Mesfin Sahle

This report explores the importance of faith-based and community stewardship systems serving as socio-ecological infrastructure. It examines their role in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and cultural identity and provides policy recommendations to integrate these sites into biodiversity governance. The report is part of a thematic series on socio-ecological production landscapes (SEPLS) — integrated landscape and seascape systems shaped by long-term interactions between people and nature. Across the globe, SEPLS are maintaining biodiversity and supporting local livelihoods, cultural values and sustainable resource management.

Drawing on long-term empirical and quantitative studies, this report explores enset-based agroforestry as a resilience-building production system that addresses policy priorities in food security, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods. It is part of a thematic series on socio-ecological production landscapes (SEPLS) — integrated landscape and seascape systems shaped by long-term interactions between people and nature. Across the globe, SEPLS are maintaining biodiversity and supporting local livelihoods, cultural values and sustainable resource management.

Sacred forests in urban areas, often regarded as green oases, are vital yet understudied components of city ecosystems, providing significant ecological benefits. This study investigates the role of sacred forests in conserving biodiversity, sequestering carbon, and mitigating local temperatures in Japanese cities. Through botanical records, biodiversity metrics, carbon estimates, and spatial analysis, we documented 170 species from 64 families, including four of conservation concern. These forests also demonstrated carbon storage and helped regulate urban microclimates, as evidenced by surface temperature differences that indicate their role in mitigating heat in densely populated urban areas. Despite their small size, sacred forests make disproportionately large contributions to urban resilience. By protecting species, enhancing climate regulation, and conserving cultural heritage, they support global sustainability goals, such as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. The results highlight the importance of including sacred forests in urban policy and planning as culturally resilient green infrastructure. Promoting their preservation through policy and community support is key to maximizing ecological benefits and creating more nature‐friendly cities.

Rapid urbanization in the Global South poses challenges to ecological integrity, cultural heritage, and equitable access to green infrastructure. This study evaluates the effectiveness of recent green infrastructure projects in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including flagship parks and upgraded road corridors, through the lens of the Urban Nature Futures Framework (UNFF). To operationalize the UNFF’s three perspectives—Nature for Nature (NN), Nature for Society (NS), and Nature as Culture (NC)—a context-specific set of indicators was developed through the existing literature, global assessment frameworks, and stakeholder consultations. A mixed-methods approach, combining structured surveys with both qualitative and quantitative thematic analysis, was applied across four stakeholder groups: residents, park visitors, corridor users, and experts. The results indicate that while social benefits (NS) are widely recognized, ecological (NN) and cultural (NC) dimensions receive comparatively less emphasis. Regression analysis shows that education, employment, and green space use frequency significantly shape perceptions of NS and NC, while NN are more consistently shared across groups. This study demonstrates the practical value of the UNFF as an assessment tool and offers a replicable methodology for evaluating multifunctional green infrastructure. The findings underscore the need for more inclusive, biodiversity-positive, and culturally grounded urban renewal strategies. These insights are relevant for planners and policymakers aiming to foster equitable and resilient urban environments in rapidly growing cities.

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital in enhancing environmental quality, social well-being, and climate resilience, yet their distribution and accessibility remain uneven in many rapidly urbanizing cities. The 3–30–300 rule offers a structured guideline with which to assess urban greenness, emphasizing tree visibility, canopy cover, and green space proximity. However, its applicability in dense and resource-constrained urban environments has not been sufficiently examined. This study evaluates the feasibility of the 3–30–300 rule in Nagpur, India, using survey-based visibility assessments, NDVI-derived vegetation cover analysis, and QGIS-based accessibility evaluation. The study also introduces the Urban Greenness Exposure Index (UGEI), a composite metric that refines greenness assessment by capturing intra-zone variations beyond broad classifications. The findings reveal significant variations in urban greenness exposure across Nagpur’s ten municipal zones. Low-greenness zones report the highest tree visibility deprivation (below two trees), limited canopy cover (~7%), and restricted green space access (over 80% of residents lacking access within 300 m). The correlation analysis shows that higher canopy cover does not necessarily correspond to better visibility or accessibility, highlighting the need for integrated planning strategies. The study concludes that applying the 3–30–300 rule in high-density Indian cities requires localized adaptations, such as incentivizing street tree planting, integrating vertical greenery, and repurposing vacant lots for public parks. The UGEI framework offers a practical tool for identifying priority zones and guiding equitable greening interventions, based on insights drawn from the Nagpur case study.

