• Energy Research

Comparing the impacts of future scenarios is essential for developing and guiding the political sustainability agenda. This review-based analysis compares six IPBES scenarios for their impacts on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 20 biodiversity targets (Aichi targets) for the Europe and Central Asia regions. The comparison is based on a review of 143 modeled scenarios synthesized in a plural cost–benefit approach which provides the distances to multiple policy goals. We confirm and substantiate the claim that transformative change is vital but also point out which directions for political transformation are to be preferred. The hopeful message is that large societal losses might still be avoided, and multiple benefits can be generated over the coming decades and centuries. Yet, policies will need to strongly steer away from scenarios based on regional competition, inequality, and economic optimism.

AbstractThe expansion and intensification of agriculture as well as the associated land clearing are threatening both biodiversity and human wellbeing in tropical areas. Implementing agroforestry systems through a landscape approach has a strong potential for integrating nature conservation objectives into agricultural systems. A key challenge for implementing the landscape approach is that political processes and conservation initiatives operate in ‘silos’, being largely disconnected from farmers and local key agents responsible for tree governance. In this study we brought together different stakeholders in facilitated, structured focus discussions to analyse the role of actor groups in tree governance. We used social network analysis to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse agroforestry governance networks and actor interactions related to information exchange, finance flows, and regulation. The analyses were conducted at national, sub-national and local levels in four countries: Honduras, Peru, Indonesia, and Uganda. Using trees on farms as a boundary object enabled all participants to bridge common interests and illuminate some of the constraints and opportunities of local governance systems while overcoming institutional and ideological barriers. The quantitative results of the social network analysis identify a strong density of actor linkages. Despite this density, results indicate incoherent and fragmented actor networks undermining the support for agroforestry on all levels. Nevertheless, existing processes related to finance, information, and regulation can be better aligned to ensure an effective implementation and mainstreaming of agroforestry for biodiversity conservation. Building social capital among key actors on both national and local levels can reveal a strong potential for adaptive learning processes mainstreaming agroforestry as essential component of “good farming” and integrating incentive systems for a coherent and effective agroforestry governance. We conclude that redirecting both public and private funding towards continuous seed-funding for the facilitation of these integrated learning processes can transform landscape management and at the same time reduce transaction costs.

Résumé Les systèmes agroalimentaires mondiaux associent les défis de la durabilité dans les pays producteurs aux comportements de consommation et aux réglementations sur les marchés de destination. Nous supposons que les relations commerciales peuvent être priorisées en fonction (1) de la pertinence (part des importations) et (2) de l'effet de levier (part de la production nationale pour le marché de destination). Cette étude analyse la pertinence et l'effet de levier des importations de cultures de l'UE en termes de valeurs monétaires, d'empreintes et de déforestation. Nos résultats identifient une grande pertinence et des valeurs de levier dans les relations commerciales avec des pays partenaires spécifiques, en particulier les spécialistes de l'huile de palme et du caoutchouc en Asie de l'Est et les pays DU MERCOSUR producteurs de soja. Des valeurs de levier élevées dans les importations de spécialistes du petit sucre d'Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique et d'autres petits pays soulignent le potentiel de l'UE pour établir des critères de durabilité. Nous suggérons que l'UE révise ses politiques étrangères et nationales incohérentes et s'engage de manière proactive avec ses partenaires commerciaux pour inclure des garanties de durabilité dans l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur, en mettant particulièrement l'accent sur les relations commerciales hautement pertinentes et les valeurs de levier. Resumen Los sistemas agroalimentarios globales combinan los desafíos de sostenibilidad en los países productores con el comportamiento del consumo y las regulaciones en los mercados de destino. Suponemos que las relaciones comerciales pueden priorizarse de acuerdo con (1) la relevancia (participación de las importaciones) y (2) el apalancamiento (participación de la producción nacional para el mercado de destino). Este estudio analiza la relevancia y el apalancamiento de las importaciones de cultivos de la UE en valores monetarios, huellas y deforestación. Nuestros resultados identifican valores de alta relevancia y apalancamiento en las relaciones comerciales con países socios específicos, particularmente especialistas en aceite de palma y caucho en Asia Oriental y países productores de soja DEL MERCOSUR. Los altos valores de apalancamiento en las importaciones de pequeños especialistas en azúcar de África, el Caribe y el Pacífico y otros países pequeños destacan el potencial de la UE para establecer criterios de sostenibilidad. Sugerimos que la UE revise las políticas extranjeras e internas incoherentes y se comprometa proactivamente con los socios comerciales para incluir salvaguardas de sostenibilidad en toda la cadena de valor, con especial atención a las relaciones comerciales con alta relevancia y valores de apalancamiento. Summary Global agri-food systems couple sustainability challenges in producing countries to consumption behavior and regulations in destination markets. We assume that trade relations can be prioritized according to (1) the relevance (share of imports) and (2) leverage (share of domestic production for destination market). This study analyzes the relevance and leverage of the EU's crop imports in monetary values, footprints, and deforestation. Our results identify high relevance and leverage values in trade relations with specific partner countries, particularly palm oil and rubber specialists in East Asia and soy-producing MERCOSUR countries. High leverage values in imports from African-Caribbean-Pacific small sugar specialists and other small countries highlight the EU's potential to establish sustainability criteria. We suggest that the EU revises incoherent foreign and domestic policies and proactively engages with trading partners to include sustainability safeguards in the whole value chain with particular focus on trade relations with high relevance and leverage values. ملخص تجمع أنظمة الأغذية الزراعية العالمية بين تحديات الاستدامة في البلدان المنتجة والسلوك الاستهلاكي واللوائح في أسواق المقصد. نفترض أنه يمكن إعطاء الأولوية للعلاقات التجارية وفقًا لـ (1) الأهمية (حصة الواردات) و (2) الرافعة المالية (حصة الإنتاج المحلي لسوق الوجهة). تحلل هذه الدراسة أهمية ونفوذ واردات الاتحاد الأوروبي من المحاصيل من حيث القيم النقدية وآثار الأقدام وإزالة الغابات. تحدد نتائجنا أهمية عالية وتستفيد من القيم في العلاقات التجارية مع بلدان شريكة محددة، ولا سيما المتخصصين في زيت النخيل والمطاط في شرق آسيا وبلدان ميركوسور المنتجة للصويا. تسلط القيم العالية للرافعة المالية في الواردات من المتخصصين في السكر الصغير في منطقة البحر الكاريبي والمحيط الهادئ وغيرها من البلدان الصغيرة الضوء على قدرة الاتحاد الأوروبي على وضع معايير الاستدامة. نقترح أن يقوم الاتحاد الأوروبي بمراجعة السياسات الخارجية والمحلية غير المتماسكة وأن يشارك بشكل استباقي مع الشركاء التجاريين لإدراج ضمانات الاستدامة في سلسلة القيمة بأكملها مع التركيز بشكل خاص على العلاقات التجارية ذات الصلة العالية وقيم الرافعة المالية.

