Safeguarding overlooked Ecosystems: Protect, Manage and Restore Grasslands and Savannahs in Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay

Grassland and savannah ecosystems in Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay harbour common social-cultural, economic and environmental values. They are home to unique biodiversity, ensuring water and food security, providing habitat for species, supporting livelihoods, and maintaining the cultural identity of rural and indigenous peoples. They also suffer from climate and land use change. Protected areas and low-impact cattle ranching practiced by local and indigenous communities can help safeguard these biomes. Through its 3 pillars “Protect, Manage, Restore” the project supports upscaling of existing sustainable management practices, creating resilient, connected and productive landscapes featuring sustainable food production with an aim to halt biodiversity loss and support climate change mitigation and adaptation. It will raise awareness of grasslands and savannahs on the global conservation and climate agendas, focusing on community research and south-south exchange.

Project data

Countries: Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay
IKI funding: 8,060,244.00 €
Included preparation phase: 261,378.00 €
Duration: 01/2024 till 11/2028
Status: open
Implementing organisation: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Germany
Political Partner: Ministry of Economy - Argentina

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente) - Colombia

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - Colombia

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) - Paraguay

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock - Paraguay

Undersecretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development - Argentina
Implementing Partner: Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina - Argentinien

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Colombia

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Paraguay

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) - Switzerland

Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V.

global networks / agri benchmark

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State of implementation/results

The 5 years project on sustainable grasslands and savannahs was officially kicked-off by holding a workshop with all the project partners in Bogotá, Colombia, on 18-22 March 2024.
In Paraguay, stakeholder workshops and field visits were conducted in April 2024 between agri benchmark and WWF Paraguay to define the beef production systems that currently make conventional use of land and discuss possible sustainable cattle ranching models.
Two Colombian PhD students were selected based on the specific needs of local institutions, ensuring a targeted alignment between research capabilities and institutional requirements in the project countries. The research focus areas and potential methods were collaboratively discussed and determined with the project partners and local institutions to ensure that, on the one hand, the research will address pertinent local issues and, on the other hand, contribute to institutional capacity building and knowledge interchange.
The Global Grasslands and Savannahs Dialogue Platform launched a new website and held regular convenings with experts from academia, NGOs, government and international organizations.

Latest Update:
11/2024