Balancing human activities and ecosystem health is critical amid increasing biodiversity concerns. This study explores the relationship between food provision and habitat quality in bioproduction systems in the Philippines, focusing on the Pagsanjan-Lumban Watershed (PLW) and the Baroro Watershed (BW). Using the TerrSet Land Change Modeler for LULC projections, the InVEST model for habitat quality assessment, and statistical analysis of disaggregated crop production data, this study evaluates the synergies and trade-offs between food provision and biodiversity conservation. The findings reveal that LULC changes—such as shifts in annual crops, built-up areas, forests, and agroforestry systems—impact ecosystem health. Habitat quality in the PLW shows temporal degradation, while the BW remains relatively stable. Food production trends indicate fluctuating yields in the PLW, with a decline in the BW. Correlation analysis highlights trade-offs between food provision and habitat quality in the PLW, whereas the BW exhibits a positive correlation, suggesting potential synergies. These findings emphasize the importance of place-based strategies to reconcile food production and biodiversity conservation, ensuring sustainable bioproduction systems that support both ecosystem health and food security.

The correlation between connecting with nature and fostering pro-environmental behavior is essential to attaining sustainability targets. However, understanding how this connection is cultivated, particularly in the urban settings of the Global South, remains limited. This study delves into the impact of urban green space (UGS) availability on perceived connection with nature (CN) and its subsequent influence on pro-environmental behavior (PEB) among urban residents, focusing on Nagpur city. Employing a digital survey tool, data were collected from 2414 participants across ten administrative zones. Descriptive and exploratory analyses alongside multinomial logistic regression were conducted to assess variable associations using R programming. The results revealed that 91% of respondents frequented UGSs, while a smaller fraction cited time constraints for not visiting. Notably, respondents’ perceived CN demonstrated significant associations with both UGS availability and PEB. A regression analysis underscored stronger PEB among those reporting a deeper connection with nature. Furthermore, demographic factors such as gender, age, and education were linked to variations in PEB. This study advocates for leveraging UGSs to bolster CN and PEB among urban populations, emphasizing the pivotal role of urban planning in nurturing human–nature connections. Future research should explore specific nature contact modalities conducive to fostering connectedness, especially in rapidly urbanizing locales.

Even though the mosaic of different land-use/land-cover types has long contributed to the resilience of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes in Ethiopia, recent data indicate that their sustainability is under threat. This study aims to evaluate landscape resilience by adopting a set of indicators for enhancing sustainability in the Gurage socio-ecological production landscape in Ethiopia. The authors employed a toolkit of indicators in the production landscape through a community-based scoring approach (1–5 Likert scale). The information from household surveys, land-use/land-cover analysis, and satellite-based drought incidents assessment was integrated with the ranking analysis to support the evaluations. The results revealed that landscape diversity, ecosystem protection, local governance, and social equity indicators had the highest landscape resilience ranks. In contrast, lower ranks are associated with knowledge, innovation, livelihoods, and well-being indicators. The overall resilience of the Gurage socio-ecological production landscape was estimated to be below average. Thus, strategies that enhance the resilience and sustainability of this socio-ecological landscape are essential. The findings could help draw the attention of policymakers and natural resource managers to building and strengthening the resilience of the landscape. This study demonstrates that indicators could aid in evaluating landscape resilience status along with other ancillary information, particularly in data-sparse regions. Methods of assessing resilience must be creative in such regions, and this paper may inform such efforts. In addition, the study recommends that landscape resilience indicators be improved by reducing subjective matter and including spatial-explicit dimensions for evaluating resilience.