The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative

08/06/2026

The 2025 Annual Report of UNU-IAS is now available!

The report highlights the Institute's work to advance sustainability through research, policy engagement and capacity development, including activities of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI).

In 2025, IPSI continued to strengthen global collaboration on socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), supporting knowledge exchange, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods through its growing network of members and partners.

Read the report to learn more about the impact of UNU-IAS and IPSI:

Our 2025 Annual Report is here! 📙

Learn about UNU-IAS activities and accomplishments in the past year, including special features on UNU's 50th anniversary, AI and nature-based solutions.

Read the report ➡️ https://buff.ly/ERZ5WKz

31/05/2026

🌾 The Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation (TOAF), based in Taipei, is transforming agricultural landscapes into spaces where biodiversity and farming thrive together through the Green Conservation Label initiative. 🌿

Following a mass poisoning of Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in 2009, TOAF and partners began restoring socio-ecological production landscapes through wildlife-friendly farming and community-based conservation. Over the past 15 years, the initiative has helped increase the Jacana population from around 300 to 3,000 while protecting 46 endangered species across more than 1,000 hectares involving over 700 farmers.

From sustainable floriculture in National Parks to Indigenous-led organic farming in the eastern region of the island, TOAF’s work shows how biodiversity conservation, traditional knowledge, and resilient livelihoods can be strengthened together through local action.

📷 Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation (TOAF)

29/05/2026

🦙 In the high-altitude Puna landscapes of Jujuy, Argentina, VICAM: Vicuñas, Camélidos y Ambiente and Indigenous communities are working to conserve South American camelids through traditional knowledge, sustainable livelihoods, and community-based stewardship of Andean socio-ecological landscapes. From vicuña conservation through traditional chakus to llama caravans and cultural fairs, these practices help protect biodiversity while sustaining local cultures and pastoral livelihoods across the Altiplano. 🌾

Vicuñas, once threatened by overhunting, are now sustainably managed through ancient live-shearing practices informed by both Indigenous knowledge and modern conservation science. Llamas continue to play a central role in food systems, transport, fiber production, cultural identity, and resilience in one of the world’s harshest environments.

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: strengthening the relationship between biodiversity conservation, Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, and resilient livelihoods in mountain drylands.

📷 VICAM

28/05/2026

💧In Haryana’s Aravalli Range, the Haryana Forest Department is supporting natural spring rejuvenation and catchment conservation to strengthen biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and community resilience. Through check dams, ecosystem restoration, and awareness initiatives that link water conservation with local well-being, these efforts are helping restore aquatic and terrestrial habitats while supporting sustainable livelihoods. The Celestial Earth supports these efforts through awareness-raising, global outreach, and community capacity-building.🌱

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: connecting ecosystem restoration, water security, and community stewardship for resilient landscapes.

📷 The Celestial Earth

27/05/2026

🌱In the Philippines, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is integrating permaculture and sustainability into education through its Sustainability Campus – Living Laboratory initiative. Through the UPOU Perma G.A.R.D.E.N., the university promotes resilient food systems, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, and regenerative practices that reconnect people with nature and strengthen climate resilience. 🌿
By applying permaculture principles in learning and community engagement, UPOU demonstrates how campuses can become spaces for sustainability action and transformative change.

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: connecting education, biodiversity, and regenerative landscapes for a sustainable future.

26/05/2026

🌏 Through the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS), UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme is supporting locally led conservation and sustainable livelihood initiatives across diverse socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes worldwide. From Peru and Kyrgyzstan to Japan, communities are restoring ecosystems, strengthening biodiversity, preserving traditional knowledge, and building resilience through landscape approaches rooted in harmony with nature. 🌱

COMDEKS supports community stewardship, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable natural resource management while contributing to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and global biodiversity goals.

📷 UNDP GEF SGP / COMDEKS

26/05/2026

Climate finance opportunities for SMEs are growing — but access remains one of the biggest challenges worldwide.

Join this international webinar to explore practical solutions, connect with global experts, and discover new pathways to turn climate action into real investment opportunities.

The agenda:
- Technical Barriers
- GHG Monitoring
- Tourism, Agribusiness and Fisheries Cases
- Working Paper Launch: The Climate Finance Framework

Register and share with your network 🌍

🔗 Link in Bio to Register for free!
https://greeninitiative.eco/webinar/

25/05/2026

🌱 In Nepal, Team Organizing Local Institution (TOLI) is supporting marginalized Dalit communities through climate-smart agriculture, women-led farmer groups, biodiversity conservation, and improved access to water and sanitation. In Kurlechaur, community members are strengthening resilient livelihoods through organic ginger and turmeric cultivation, community forestry, and sustainable land management. 🌿

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: connecting inclusive development, biodiversity conservation, and community resilience.

📷 Team Organizing Local Institution (TOLI)

24/05/2026

🌿Across India, the South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE) is supporting community-led conservation through mangrove restoration, Indigenous paddy and seed conservation, Hoolock Gibbon habitat restoration, and protection of endangered horseshoe crabs. Working alongside Indigenous and local communities, these initiatives strengthen biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, and traditional ecological knowledge across diverse socio-ecological landscapes and seascapes. 🌱

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: connecting community stewardship, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity conservation for resilient futures.

📷 South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE)

23/05/2026

🌿 In the Human Ecology Practice Area (HEPA), SPERI is supporting the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge between generations. Through hands-on learning in forests, Indigenous and local youth are being taught how to measure traditional timber trees, identify undergrowth species, and understand the ecological value of forests and biodiversity. 🌱

By connecting young people with the knowledge and experiences of elders, these efforts help strengthen cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation, and harmony with nature.

This is the Satoyama Initiative in action: preserving ecological knowledge through community-based learning and stewardship.

📷 SPERI-HEPA Eco-farming Area