| 2013 |
| Governing the Forests: An Institutional Analysis of REDD+ and Community Forest Management in Asia |
 By Jose Puppim de Oliveira, Tim Cadman, Hwan Ok Ma, Tek Maraseni, Anar Koli, Yogesh D. Jadhav and Dede Prabowo
REDD+
has become an important component in the discussions on climate change
and forest governance, but there is further need to understand the
linkages with local governance and the challenges for its
implementation. This joint report will serve as a useful reference for
policymakers, professionals and practitioners as they work to promote
REDD+ in ways that tackle climate change and biodiversity loss but also
respect concerns and listen to the voice of local stakeholders.
IBN 978-92-808-4542-6
February 2013, 53 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (1.94 MB)
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| Innovation in Local and
Global Learning Systems for Sustainability: Traditional Knowledge and
Biodiversity – Learning Contributions of the Regional Centres of
Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development |
 Edited by Unnikrishnan Payyappallimana and Zinaida Fadeeva
Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs)
were developed as sites for participatory learning and action within
the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(DESD), opening up more collaborative and inclusive learning spaces
towards more just and sustainable ways of life now and in the future.
Some of the contours of these emergent education processes of
collaborative learning-to-change as they relate to traditional knowledge
(TK) and biodiversity are developing in many RCE contexts today. The
Education for Sustainable Development Programme at UNU-IAS has worked
with RCEs worldwide to create a new publication showcasing a series of
case studies in this regard.
ISBN 978-92-808-4540-2
2013, 124 pages Download report as a .pdf file (4.59 MB)
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| 2012 |
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| Towards More Sustainable Consumption and Production Systems and Sustainable Livelihoods |
 By Zinaida Fadeeva, Unnikrishnan Payyappallimana and Roger Petry
To
build a socially just economy and a more sustainable society, our
consumption and production systems must become more sustainable — not
only in terms of market growth and resilience, but also in terms of
productive non-market relations, ecosystem health, quality of life and
the well-being of all involved. The Education for Sustainable
Development programme at UNU-IAS has published a report of case studies,
showcasing groundbreaking education for sustainable development (ESD)
initiatives that address some of the greatest challenges we face in
moving to more sustainable consumption and production systems. They stem
from the work of the Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE).
ISBN 978-92-808-4538-9
2012, 130 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (6.85 MB)
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| Biofuels in Africa: Impacts on Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Human Well-being |
 By
Alexandros Gasparatos, Lisa Y. Lee, Graham P. von Maltitz, Manu V.
Mathai, Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira and Katherine J. Willis
Biofuel
production and use in Africa have been linked to numerous environmental
and socio-economic impacts. Whether these impacts are positive or
negative depends on a multitude of factors such as the feedstock, the
environmental/socio-economic context of biofuel production, and the
policy instruments in place during biofuel production, use and trade.
This report discusses a wide array of these impacts, as they relate to
jatropha biodiesel and sugarcane ethanol in Africa. A major challenge
for obtaining a comprehensive picture of biofuel tradeoffs is the fact
that the biofuel literature is multidisciplinary and rapidly expanding.
This report employs the ecosystem services framework developed during
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), as a means of synthesizing the
available evidence about biofuel impacts and identifying the main
trade-offs associated with biofuels in Africa.
ISBN 978-92-808-4536-5
October 2012, 111 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (2.05 MB)
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| Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge and Community Health: Strengthening Linkages |
 Unnikrishnan P.M. and M.S. Suneetha
Healthy
ecosystems and biodiversity are sources of various services that
nurture life and enhance human well-being. While the relevance of
biodiversity to mainstream health is clear, as seen in commercial use of
biological resources by pharmaceuticals, their relevance to the health
care of people in insufficiently connected and economically
disadvantaged regions of the world can be considered to be much more
profound. These regions are rich in resources, but they lack in
sufficient public helth care infrastructure and personnel. While there
are several inititatives at the local level that exemplify good practice
in achieving both sustainable use of natural resources for traditional
medical purposes, as well as accessibility for marginal and local
communities. However, such good practices are still restricted to
pockets of project activity.
