Environmental Services @ ICRAF

Agroforestry systems have the potential to generate a range of valuable environmental services, from protecting watershed function and sequestering greenhouse gases to harbouring rare species of trees, birds, butterflies and mammals. ICRAF’s work on environmental services seeks to exploit that potential through more effective system design, more effective programme support to farmers and a more conducive policy environment. The work is organized around three focal areas: integrated landscape management, climate change and environmental policy.

• Integrated landscape management:
  In both the developed and developing worlds it is now widely recognized that integrated landscape management approaches are among the best options for sustaining valuable ecosystems while improving human welfare. Agroforestry and collaborative forest management almost always feature in landscape management approaches to biodiversity conservation and watershed management, especially in the developing world. Read more on ICRAF’s integrated landscape management work >>
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation:
  Agroforestry systems are increasingly recognized for their ability to sequester greenhouse gases and to buffer farmers against the impacts of climate change. ICRAF continues to play three roles in the area of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Read more on ICRAF’s climate change work >>
• Environmental policy:
  ICRAF work in the area of environmental policy focuses on bridging gaps: gaps between science and policy and gaps between good environmental stewardship and sustained rural development. Read more on ICRAF’s environmental policy work >>