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ASTANA – Land degradation is among the biggest threats to Central Asia, making the region susceptible to drought, sand and dust storms, and overall economic decline, which demands a unified approach across the region, said the lead scientist at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Barron Joseph Orr in an interview with The Astana Times. Land degradation in Central Asia…

Scientists have revealed a new theory into why the color green makes us feel good. It is already well known that being out in nature is good for a person's mental health. But now, a new study published in the British Ecological Society has proposed a new theory for this called the "greenery hypothesis." They suggest that our need for green spaces is rooted in evolution. The…

Scientists warn that 10% of the Amazon has a high risk of being converted into a drier and degraded ecosystem by 2050, while 47% has a moderate transitional risk. The article, published in Nature, used evidence collected by field researchers who are already witnessing changes in the rainforest as a response to increasing temperatures, extreme droughts, fires and deforestation.…

Impacts of extreme drought underestimated world-wide An international research team has examined the links between extreme drought, biodiversity and production losses at global level. With the aid of a world-wide experiment in 100 locations on six continents, they have been able to recognise that biodiversity in cultivated grassland is an effective protection against production losses…

The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the FAO Right to Food Guidelines, which have played a fundamental role in guiding policies to implement a human rights-based approach to food security and nutrition. This article provides an overview of key moments in the decade that preceded the adoption of the Guidelines and the two decades that followed, leading to an advanced normative framework of…

The INTERFACES project backs four regional ventures run by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and aimed at promoting sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa. Its mission focuses on developing change strategies to boost innovation and implementation processes. The development and adoption of innovations have been the main driver of economic growth and other…