ISBN 978-92-808-4528-0
October 2012, 82 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (5.89 MB)
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| Biodiversity and Community Health: connecting and linking nature, knowledge and practices on the ground |
The interlinkages between biodiversity
and health are well recognized. However, the need and potential of
strengthening traditional understanding and practices related to health
at the community level is an area that has not been sufficiently
addressed in planning processes. Unlike mainstream health interventions,
this involves a comprehensive assessment of various contributing
factors to health, including biological resources, knowledge and human
resources, socio-cultural resources and related policy processes. It
involves attention to medicinal plants and faunal products, dietary and
nutritional aspects, access to these resources, ecosystem integrity,
landscape values, rights to practitioners to practice, opportunities for
livelihood enhancement among others.
2012, 8 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (623 KB)
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| Weathering Uncertainty: Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation |
 By Douglas J. Nakashima, Kirsty Galloway Mclean, Hans Thulstrup, Ameyali Ramos Castillo and Jennifer Rubis
When
considering climate change, indigenous peoples and marginalized
populations warrant particular attention. Impacts on their territories
and communities are anticipated to be both early and severe due to their
location in vulnerable environments. There is therefore a need to
understand the specific vulnerabilities, adaptation capacities and
longer-term aspirations of indigenous peoples and marginalized
communities the world over. This publication draws the attention of
Authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth
Assessment Report and climate policymakers to the rapidly growing
scientific literature on the contributions of indigenous and traditional
knowledge to understanding climate change vulnerability, resilience and
adaptation.
ISBN 978-92-3-001068-3 (UNESCO)
ISBN 978-0-9807084-8-6 (UNU)
2012, 120 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (1.03 MB)
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| Monitoring Progress: Time for a Revaluation |
 Over
the last decade, researchers at UNU have continued to focus on and
identify practical ways of measuring well-being, both at macro-planning
scales and at the community level, with particular focus on the
Capability Approach, given its paradigmatic status. UNU has also
continued to actively support the creation of development assessment
methods that provide a more comprehensive recognition of on-the-ground
realities, and it is keen to strengthen its engagement in this regard.
This position paper revists discourses on well-being and refocuses on
what really matters to well-being.
2012, A4, 2 pages
Download brief as a .pdf file (208 KB)
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| Socio-ecological Production Landscapes: Relevance to the Green Economy Agenda |
 Hongyan Gu and Suneetha M. Subramanian
Socio-ecological
production landscapes (SEPLs), if managed effectively, can provide a
wide range of ecosystem services that help contribute to the livelihoods
and well-being of local communities, and the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals and relevant national development policies.
Drawing insights from a variety of case studies, this report examines
the historical and political contexts in which SEPLs have evolved as
well as the challenges and opportunities in promoting SEPLs for the
green economy.
ISBN 978-92-808-4534-1
2012, B5, 66 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (3.84 MB)
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| Governance
Challenges for Greening the Urban Economy: Understanding and Assessing
the Links between Governance and Green Economy in Cities |
Jose
A. Puppim de Oliveira, Osman Balaban, Aki Suwa, Christopher N.H. Doll,
Ping Jiang, Magali Dreyfus, Raquel Moreno-Peñaranda, Puspita Dirgahayani
and Erin Kennedy
The challenges for creating a greener economy
and the institutional framework for sustainable development pass
necessarily, or mostly, through cities, as they concentrate a large and
growing part of the world’s economy and population, as well as
decision-making power. With the processes of urbanization and
rural-urban transformation, the economy in cities, especially in cities
of developing countries, has been shifting from traditional artisanal
crafts and markets to more modern industry and service sectors. The
concentration of people, resources, knowledge, political power and
economic activities in urban areas, if properly managed, can provide
economies of scale and efficiency gains that lower the use of resources
and energy, and thereby promote doing more with less, while offering
fair outcomes to the most vulnerable people and the environment. In this
sense, transitioning from the traditional “brown” economy to a greener
economy could be achieved by reducing resource and energy consumption in
cities through improving the key components of the urban economic
process.
