Client: U.K. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Duration: 2021-2021
Region: Worldwide
Country: Worldwide
Solutions: Environment
DAI carried out a political economy analysis and technical assessment of five transboundary landscapes on behalf of the U.K. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). These landscapes—all identified as high-priority biodiversity hotspots—were located within and around the Kavango-Zambezi Conservation Area, Western Congo Basin, Lower Mekong, Andes/Amazon, and in Mesoamerica. The contract was awarded under the EACDS Lot B mechanism.
Over the course of this three-month study, we assessed the biophysical characteristics and potential of each landscape, identified factors affecting the political economy of the regions, and reviewed existing initiatives in the sector. The assessments were to help the client understand the key drivers and systemic issues affecting biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, which would, in turn, inform intervention strategies delivered under the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.
The Fund was announced by the U.K. Government in 2019 to tackle the “triple challenge” of poverty, catastrophic biodiversity loss, and the climate emergency. The government assigned £100 million in financing to the Fund, a seven-year program that works across transnational landscapes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The focus is to protect and restore landscapes through sustainable development and environmental protection practices, thereby improving the quality of ecosystems and safeguarding against biodiversity loss.
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