IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM)

Ecosystem loss and degradation are not just an environmental crisis; they are a profound threat to human health and well-being. Land transformation and biodiversity loss are among the major factors driving the emergence of infectious diseases. Annually, more than five new infectious diseases are estimated to emerge, most of them originating from wildlife, with some having the potential to spread within human populations and cause epidemics or pandemics.

This publication focuses on ecosystem governance in the context of urban-rural linkages, analysing nine case studies to develop principles for ecosystem governance. Ecosystem governance utilises the ecosystem approach, adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity, which emphasises the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the importance of integrated management for the analysis of the case studies.

Este documento es resultado del trabajo conjunto entre la Comisión de Gestión de Ecosistemas (CGE) y la Oficina Regional para México, América Central y el Caribe (ORMACC), dos de los pilares de la UICN. La CGE y ORMACC han colaborado en distintos temas en la región, en la implementación de proyectos, en procesos de capacitación y fortalecimiento institucional, con aportes científicos, entre otros. 
 

This case study presents the self-assessment process for the Resilient Highlands Project, guided by the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The assessment focused on the project’s theory of change, which includes water and soil management and conservation practices for the long-term sustainability of the hydrological cycle in the Guatemalan Highlands. 
 

These guidelines offer both a call for change and general guidance for users. The following five guidelines, adapted from the ten guiding principles for rewilding (Carver et al., 2021), provide a foundation for understanding and taking action to prevent further losses in nature, promote the recovery of biodiversity, and support the restoration of ecological integrity.

The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions™ was developed during a two-year process, aiming at setting a common basis of understanding for NbS, and providing a robust framework to design, implement, assess, adapt and improve NbS. The first version of the Global Standard for NbS has eight criteria and 28 indicators, and it was launched in 2020, supported by the IUCN Resolution 060.

These guidelines aim to facilitate improved knowledge of agricultural and plantation forestry ecosystems, and their relationship with other ecosystems in complex landscapes, by providing clarity on how the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is applied in the context of agricultural and plantation forestry production. This provides a foundation for a range of applications that can enable and support sustainable agriculture.