All Blog Posts (521)

There’s a multi-billion-dollar yearly trade in medicines, foodstuffs and industrial products derived from plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. But many such products have been commercialised without any of the profits returning to the countries and communities whose biodiversity and traditional knowledge made the innovation possible. And in some…

Now is the time to make change happen. 

This year IIED and partners will deliver excellent research:

* To show how conserving biodiversity protects livelihoods as well as nature

* To make the case for a fair high seas treaty that benefits everyone while protecting marine life, and 

* To get money where it matters so…

We urgently need to address the triple crisis of debt distress, biodiversity loss and climate change. This project will scope how this could be done through debt swaps for nature and climate outcomes in four countries in coastal West Africa.

IIED will work with governments and civil society in Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal…

The People and Conservation Learning Group (PCLG) is excited to announce that with support from the Arcus Foundation, they are piloting a new small grants…

Usually held each year alongside the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC, D&C Days is hosted in partnership, using a dynamic format that encourages dialogue on a range of issues that link policy, knowledge and practice for climate ambition.

This year's event will be part of the Understanding…

IIED and partners are participating in London Climate Action Week, a week-long digital event from 14-20 November 2020. This is the second series of London Climate Action Week events this year, with IIED again taking part following the successful series in July 2020. This week of events falls on the dates when the UN climate summit (COP26) was…

Modern food and farming systems are fundamentally unsustainable. They contribute around a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and are responsible for almost 60% of global biodiversity loss. They are degrading the natural resources – water, soils, genetic resources – needed to sustain agricultural production.

A recent workshop hosted by IIED…

Yufen Chuang and IIED senior researcher Xiaoting Hou Jones reflect on why working with nature to adapt to climate change can offer valuable lessons on how to build back better from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 crisis has shown that the health and the future of people and nature are intertwined. As global leaders …

Nature-based solutions for climate change: from global ambition to local action

The world is facing two unprecedented environmental crises: biodiversity loss and climate change. The causes of these challenges are interrelated, as are the solutions.…

To celebrate Earth Day, today I'd like to invite you to listen to Getting money to where it matters: ensuring funds for climate action reach those who need it most – the latest episode of the 'People, Planet and Public Finance' podcast by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the International Budget Partnership (IBP).

IIED and…

IIED will be launch its brand new biodiversity newsletter next week. Sign up to it on the IIED website to receive updates on our work focussing on the links between biodiversity, conservation and local people's livelihoods.

In addition to biodiversity, you'll also find a range of newsletters containing our latest news and publications on a variety of subjects. Find out more and sign up now:…

On World Wildlife Day on 03rd of March, charismatic wildlife such as endangered elephants, leopards and the vulnerable sloth bear will take the stage – but one species is routinely ignored, to our peril.

Diverse fish species on a common malu lella

There will be protests to protect forests such as Wilpattu, Sinharaja and even mangroves. “But are we concerned enough about…

Published on Mongabay on 26.11.2019 https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/elephant-seal-native-to-antarctica-spotted-for-first-time-in-tropical-sri-lanka/

Across the globe people are worried about the future of wetland ecosystems. Ramsar Convention’s Global Wetland Outlook reveals that wetlands are disappearing three…

Mandasaru, 300 km south of Bhubaneswar, is a unique gorge ecosystem in the eastern part of Kandhamal district of Odisha. It is named after the rocks on a hill that narrow towards the top, Manda meaning rock and Saru meaning a narrow progression.

While the lower riparian and moist valleys have semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests cover the slopes of the gorge and dry deciduous forests the top plateaus. Frequent weather changes and the surroundings make…

Access to naturally grown forest produce would go a long way in protecting tribal communities in Odisha from the worst impacts of climate change and supply them with all that they need for sustenance.

Forest foods are in high demand in haats or tribal community markets and nearby rural markets. Forest produce such as honey, amla and several fruits are in great demand in urban malls. Though this may appear as an opportunity for economic empowerment of the tribal…