Patterns of fungal and bacterial carbon mineralization across northern european peatlands

The fungal and bacterial activity was determined in 20 northern European peatlands ranging from ombrotrophic bogs to eutrophic fens with key differences in degree of humification, pH, dry bulk density, carbon (C) content and vegetation communities using the selective inhibition (SI) technique. These peatlands were partly disturbed and the respective water tables lowered below the surface layer. Basal respiration ranged from 24 to 128 mu g CO2-C g(-1) dry peat d(-1). Bacterial contributions to CO2 production were high in most peatlands and showed the following pattern: eutrophic >> transitional mesotrophic >> ombrotrophic peatland types. The fungal-to-bacterial (F:B) ratios varied substantially within peatland type, and this was mainly attributed to differences in peat botanical compositions and chemistry. The computed mean Inhibitor Additivity Ratio (IAR) was quite close to 1 to suggest that the SI techniques can be used to partition eukaryotic and prokaryotic activity in wide range of peatlands. Overall, basal respiration, microbial biomass-C, fungal and bacterial activities varied across the studied peatland types, and such differences could have consequences for C- and nutrient-cycling as well as how bogs and fens will respond to environmental changes

Microbial activity and biomass of peats in relation to the intrinsic organic matter composition, pH, moisture, and C and N inputs

[no abstract

Innovation platforms for establishment and management of community nurseries in the central highlands of Ethiopia

Developing community nurseries is one of the very important steps to expand tree covers in degraded as well as other areas. The establishment of such nurseries, however, requires a sustained commitment from the community and proper coordination of a sequence of activities as any failure to pay attention to the details of important processes may result in the production of poor-quality and quantity of seedlings. This study was, therefore, designed to document important processes, lessons and challenges encountered from the participatory nursery establishment and management in Borodo and Mekentuta watersheds of central Ethiopia. The processes of establishing nurseries were started by forming Innovation Platforms (IPs). The IPs in each watershed consisted of local community, a local administrator, village and watershed representatives, religious leaders, elders, researchers and development agents. Each IP elected its own leader, who was responsible for (i) registration of interested members, (ii) organising meeting and field visits in the absence of researchers or development workers, and (iii) monitoring the implementation of agreed nursery schedules. The proper execution of planned nursery activities, however, did not materialise as all members did not share responsibilities equally. Hence, local bylaws were formulated to ensure equal and sustained participation, although, their effectiveness was constrained by the existence of blood relationships among IP members and weak enforcement mechanisms. Overall, this paper discusses the most important processes, lessons and challenges encountered during participatory nursery establishment and management so as to use such experiences as inputs for similar development works in the future.Le d\ue9veloppement des p\ue9pini\ue8res communautaires est l\u2019une des \ue9tapes les plus importantes pour l\u2019expansion des couvertures d\u2019arbres dans des milieux degrad\ue9s et autres. L\u2019\ue9tablissement de telles p\ue9pini\ue8res, par ailleurs, n\ue9cessite un engagement durable de la communaut\ue9 et une bonne coordination des activit\ue9s \ue9tnt donn\ue9 que toute erreur d\u2019inattention sur les d\ue9tails de processus importants pourrait conduire \ue0 une production de pauvre qualit\ue9 et quantit\ue9 des plants. Cette \ue9tait con\ue7ue pour documenter des processus importants, des le\ue7ons et contraintes rencontr\ue9es dans l\u2019\ue9tablissement et la gestion participative des p\ue9pini\ue8res dans les basins versants de Borodo et Mekuntuta en Centre de l\u2019Ethiopie. Les processus d\u2019\ue9tablissement des p\ue9pini\ue8res \ue9taient initi\ue9es en formant des plate forme d\u2019innovation (IPs). Les IPs dans chaque basin versant composes de la communaut\ue9 locale, un administrateur local, des repr\ue9sentants des villages et basins versants, des leaders religieux, les personnes ag\ue9es, les chercheurs et les agents de d\ue9veloppement.Chaque IP avait \ue9lu son propre dirigeant,ayant pour responsabilit\ue9 de (i) enregister les nouveaux members, (ii) organiser des reunions et descente sur terrain en l\u2019absence des chercheurs ou agents de d\ue9veloppement, et (iii) suivi de l\u2019ex\ue9cution des programmes agr\ue9\ue9s de p\ue9pini\ue8res. L\u2019ex\ue9cution correcte des ectivit\ue9s planifi\ue9es de p\ue9pini\ue8res, par ailleurs, n\u2019a pas \ue9t\ue9 mat\ue9rialis\ue9e \ue9tant donn\ue9 que tous les members n\u2019ont pas partag\ue9 \ue9quitablement les responsabilit\ue9s. Ainsi, des l\ue9gislations locales \ue9taient formul\ue9es afin d\u2019assurer une participation et durable, si bien que leur efficacit\ue9 \ue9tait handicap\ue9e par le fait que tant de membres de l\u2019IP avient des relations familiales tr\ue8s proches et de faibles m\ue9canismes de renforcement. En somme, ce article pr\ue9sente les processus les plus importants, les lessons et contraintes rencontr\ue9es dans l\u2019\ue9tablissement participative et la gestion des p\ue9pini\ue8res, afin de se servir de ces exp\ue9riences pour initier des travaux de d\ue9veloppement similaires dans le future

