Case Studies

Case study: Rwanda

Rwanda has embraced integrated action by aligning national strategies under the three Rio Conventions. Restoration efforts focus on reforestation, degraded grassland recovery and agroforestry. These interventions, covering ecosystems degraded between 2001 and 2020, are estimated to require $1.4 billion in investment, with returns projected at $1.53 for every dollar spent.

The country is moving toward a unified national MRV system that consolidates data and reporting obligations for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). This reduces transaction costs and improves transparency and efficiency. Coordination mechanisms also include joint planning between agencies, pooled budgeting approaches and shared capacity-building. Such integration is projected to reduce restoration costs by 15 per cent, saving approximately $45 million.

Given that most restoration funding in Rwanda comes from domestic sources, synergy-driven efficiency gains are essential for achieving national targets within limited fiscal space.

Case study: Central Asia

In Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) the focus is on restoring the region’s vast degraded grasslands and steppes—ecosystems that are ecologically unique and important carbon sinks. From 2001 to 2020, ecosystem degradation in the region resulted in economic losses of around $18 billion. Restoring these ecosystems is expected to yield a high return on investment, with $2.90 returned for each dollar invested over 30 years.

National governments are increasingly coordinating Rio Convention implementation through cross-sectoral planning, joint monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and collaborative research and training. Fragmentation remains a challenge, especially in data systems and institutional mandates, but progress is being made in unifying monitoring and promoting shared restoration practices.

Efficiency gains from coordinated action could reduce restoration costs by 24 per cent, potentially saving $7.9 billion. Most restoration investments are domestically financed, so these cost reductions are crucial for achieving climate, biodiversity and land goals in tandem.

Case study: Panama

Panama’s Nature Pledge is a pioneering national framework that aligns the country’s commitments under the three Rio Conventions by integrating its climate, biodiversity and land targets.

This unified approach fosters synergies, enables joint implementation and enhances monitoring through a single strategic platform. The Pledge builds on ambitious national goals: restoring 15 per cent of key forest ecosystems (NBSAP, 2018), addressing land degradation across 26 per cent of the territory (LDN, 2018) and conserving 50,000 hectares under the updated NDC (2024), which includes over 55 climate targets.

A key innovation lies in the use of integrated indicators: tracking CO₂ reduction, land degradation and forest restoration. Allowing for coherent progress measurement across all three conventions.

By embedding principles of inclusive governance, gender equality, youth engagement and just transition, the Pledge not only improves institutional efficiency and access to climate finance, but also strengthens socio-economic resilience. This positions Panama as a regional model for coordinated environmental action.

Case study: Türkiye

Türkiye has recently launched the Rio Synergy Protocol to strengthen alignment across its climate, biodiversity and land agendas. Signed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Protocol establishes a coordinated framework to implement the three Rio Conventions through integrated planning, reporting and project execution. It formalizes collaboration among national focal institutions and responds directly to UNCCD COP16 Decision 8/COP.16 on promoting synergy between conventions.

The Protocol focuses on cross-cutting areas including climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and Land Degradation Neutrality. Key elements include joint strategy development, shared capacity-building and streamlined national and international reporting. The approach aims to reduce fragmentation, enable joint environmental initiatives and improve coherence across institutional mandates.

By enhancing coordination, Türkiye aims to reduce duplication of efforts and improve the use of resources—financial, technical and institutional. The initiative also strengthens national ownership of Rio Convention goals and promotes more efficient access to funding, while laying the groundwork for regional cooperation on integrated environmental governance.

Case study: Mexico

Mexico’s REDD+ initiative works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing deforestation and forest degradation, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable forest practices. The national REDD+ strategy (ENAREDD+), developed through broad stakeholder participation, is implemented via a nested, landscape-level approach — aligning state and local plans with national targets. With support from USAID’s Mexico REDD+ Program, early‑action regions are prioritized to demonstrate climate‑effective agriculture and land‑management models that stabilize the agricultural frontier while supporting rural livelihoods and community rights.

Operating in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, Mexico’s REDD+ efforts help safeguard ecosystems that harbor an estimated 10–12 per cent of global species, from tropical rainforests to cloud forests. By conserving these landscapes, the program supports climate action, strengthens rural economies, and contributes to the protection of unique wildlife and habitats. 

Case study: EU

In 2025, the European Commission launched a Training Programme for Women Negotiators to strengthen women’s leadership in environmental diplomacy. By ensuring women are equally represented in land restoration and climate negotiations, the programme supports inclusive, gender-responsive solutions that advance the shared objectives of the UNCCD, UNFCCC and CBD.

This effort complements the EU’s new Water Resilience Strategy, which links sustainable water and land management, ecosystem restoration and climate adaptation, and supports the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) — a UNCCD-led platform promoting integrated drought preparedness — as well as initiatives like the Great Green Wall in the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Embedding gender equality in these interconnected initiatives ensures that diverse perspectives shape nature-based solutions and land governance, strengthening the effectiveness of synergistic approaches to combating land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change while promoting social equity.

Case study: Niger

In Niger’s Torodi region, the CERNAFA women’s group has transformed dry-season gardening into a source of income and community resilience. Founded in 2002, the group began with small fenced plots and wells for cultivating vegetables such as onions, lettuce and cabbage for household use and sale. Through an innovative “onion contribution” system, members contribute 10 per cent of their harvest to a communal stock, stored until prices rise. Profits are pooled to buy shared land and equipment, as well as to invest in seeds, site maintenance and expansion. By 2014, CERNAFA had grown to 247 women cultivating 19 hectares across four sites — all without chemical fertilisers or pesticides, using water-efficient and biodiversity-conscious practices that help them adapt to drought.

The initiative shows how women’s economic empowerment can strengthen climate resilience, biodiversity protection and sustainable land use — goals shared by the Rio Conventions. Remaining challenges include poor storage capacity leading to post-harvest losses, competition from international onion markets, and insecurity affecting production. Expanded storage, training and knowledge exchange could further boost the group’s livelihoods and resilience.