ISBN 978-92-808-4530-3
2012, B5, 64 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (4.8 MB)
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| 2011 |
| Biodiversity in Kanazawa: Through the Four Seasons |
 Cities
benefit in a myriad of ways from the biodiversity within and outside
their boundaries. Enjoying a variety of tasty foods in our meals or
obtaining spiritual comfort form contemplating a landscape are just some
examples of the benefits urban residents obtain from ecosystems.
However, urbanization is contributing to biodiversity loss worldwide,
and many city dwellers lack access to its benefits. In a world becoming
rapidly urban, cities must address the biodiversity challenge for the
well-being of their residents and the sustainability of the planet.
ISBN 978-92-808-4529-7
2011, B5, 72 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (3.06 MB)
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| Transboundary Conservation and Peace-building: Lessons from forest biodiversity conservation projects |
Saleem H. Ali
This policy document, jointly published by the
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the United Nations
University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), sets out the
specific actions that policymakers, forest managers and other
stakeholders should take to improve biodiversity conservation in forests
used for the production of forest goods and services. On the ground,
ITTO has funded the establishment and/or management of a number of
transboundary conservation reserves in its member countries. What
lessons can be learned from those projects on transboundary
conservation? In order to answer this question, ITTO and UNU-IAS started
a partnership to analyze and present lessons from these projects.
UNU-IAS/2011/No. 4 (UNU-IAS and ITTO joint publication)
ISBN 978-92-808-4527-3
April 2011, B5, 39 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (990 KB)
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| 2010 |
Bio-enterprises, Endogenous Development and Well-being
Suneetha M. Subramanian, Wim Hiemstra and Bas Verschuuren 
While enhancing human well-being is a policy objective, defining
various components that lead to human well-being vary at the macro level
and at the level of local communities. This dichotomy in perspectives,
due to differences in cultural norms and worldviews between the two
levels, leads to poor implementation of policy activities. This policy
brief examines these challenges in the context of establishment of
bio-enterprises to meet development priorities.
UNU-IAS
2010, A4, 4 pages
Download report as a .pdf file (277 KB)
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This report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings from the Japan Satoyama Satoumi Assessment
(JSSA) as a summary for decision makers. The JSSA is a study of the
interaction between humans and terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems ( satoyama ) and marine-coastal ecosystems ( satoumi )
in Japan. The study analyses changes which have occurred in these
ecosystems over the last 50 years and identifies plausible alternative
futures of those landscapes in the year 2050 taking into account various
drivers such as governmental and economic policy, climate change,
technology, and socio-behavioural responses. Recommendations for
decision makers based on the study’s findings are also included in the
report. 
Southeast Asia hosts diverse biological resources and cultural milieus
that are under different degrees of stress from various factors. This
report highlights the key underlying economic, political, and natural
factors that contribute to biodiversity decline in the region, and
provides specific policy directions that could help address the decline.
Ecosystem
services are benefits people obtain from ecosystems. In this report,
the ecosystem services concept is used to rationalise the existing
evidence about biofuels' impact on ecosystems. It is shown that biofuels
can provide a number of ecosystem services (e.g. fuel, climate
regulation) while compromising others (e.g. food, freshwater services).
At the same time, it is also shown why biofuel expansion is currently
being considered as one of the main emerging threats to biodiversity,
particularly in highly biodiverse areas such as in Indonesia and Brazil.
A combination of response options such as designer landscapes, Payment
for Ecosystem Services (PES), Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation
and Degradation (REDD), and biofuel certification will have to be put in
place to minimise the negative impacts of biofuel expansion on
ecosystem services and biodiversity. 
This report explores the role of traditional marine resources
management in meeting both the goals of communities and those of
national and international conservation strategies. Specifically, it
looks at how traditional practices are applied in various Pacific Island
countries, how concepts such as the ecosystem approach and adaptive
management are incorporated, whether traditional marine managed areas
(MMAs) are recognised by national law, and how and whether they are seen
to contribute to national and international protected areas and
conservation targets. The report also reflects on the issue of marine
genetic resources, and access to and benefit sharing of these resources.
