One of the most innovative approaches within the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the development of a set of ‘sentinel landscapes’, i.e. a geographic area which is bound by a common issue.
A new brochure features sentinel landscapes and other important elements of this research program that unites over 230 scientists from more than 80 countries.
Seven sentinel landscapes are currently active: Nicaragua and Honduras, Western Ghats (India), the Mekong (China, Laos), Ghana-Burkina Faso, Western Amazon (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia), Borneo-Sumatra (Indonesia), and Cameroon.
In these landscapes, FTA researchers monitor a broad range of biophysical, social, economic and political data. The goal is to eventually draw conclusions that help manage other similar ecosystems.
Collaboration between research institutions is the cornerstone of the CGIAR FTA. The Center for International Forestry Research leads the program in partnership with Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), Bioversity International, Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, CATIE), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).
Spanning scales from farms to landscapes, FTA research ranges from genomics to governance and involves novel partnerships with national governments, civil society and the private sector.
Over 3 years, FTA scientists have produced more than 2000 publications, including 770 articles in journals with high impact factors and more than 1300 open access papers. One third of the publications are written by authors from developing countries.
Also see blog: How are trees good for us? ‘Sentinels’ may hold the answer
Watch: CIFOR’s Robert Nasi on sentinel landscapes
