SOLUCIONES BASADAS EN LA NATURALEZA
Las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza son acciones para proteger, gestionar sosteniblemente o restaurar ecosistemas naturales, abordando de manera efectiva y adaptativa desafíos sociales como el cambio climático, la salud humana, la seguridad alimentaria e hídrica y la reducción del riesgo de desastres. De este modo, proporcionan simultáneamente beneficios para el bienestar humano y la biodiversidad (fuente: Banco Mundial).
Más específicamente, las Soluciones Climáticas Naturales son acciones de conservación, restauración y gestión mejorada del suelo que aumentan el almacenamiento de carbono o evitan las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en bosques, pastizales y humedales de todo el mundo (fuente: The Nature Conservancy).
El cambio climático plantea una amenaza existencial para la humanidad, pero, afortunadamente, una de las mayores soluciones está justo frente a nosotros.
Algunas investigaciones muestran que, si se gestionan adecuadamente, los bosques, pastizales y humedales tienen el potencial de proporcionar más de un tercio de las reducciones de emisiones necesarias para 2030 con el fin de mantener el aumento de la temperatura global por debajo de 2°C. Incluso a pesar de todas las amenazas que enfrentan los bosques hoy en día, ellos absorben 7.600 millones de toneladas métricas netas de dióxido de carbono por año, lo cual corresponde a una cantidad de carbono 1,5 veces mayor a las emisiones anuales de Estados Unidos.
¿Cómo logran exactamente las plantas esta asombrosa hazaña? Mediante un proceso llamado fotosíntesis, los árboles y otras plantas capturan moléculas de carbono del aire para alimentarse. Estas moléculas de carbono, que son las mismas que contribuyen al efecto invernadero, son capturadas por las plantas y almacenadas luego en sus cuerpos y bajo tierra para obtener energía.
La naturaleza es una fuerza extremadamente poderosa e inteligente y, si se le da la oportunidad, tiene la capacidad de contribuir significativamente a la lucha contra el cambio climático.
SOLUCIONES BASADAS EN LA NATURALEZA
IMPACTOS DESTACADOS
6 ESTANQUES PARA PECES CONSTRUIDOS Y NUEVAS CEPAS DE YUCA INTRODUCIDAS PARA MEJORAR LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA
African savannah elephants, the largest land mammals on Earth, are a keystone species that play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystems of Africa’s grasslands. They can be distinguished by their large ears, which slightly resemble the shape of the continent of Africa. Remarkably, these elephants don’t just hear through their ears. They can communicate over long distances using infrasonic rumbles (low-frequency vibrations that are inaudible to humans) that they detect through their feet. These vibrations allow them to coordinate movements and stay connected across vast landscapes, even when they’re miles apart. They use their tusks—elongated incisor teeth—for digging water holes, stripping bark from trees, and defending themselves against predators or rivals. Unfortunately, these tusks have attracted the attention of hunters throughout human history, but especially within the last 50 years as international demand has grown.
6 ESTANQUES PARA PECES CONSTRUIDOS Y NUEVAS CEPAS DE YUCA INTRODUCIDAS PARA MEJORAR LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA
Forest elephants, which were only declared a distinct species from Savannah elephants in 2021, are some of our best warriors in the fight against climate change. Although the Congo basin rainforest is only half the size of the Amazon, it sequesters more carbon. This is thought to be because of the presence of large herbivores such as forest elephants, who by eating and trampling smaller plants in the jungle, reduce the competition for nutrients for larger trees that sequester the most carbon. Forest elephants are smaller than their Savanna counterparts, have smoother skin, straighter tusks, and 4 (as opposed to 3) toe nails on their back feet. Forest elephants also have a much slower reproductive rate, so take 3x as long to double their population size. Due to this, Forest elephants are at an even greater risk of going extinct in our lifetime. According to the latest assessments, 86% of forest elephants were killed over the last 30 years alone.
6 ESTANQUES PARA PECES CONSTRUIDOS Y NUEVAS CEPAS DE YUCA INTRODUCIDAS PARA MEJORAR LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA
Asian elephants, which are slightly smaller than their African relatives, are distinguished by their rounded ears, and are actually more closely related to wooly mammoths than they are to their African relatives. They inhabit a diverse range of environments, from dense forests to open grasslands, across South and Southeast Asia. Unlike their African counterparts, Asian elephants have been domesticated for centuries, playing an important role in agriculture, transportation, and ceremonial traditions. They also hold deep religious and cultural significance in many regions, often symbolizing wisdom, strength, and prosperity. Unfortunately, their wild populations are rapidly declining due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and increasing human-elephant conflict.