Building resilient sustainable social-ecological systems (SES) requires communities to enhance their adaptive capacities. Communal participative land-use planning (Zonificación Participativa Comunal—ZPC) is a tool designed for communities to integrating local and scientific knowledge to sustainably organize and manage their SES. Between 2006 and 2011, a ZPC was developed with communities in the buffer zone of Cordillera Azul National Park (Peru), where rapid demographic changes are converting pre-montane seasonally dry forest into agricultural land. Herein, we analyse how the ZPC enhanced adaptive capacity, enabling the SES to cope with environmental, political and economic changes. Based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews, communities are analysed along their capacities in the dimensions social capital, learning, adaptive management and governance. An analysis of yearly high-resolution forest cover data supports our findings. Deforestation activities in biologically sensitive zones decreased rapidly during the time of the ZPC implementation. We find that particularly the long-term presence of the bridging institution and the continuous testing and reflection of the integrated “hybrid knowledge” enabled communities to develop adaptive capacities. The analysis of ZPC our results reveals the enabling conditions for promoting the learning process to develop a sustainable land-use management in the context of migration and rapid changes.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has repeatedly failed to meet its global targets in 2010 and 2020, pointing to persistent obstacles to implementation. National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are the central instrument for translating global targets into actions across sectors and levels of government, also referred to as mainstreaming. This paper focuses on Peru as a case study to analyse to what extent NBSAPs are capable of addressing context-specific implementation challenges. It develops an analytical framework based on the literature on conservation governance in Peru to analyse to what extent the NBSAP from 2014 and the action plan from 2019 (1) reflect national biodiversity narratives; (2) address dominant causes of biodiversity loss; (3) link targets to sector-specific institutions and processes; and (4) to what extent the Peruvian National Commission for Biological Diversity builds social capital for implementation. The results indicate that the NBSAP (1) is dominated by a capitalist narrative focussing on economic values of biodiversity while giving less importance to other, particularly local narratives; (2) addresses most direct causes, but fails to operationalise its targets into conservation action; (3) has not been designed to connect and guide relevant sector policies, such as environmental impact assessments or agricultural policies; and (4) the strong participation in the commission for biodiversity is not used to foster implementation, but mostly on CBD reporting and planning. Thus, addressing these challenges provides powerful levers for how to harness the NBSAPs’ potential to mainstream biodiversity and increase their relevance for mobilising and guiding implementation and stimulate institutional learning.

In the mega-diverse country Peru, a resource intensive development model collides with the interest of conserving biodiversity. Peruvian biodiversity experts have developed different lines of argumentation as to how to integrate conservation into the sustainable development of their country. Applying grounded theory, I define five groups of conservation narratives based on the analysis of 72 qualitative interviews with experts working in areas of biodiversity conservation. I have labeled them: biodiversity protectionists, biodiversity traditionalists, biodiversity localists, biodiversity pragmatists, and biodiversity capitalists. These groups are each discussed in connection with what they have to say about biodiversity in relation to human life, valuation and knowledge systems, participation and leadership, substitutability of natural capital, and its predominant political strategy. In a second step, a comparative analysis of the dominant and diverging political perspectives is made. I argue that by deconstructing underlying premises and ideologies, common ground and possible opportunities for collaboration can be identified. Moreover, although the presented results can serve as a discussion scaffold to organize conservation debates in Peru, this example demonstrates how the terms biodiversity and sustainability are operationalized in conservation narratives.