South-South Technical Knowledge Exchange and Learning Initiative (STEKELI) Workshop

In Africa, many actors, programmes, projects, or initiatives are implemented by international organizations or continental institutions, or sub-regional and national entities to improve the development, provision, uptake and use of weather and climate services1 .For instance, the Regional Climate Centers (RCCs) have been engaged in developing models and methodologies based on ground and satellite observations to forecast/monitor rainfall, cropwater requirements, drought, early warning system, weather/climate, and seasonal and inter-annual variations. They have also provided training in a wide range of expertise in agro-meteorology, hydrology, and equipment maintenance, as well as on topics related to food security, climate change, and sustainable natural resources (land and water) management. Reliable observed climate data are essential to monitoring past and current weather and climate conditions, producing reliable forecast information, assessing the models' skill, understanding climate variability and longterm changes, and assessing sectoral impacts (agriculture, water resources, and health). Reliable climate information could, therefore, help build resilience against the negative impact of climate change and improve people's livelihood

Consultative Workshop on the Co-development of National Framework for Weather, Water and Climate Services (NFWWCS) for the Southern Africa sub-region

A three-day experience-sharing workshop was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 28 to 30 September 2022 to support the co-development of National Framework for Weather, Water and Climate Services (NFWWCS) for the Southern Africa countries. This workshop is a follow-up on the successful co-development and endorsement of AICCRA-supported National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS) in Ethiopia and the subsequent two regional workshops for IGAD and SADC member States held in Zanzibar and Kampala to explore regional landscape in the development and implementation of NFWWCS. The representatives presented their progresses on the planning and development of the NFWWCS, types of weather and climate services offered by their NMHSs and the experiences, lessons learnt, and best practices in the development of the NFWWCS. The progresses were reported in accordance with the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) step-by-step guidelines for NFCS. Strategic and operational challenges faced by the countries including gaps and barriers that inhibits the successful development and implementation of the NFWWCS were discussed. Further to the presentations made by the Southern Africa countries, round table discussions groups were organized in the form of breakaway sessions to surface and deep dive into common challenges, experiences, gaps and barriers to the successful planning and development and implementation of the NFWWCS. The outcome of each working group was presented to the broader participating audience. The audience pondered on solutions that could bridge the gaps that exists in Southern Africa countries that lead to NFWWCS development paralysis. The workshop was concluded by a methodical summarization of the challenges, interventions and way forward proposed for each of the country. The interventions and way forward included country specific solutions that could empower each country, in particular those that are at step zero, to get going while those that have started to progress to the next stages of the NFWWCS development. Common challenges across all Southern Africa countries are associated with lack or limited financial resources to fund the development of the NFWWCS, lack of support and buy-in from national government and political leaders in the respective countries and participation on staff members who are not decision makers. Broader requests included the need to develop a regional framework for weather, water, and climate services, that will drive regional programmes (funding, research, etc.) and assist in accelerating the implementation of NFWWCSs across all the SADC countries. Participants from the Southern Africa countries commended the relevance of this platform and recommended that the support should continue ad infinitum to ramp the development of NFWWCS across all countries. Accordingly, countries at stage zero or stage one requested to have such platform where they can learn more from the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa in Eastern and Southern Africa (AICCRA ESA) program’s experience in Ethiopia and elsewhere. The AICCRA and its regional collaborating partners’ – the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), World Meteorological Organization – Regional office Africa (WMO-RoA) and the IGAD Pridiction and Application Centre (ICPAC) – efforts helped NMHSs to successfully plan, develop and implement NFWWCS and its action plan to strengthen their national adaptive capacities. This workshop was attended by representatives from SADC member countries and their partnering organizations

