Malnutrition, including overweight and obesity, is on the rise globally and increasingly concentrated in urban areas. Yet this urban dimension is neglected in research and policy related to food security, even as this field has broadened its scope from food production to encompass consumption as well.

This compilation of case studies has been published in advance of the First Regional Conference on the Illegal Trade in Wildlife in Latin America held in Lima, Peru, on 3 and 4 October 2019. It highlights evidence from 15 countries across Latin America including Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, Guyana and Ecuador to name a few.

The Devolved Climate Finance (DCF) mechanism is an innovative model for investing at the local level in developing countries and building sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods. The mechanism builds on the premise that local communities have in-depth knowledge about climate variability and risks.

The debate on climate finance in many climate-vulnerable developing countries tends to focus on finance provided by national governments and international donors. Yet the financial contribution of individual households in combatting the risks of climate change and extreme weather events is almost entirely ignored.

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) — a subset of nature-based approaches to help people adapt to climate change — is an increasingly popular strategy. Evidence from 13 initiatives in 12 countries shows that EbA can provide important, wide-reaching and long-term benefits relating to adaptation, the environment and social issues.

Tackling biodiversity loss is a growing priority for human survival. Introducing incentives for positive actions could play a key role in helping to reverse this loss. This paper explores the potential of using a novel approach to promote biodiversity conservation.

How can agricultural production increase to meet the rapidly growing food demand in sub-Saharan Africa without reducing its precious forest areas? This is one of the greatest challenges in achieving sustainable land use and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Despite the Zambian Government’s intention to diversify agriculture, the country is still heavily reliant on a narrow range of crops. Two-thirds of the total area under crop cultivation is devoted to maize. Consequently, the Zambian food system is not delivering enough affordable or nutritious foods for the majority of the population.

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is devastating populations of iconic wildlife species such as rhinos and elephants, as well as lesser known ones such as pangolins, sturgeon and rosewood. As well as being a growing threat to conservation, IWT also has significant socioeconomic impacts.

Growing commercial interests, population growth and conservation initiatives are increasing competition for land in Tanzania. At the same time, land-related conflicts are on the rise. These trends undermine livelihoods by threatening rural people’s access to land and tenure security.