change double whammy of higher, more intense and erosive rainfall in the uplands but increased drought in the lowlands, where much of the nation’s staple food is grown. CIFOR-ICRAF also acts as delivery partner to support the National Designated Authority in implementing a GCF ‘readiness’ project.

Building
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ANNUAL REPORT 2020

In 2020 – a year like no other – CIFOR-ICRAF continued to deliver the world’s best science on forests and trees in agricultural landscapes, shifting the conversation online as the Covid-19 pandemic evolved.

This annual report features stories about expertise, dedication and perseverance. When people responded to the pandemic with calls to ban wild meat, CIFOR-ICRAF experts stepped forward with recent, highly relevant evidence in hand, highlighting the needs of communities who rely on wild game for nutrition. Other scientists forged ahead to deliver compelling research findings on improved tree seed and restoration work in Ethiopia, agroforestry in Southeast Asia, and a new model for sustainable use of woodfuel in refugee camps – among many other topics.

CIFOR-ICRAF continued to chart its path as one organization, with a new 10-year strategy that outlines game-changing solutions to five global challenges: deforestation and biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, unsustainable supply and value chains, the need to transform food systems, and extreme inequality for women, Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable rural communities.

Three new holistic approaches will deliver actionable solutions to these challenges: Transformative Partnership Platforms, Engagement Landscapes and Flagship Products. And the newly launched Resilient Landscapes aims to leverage the power of the private sector to spur greater investment in nature-based solutions.

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) held its first fully virtual conference in June and didn’t stop there, seeing unprecedented digital growth during the year. And the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) marked its 10th science conference – also virtual – while continuing to demonstrate the power of partnership.