Streamlining climate change, climate risk management in Agriculture, climate information services, and climate-smart agriculture innovations into undergraduate university curriculum modules in Ethiopia

Ethiopia, as is the case for other African countries, is a disproportionately higher risk of adverse consequences of climate change. The country has a high risk of hydrometeorological hazards and natural disasters. Its vulnerability is further exacerbated due to the high poverty level and its dependence on key sectors most likely affected by climate change: agriculture, water, tourism, and forestry. The country is considered a climate hotspot where climate change poses grave threats to human well-being and natural environments. The accelerating pace of climate change in the region is invariably being felt through increased extreme weather and variability, which affects the frequency, intensity, spatial distribution, duration and timing of severe weather and climate events. The changes in the frequency and severity of extreme climate events and the increasing variability of weather patterns result in substantial challenges for both human and natural systems. The major and almost exclusive livelihood activities of rural Ethiopia are crop production, livestock production, natural resource extraction, and only less than a small percentage engaged in off-farm activities

Experience-sharing Workshop in the co-development of NFWWCS in Eastern African Countries

Many African countries are signatories to the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) to support the development and use of climate information services (CIS) as a means to reduce the impacts of disasters from hydro-meteorological hazards and to effectively capacitate their communities to adapt to vagaries of climate variability and the ever-looming negative impacts of climate change. The effective and sustained delivery of CIS per this framework is vital to achieving, among others, the Paris Agreement’s adaptation goal of ‘enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change (UNFCCC, 2015: Art. 7). The framework may also unlock funding support from international development and cooperation partners, with supports from United Nations System under the coordination of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Climate Basics, Climate Information Service, Climate Risk Management Training Guide

Climate Basics, Climate Information Service, Climate Risk Management Training Guid

Inclusion of ‘Climate Basics’ Course into Ethiopia Undergraduate Program is Critical to Build Climate Resilient Economy and Society

▪ The gap analyses on undergraduate curricula revealed that the existing Higher Education Institutes programs remained far behind the expected level of integration of Climate Change Education; ▪ The current educational road map, which has proposed critical courses for the first year of the undergraduate program, failed to include the "Climate Basics" course that could offer these students foundational climate science knowledge and tools needed to analyze climate-related risks while maximizing climate change opportunities; ▪ The inclusion of "Climate Basics" as a stand-alone course plays a critical role in broadening the understanding of undergraduate students on various national and international climate discourses

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Training Guide

Agriculture, as the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, contributes roughly 40% of GDP, more than 75% of employment, and 80% of foreign exchange earnings (FAO 2021). Ethiopian agriculture is heavily reliant on natural rainfall, with irrigation used on only about 5% of total cultivated land (USAID 2021). As a result, the sector is highly vulnerable to climate change. Climate change endangers the country's agriculture development, natural resources, biodiversity conservation, and government poverty-reduction efforts. Climate change-related impacts such as food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty, biodiversity loss, and loss of livelihood are deeply intertwined and continue to be the country's primary development challenges. In 2021/2022, climate change has caused Ethiopia to suffer one of its worst droughts that has ravaged vast parts of the country. The drought has ravaged livestock and wildlife resources. Future prediction suggest that Ethiopia will continue to suffer from climate change related problems. Thus action is needed to address problem