The third objective of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) to ensure “ the
fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the
utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to
genetic resources...” has taken centre stage now with negotiations
in full swing to develop an international regime on Access and Benefit
Sharing (ABS) by the year 2010. While some progress has been achieved on
negotiations related to access regulations, discussions are still
evolving as countries are found to be cautious to implement measures
related to benefit sharing. 
This report offers three innovative solutions in responding to climate
change, namely nanotechnology, ocean energy and forestry. It goes beyond
the technological, biological and procedural aspects of these solutions
by critically assessing the opportunities and challenges that each type
of innovation presents. This report addresses the question why these
innovations - despite their large potential to reduce emissions, ocean
energy alone could cover the world's electricity needs - have not yet
reached the stage of mass commercialization. 
Recommendations contained in this report address the following key
issues: climate change; human rights challenges; challenges of new
commercial activities in the Polar Regions; challenges posed by shipping
and newly opening sea lanes; threats to specific species and
assemblages of species; environmental governance in the Polar Regions;
and the inadequate implementation of existing international law and
domestic laws. The report also contains a series of
recommendations on studies that should be undertaken in the immediate
and near term future to better equip governments and policy makers to
respond to these emerging issues. 
The Report highlights the links between the CBD 2010 targets and the
MDG target on reducing biodiversity loss; it also identifies the
challenges being faced by countries in responding to these targets from
different perspectives and provides some policy options for
consideration by MDG practitioners. 
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations
University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) with the support of
the Government of Ireland have carried out case studies on access to
genetic resources and benefit‑sharing (ABS) arrangements in four African
countries namely Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia. These studies
exemplify the implementation of existing ABS arrangements and mechanisms
in the context of the Bonn Guidelines adopted by the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its sixth meeting,
in April 2002. 
Currently, one of the most critical issues for Africa is food security.
At the same time, environmental sustainability is being lost. In
addition, human-induced climate change threatens agricultural
productivity. This report provides an overview of some of the
environmental issues facing Africa and examines the role of science and
technology cooperation in meeting these challenges. An environmental
performance country analysis is used to identify areas of best practice,
as well as areas of action. 
Proposals have been made for a variety of certification systems to act
as the basis for an international system of documentation to provide
evidence of PIC and MAT relating to access and use of genetic resources
and traditional knowledge. This study provides a comparative analysis of
all four existing proposals and examines the challenges for development
of a practical, feasible and cost effective certificate system. 
The UNU-IAS Report Bioprospecting in the Arctic examines
the extent and nature of bioprospecting in the Arctic. It argues that
there is significant interest in the biotechnology potential of Arctic
biodiversity. In many cases this potential has moved beyond the research
of the academic community to commercialisation by industry. In fact
given the number of companies involved in research on or the actual
exploitation of biotechnology based on Arctic genetic resources (fourty
three companies in total) one clear conclusion is that this industry, in
various forms, is well established. This conclusion is supported by the
existence of more than thirty-one patents or patent applications based
on Arctic genetic resources. 
The purpose of this Assessment, undertaken by UNU-IAS from 2004 - 2007,
was to provide a neutral, independent and objective assessment of the
various internationally funded training programmes for biosafety and
biotechnology, especially to the extent that it is necessary for
biosafety, in the developing world. This Assessment does not advocate
the use, or avoidance, of modern biotechnology. Rather it seeks to
examine whether capacity building activities are delivering to
developing countries the capacity to make and implement choices about
biosafety and biotechnology. 
A
comprehensive (global review) of NBSAPs' implementation is now timely
given that it has been 15 years since the CBD's obligations came into
force. However, until such a global review is undertaken, regional
reviews and national experiences provide some lessons which can guide
further action. This publication advocates the development of
sub-national biodiversity action plans (BSAPs) as a planning solution to
the weaknesses of a large national planning and implementation process.
Consultation Draft
