All publications and documents

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) use ecosystems and the services they provide to address societal challenges such as climate change, food security or natural disasters. IUCN defines NbS as: “Actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits…

The management of drought needs a paradigm shift. The time is ripe for countries to develop and implement effective national drought policies that include all three pillars of drought action. Countries need to recognize that the traditional approach of “responding” to drought is not viable any more. By being proactive, investing in early warning systems and assessing their vulnerability,…

The JRC and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) publish the first-ever Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas that maps the soil biodiversity of the entire planet. This unique Atlas pays tribute to soil – the silent engine that keeps the planet alive – by providing a detailed analysis of soil organisms and the threats to soil biodiversity at global scale. The Atlas describes soil as habitat…

Large sand and dust storms, which result from a combination of strong winds and loose dry soil surfaces in arid and semiarid areas, are detrimental to human health, agricultural land, infrastructure, and transport. Every year, an estimated 2,000 million tons of dust is emitted into the atmosphere. While much of this is a natural part of the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth, a…

According to the scientific evidence, climate change is likely to result in surface-water scarcity, increased frequency of storms and precipitation extremes, coastal flooding, landslides, wildfires, air pollution and droughts. This will cause loss of life, injury and negative health impacts, as well as damage to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service provision and environmental resources…

The objective of exploring “what works and why” may be addressed using various methodologies and sources of evidence. This study crosses conventional boundaries by bringing together knowledge from (i) academic as well as applied research, (ii) from donor evaluations and (iii) from an in-depth study of Swedish regional development cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa. The report provides insights…