As Category 4 Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Southeast of the United States last week, preliminary damage estimates indicated 758,000 homes across three states could be impacted. Reconstruction costs were estimated at $170.2 billion. Despite the dire forecast and its associated challenges, however, the United States is one of the countries most prepared to respond…
Southern Africa has significant biodiversity and natural resources, as well as a robust legal framework for natural resource management across borders. However, most countries in the region are water scarce or water stressed. National policies lack harmonization across countries and between sectors, and poor and vulnerable populations lack enough benefits and incentives for sustainable resource…
This post originally appeared on Climatelinks. A changing and more variable climate —threatens to undermine development interventions or investments to improve the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people. At the June Adaptation Community Meeting, four climate change risk specialists from leading development organizations—USAID, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Inter-American Development Bank…
This post originally appeared on Climatelinks. Work is underway to identify areas where climate vulnerability, fragility and gender inequality overlap. Using desk research and technical mapping of these points of overlap around the world, the USAID-funded program Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT), is identifying countries most affected by this triple nexus. At the May Adaptation Community Meeting,…
In early 2018, drought-stricken Cape Town narrowly averted its “Day Zero,” the day when taps in the city would have run dry. Reservoirs filled up just enough to avert an all-out water crisis, and “Day Zero” has now been pushed to 2019. Meanwhile, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, floods in South Asia, Africa, Europe, and…
Intractable development challenges demand solutions that shift norms, change behaviors, and amplify the voices of those who have the most at stake. Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) make these solutions possible. At the 2018 International SBCC Summit — Shifting Norms, Changing Behavior, Amplifying Voice: What Works? — global practitioners convene to explore what works…
Dr. Felix Gaschick is a biodiversity and forestry specialist with more than 15 years of experience conceptualizing and managing natural resource and livelihood programs across Mongolia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He joined Chemonics in 2013 and served as the biodiversity and forestry specialist for the USAID-funded Philippines Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and…
The goal of RESILIM, a five-year contract funded and administered by USAID/Southern Africa, was to improve transboundary management of the Limpopo River Basin and enhance the resilience of its people and ecosystems. With the support of the four Basin governments — Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe — the program was geared toward collaboration with…
This post originally appeared on Climatelinks. The direct consequences of climate variability and change on the health of vulnerable populations are fairly well established, but there is emerging evidence that the indirect consequences are just as insidious, detrimental, and widespread. Which populations are the most vulnerable? Those who may be more susceptible to disease, have preexisting health conditions,…
Greg Minnick is a natural resources and environmental management and forestry specialist with more than 40 years of experience across a broad range of ecological zones, from the Sahel in Western Africa to the humid tropics and high Andean regions in Latin America. He has worked in forest management with community and indigenous groups and…
Deforestation in Haiti is driven by a variety of factors — demand for wood-based fuels, high population density, lack of resources in rural areas, and weak enforcement of natural resource regulations. For communities in Northern Haiti, economic and environmental vulnerabilities have escalated deforestation and reduced forest cover in the region’s watersheds. USAID’s Reforestation Project is…
According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, contributing to employment and stability in almost every part of the world. Since 1975, Chemonics’ inclusive and sustainable development has strengthened tourism in more than 56 countries. Our tourism activities touch upon all five of the UNWTO themes for…