IISD contributes to a joint report with ITC and FiBL on the State of Sustainable Markets.

This joint report builds off of the IISD’s State of Sustainability Initiatives Review 2014 by reporting on the market performance of 14 voluntary sustainability standards across nine agricultural commodity sectors. To enable a shift towards sustainable production and consumption fundamental and achieve goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the FiBL–IISD–ITC partnership will aim to replicate this reporting effort annually.

Human migration is playing a significant role in driving land conversion and sustaining the overexploitation of key natural resources in the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem, to the detriment of conservation and traditional livelihoods.

The ecosystem is found in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the lower portion of the Albertine Rift, one of the most species-rich regions of Africa. Misotshi–Kabogo does not yet have formal protection, but is of great importance to the survival of local species due to the fact that forests in the ecosystem’s altitude range are increasingly rare in the DRC. Migrants have begun to arrive in the region, drawn by perceptions of abundant arable land and the return of security. The corresponding increase in local population, and the migrants’ livelihood choices, threaten to have a significant impact on the ecosystem.

This report presents an assessment of the migration context in the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem, as well as suggested response strategies. IISD and the Wildlife Conservation Society conducted the research with the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation. The research is part of the “Migration and Conservation in the Great Lakes Region” project, which attempts to address migration and conservation issues by: (a) developing a methodology to better understand the drivers and impacts of migration on critical natural resources, ecosystems and livelihoods in the Great Lakes region; (b) identifying effective responses for policy-makers and practitioners working on these issues; and (c) catalyzing further research and policy engagement on the topic in the region.

For centuries, people in east and central Africa have used migration as a strategy to respond to shocks, sustain livelihoods and adapt to changes in their environment.

Conservation actors, including both policymakers and practitioners, are not fully aware of the dynamics of migration and the potential impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. The “Migration and Conservation in the Great Lakes Region” project attempted to address this gap by: (a) developing a methodology to better understand the drivers and impacts of migration on livelihoods, natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity; (b) developing recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners working on these issues; and (c) developing a toolkit for conservation practitioners to help them design and implement conservation interventions that are sensitive to the existing and potential impacts of human migration on critical ecosystems.

To achieve these objectives, the project carried out research at three case study sites: the Bale Mountains ecosystem in southern Ethiopia, the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Lake Albert ecosystem in Buliisa District in northwest Uganda. The purpose of this document is to synthesize learning from the three case studies and provide analysis and recommendations for addressing the impacts of human migration on ecosystems. It is intended for conservation practitioners working in areas under pressure from migration, as well as development practitioners interested in gaining a better understanding of migration–conservation links. 

This report presents the first detailed estimate of subsidies to coal production in China, identifying an estimated USD 5.8 billion in in government support in 2013.

A further subsidy in the form of credit support was estimated to be between CNY 3.5 and 35.7 billion (USD 0.57 billion and USD 5.8 billion). The major subsidies included tax relief, investment in assets, compensation for mine closures and direct payments. The report finds that more transparency is needed to aid the process of subsidy reform in line with the government policy to reduce coal consumption.

2015 Our City: A Peg Report on Health Equity is Peg’s first topic-specific well-being report to the community.

It shines a light on the gap between the groups in Winnipeg experiencing the highest and lowest health status, with the gap widening for some indicators. The 11 indicators in the report show that the gap is tied to issues related to income and other social circumstances.

These key indicators were identified through consulting with experts in the various fields, paying particular attention to those indicators that can best signal the overall status of each of the eight themes of well-being. The Peg team also chose indicators that are compelling and actionable and can thus inspire Winnipeggers who want to create positive change in our community.

With each indicator identified in this report, we have provided information on why the indicator is important, the numbers that outline how we are doing, a graph illustrating the trend, and the source of the data. Where available, we also provide a comparison to provincial or national data, as well as a link to a Peg video that puts a human face to the numbers.

Eutrophication—the enrichment of ecosystems with chemical nutrients—causes pronounced deterioration of water quality, affecting many of Manitoba’s prairie lakes.

These lakes have deteriorated due to excessive loading of nutrients, organic matter and silt, which in turn cause increased primary producer biomass and reduced water quality. The understanding of eutrophication and its management has evolved from simple control of external nutrient sources to recognition that it is often a cumulative effects issue, requiring protection and restoration of various features of a lake’s community and its catchment.

The success of management techniques varies greatly from lake to lake, where it is generally agreed that these technologies are usually not worth considering unless external nutrient loads can also be reduced and controlled. In-lake remediation techniques can be categorized by limiting and controlling the sediment, or by managing the consequences of lake aging. The techniques described are designed to control nutrients, plankton algae, and other related effects of over-production and species composition changes that result from eutrophication. Algal biomass is dependent on the concentration of the limiting nutrient in the lake’s photic zone; therefore, appropriate evaluation and modelling can determine the feasibility of controlling the primary sources of the most limiting nutrient. More than one technique may be used at once; however, for most in-lake techniques to be effective, important external loading sources should be evaluated and controlled. This review identifies multiple in-lake biological, physical and chemical treatments to limit and control P-enriched sediments and remediate the effects of eutrophication on lake water quality. 

Countries are increasingly turning to the use of fiscal instruments to support low-carbon development and efforts to reduce emissions.

This is evidenced in the proliferation of the references to these instruments within the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) that were submitted and examined in advance of COP 21.

With that in mind, IISD and GIZ (on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) have undertaken a rapid review of INDCs to highlight countries that have identified these tools as part of their INDCs, catalogue the different tools countries referenced, detect the frequency of their use and identify trends for how countries are planning to use fiscal instruments to support the implementation of INDCs.

Based on the analysis, this review provides several recommendations, in order to highlight resources that support the implementation of fiscal instruments countries have committed to in their INDCs. For countries that have not yet indicated that fiscal reforms will be part of their INDC implementation, but may have an interest in exploring this area, this rapid review can serve as a starting point by indicating how other countries are approaching this issue and offering insight into ways that fiscal policy can support INDC implementation while opening fiscal space for countries.

Unsolicited proposals (USPs) for infrastructure give rise to significant concerns related to transparency, quality and fair competition in public procurement.

Government officials deal with USPs on a regular basis, however, and this trend is only expected to continue and to grow in the future. The best approach might, thus, be to develop robust frameworks for managing them, and to have a differentiated approach based on the maturity of the private-public procurement market in a particular country.

This discussion paper provides a synopsis of the salient features of a report published by the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) entitled Unsolicited Proposals (USPs) – An Exception to Public Initiation of Infrastructure PPPs: An Analysis of Global Trends and Lessons Learned, and concludes with a discussion on the relevance of USPs to sustainable public procurement.

2014-2015 was a great year for IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA).

This was the world-class freshwater research institute's first year under new management, and the team was happy to get back to research as well as focus on expanding the outreach and educational opportunities at the site.

The annual report includes highlights from some members of staff and the board, as well as some stats from our first year and images of our 58 beautiful lakes and their watersheds.

This study evaluates the climate-related vulnerabilities and related costs and benefits of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, a mine access road built mainly over frozen lakes in the northeastern region of the Northwest Territories.

It applies the methodology developed in IISD publication The Economic Implications of Climate Change on Transportation Assets: An analysis framework.