100,000
elephants killed across Africa between 2009 and 2012 in a surge of ivory poaching
10%
Both African forest elephants and Asian elephants only exist in about 10 percent of their historical range.
415,000
In 1930, an estimated 10 million elephants roamed the African continent. Today, there are estimated to be only 415,000.
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IMPACTOS DESTACADOS
Human Elephant Conflict
As human populations expand, elephants are increasingly coming into contact with people, leading to conflicts over space and resources. Elephants often venture into farmland in search of food, which can result in damaged crops, destroyed property, and, at times, harm to people or livestock. In retaliation or to protect their livelihoods, farmers may injure or kill elephants, further threatening their already vulnerable populations. Finding solutions that promote coexistence, such as creating wildlife corridors and implementing community-based conservation programs, is essential to reducing human-elephant conflict and safeguarding both elephants and local communities.
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to elephants, driven primarily by agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development. As forests and grasslands are cleared, elephants are left with increasingly fragmented habitats, limiting their ability to roam, find food, and access water sources. For wide-ranging animals like elephants, this fragmentation leads to isolated populations that are more vulnerable to inbreeding and resource shortages. Protecting and restoring habitats, along with connecting them through wildlife corridors, is critical to ensuring elephants have the space they need to thrive.
Climate Change
Climate change exacerbates the challenges elephants face by altering their habitats and access to resources. Shifts in rainfall patterns can lead to prolonged droughts, shrinking water sources and food availability, which are vital for elephants’ survival. In some regions, rising temperatures and desertification force elephants to travel longer distances, increasing their risk of conflict with humans. Addressing climate change through global action and sustainable land management is essential to protect elephants and the ecosystems they depend on
Poaching for Ivory
Despite international bans on the ivory trade, poaching remains a significant threat to elephants, particularly African savannah elephants. Their tusks are targeted for illegal markets, where ivory is highly valued for carvings, jewelry, and status symbols. Poaching not only decimates elephant populations but also disrupts family structures, as matriarchs—critical to herd survival—are often targeted. Strengthening anti-poaching efforts, enforcing wildlife protection laws, and reducing demand for ivory through education and awareness are key to ending this devastating practice and ensuring elephants’ survival.
Elephant Conservation Efforts by Wildlife Works
El área del proyecto del Corredor Kasigau alberga a más de 100.000 miembros de la comunidad forestal, que se encuentran distribuidos en seis centros poblados. La mayor parte de la región es hogar de personas que se identifican como taitas, los cuales constan de tres subgrupos: los wadawida, los wasaghalla y los wataveta, todos los cuales se cree que emigraron originalmente a la zona entre los años 1000 y 1300 d.C.
Tradicionalmente, los taitas vivían en las colinas, cerca de fuentes de agua, lo cual permitió la coexistencia pacífica entre las grandes poblaciones de fauna silvestre que deambulaban por las llanuras circundantes.
Sus actividades económicas tradicionales incluían la caza, la cría de ganado y la agricultura de subsistencia (con cultivos como sorgo, mijo y ñame). Pero a medida que las poblaciones crecieron y la competencia por los recursos se intensificó, muchos taitas migraron a las llanuras inferiores, lo que provocó un mayor conflicto con los animales que habitaban allí.
El proyecto de REDD+ del Corredor Kasigau se encuentra justo a lo largo del famoso ferrocarril que recorre la ruta Mombasa-Nairobi y atraviesa el corazón del gran ecosistema de Tsavo. Al estar tan cerca de esta importante ruta comercial, las comunidades de esta zona han vivido la trata de esclavos, la colonización británica, la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la rebelión del Mau Mau.
Mai Ndombe
El área del proyecto del Corredor Kasigau alberga a más de 100.000 miembros de la comunidad forestal, que se encuentran distribuidos en seis centros poblados. La mayor parte de la región es hogar de personas que se identifican como taitas, los cuales constan de tres subgrupos: los wadawida, los wasaghalla y los wataveta, todos los cuales se cree que emigraron originalmente a la zona entre los años 1000 y 1300 d.C.
Tradicionalmente, los taitas vivían en las colinas, cerca de fuentes de agua, lo cual permitió la coexistencia pacífica entre las grandes poblaciones de fauna silvestre que deambulaban por las llanuras circundantes.