Char is carbonized organic matter that is produced by pyrolysis.

Biochar is char used for biotechnology, such as in agriculture.

Charcoal is char used as fuel.

Biochar has some important properties:

1. Resistance against biological and chemical decomposition, so it lasts in soil for centuries and can be used to store atmospheric carbon.
2. A high surface area
3. Negatively charged surfaces and some positive charges with can hold soluble plant nutients such as nitrogen and potassium and other minerals.

In Bangladesh, the soils are often low in soil organic matter, because the warm-humid climate and agricultural tillage promote organic matter breakdown.   Soil that are low in organic matter become hard and open pore space.  Crop growth can be severely limited.

Given the excellent climate from growing crops, improving the organic matter in Bangladeshi soils can have profound results.  Biochar can do this because it doesn't break down.  Instead, it combines with manures, composts and soil organic matter to from new, stable humus.

By increasing soil organic matter there is:

1. An increase in soil crumbs and large pore space
2. Increased aeration
3. Increased water penetration
4. Increased plant-available water
5. Increased soil life
6. Increase root growth and crop yield.

A TLUD is a simple gasifier that is composed of a vertical tube that is filled with small pieces of wood, or densified biomass like pellets, balls or small briquettes. This is called a 'fuel bed.' It is ignited at the top, and underfed with primary air from a grate at the bottom. The ignition front travels down through the fuel by radiating heat into the raw fuel, drying it, and initiating pyrolysis. Released volatiles are ignited by the flame. The reaction is sometimes called a “migratory flaming pyrolytic front” (MFPF). Residual char is left on top of the fuel bed as the MFPF moves down.   

The burning volatiles create an orange gas flame for cooking.  Once pyrolysis is completed, the orange flame goes out, and the left-over char is colleded and smothered, or quenched with water.

We needed the "Akha," a culturally-appropriate TLUD for Bangladesh.  It had to be made locally, study, and made with with as little (imported) metal as possible.  Because of its heavy construction, it has a hinged grate for removing the char.  To protect the Akha for free use, an there is an open-access patent.  The current version of the Akha is a prototype being evaluated for acceptance, and obvious improvements can be made.

Environmental education: raised environmental awareness among community members and helped them better understand the balance between ecology and development through environmental education workshops.

Volunteer opportunities: the promotion of dry farming has led thousands of farmers in the surrounding communities to participate in the project, to be engaged throughout the process of trial planting, adaptation & adjustment as seen fit, and harvesting. They did not need to test out the effects in their own fields.

Skill trainings: improved the ability of the community to apply new technologies and new models to farming and herding methods. Assisted the community to set up new cooperatives.

Maintaining and strengthening the established stakeholder’s engagement mechanism with  overarching  provincial, district and divisional governance bodies with sustainable financing solutions and capacity building is required for sustainability and replicability of the solution.  'The National Policy of the Environmentally Sensitive Areas management' provides the required policy framework for replication of this solution. When the communities identify the potential of resilience building of their livelihood through conservation, it becomes an incentive for their active collaboration on co-management and join monitoring of natural resources. Within given Sri Lankan context, there are many environmentally sensitive seascapes, where it could replicate this model, and this is being factored within National Environment Action Plan 2021-2030 for Sri Lanka. Therefore, there is an evident potential for sustainability and replication of this model.

Before and after each Wild Surakshe workshop, we conduct pre and post surveys. The surveys allow us to record the baseline level of knowledge of participants and to receive feedback about the workshops. So far we have conducted more than 3000 pre surveys and 2500 post surveys. We are currently analyzing the information collected from these surveys from over 150 workshops.To enable offline data collection in remote areas we have developed an application and platform called Wild Connect. Our staff download the app on their phone to access the forms they need to fill. Once the data is entered, the forms are stored locally, then uploaded to the cloud whenever internet connectivity is available. This cloud data can be accessed and downloaded by our central office staff for validation and further analysis. Our staff also use the app to collect data on human-wildlife conflict incidents. Wild Connect is only used by CWS staff to collect data, and is not used for any insurance or compensation payments. The results and outputs from the Wild Surakshe program will be shared with relevant government and private agencies and published in peer-reviewed scientific articles and reports to develop targeted long-term interventions to prevent future outbreaks and the rapid spread of zoonotic diseases.

Livestock plays a critical social and economic role in Laikipia – over 50% of the land is under livestock production. This building block aims to support local rural communities increase livestock productivity whilst reducing environmental damage. The approach supports livelihoods as well as addresses key threats to biodiversity.

Livestock extension services improve skills and knowledge in all aspects of livestock husbandry and natural resource management. Artificial insemination services are provided at affordable prices to improve cattle quality and can demand higher prices. Training and support are provided on:

• Husbandry – livestock disease management, health care, administration of drugs to prevent disease.
• Resource management – water and land management including best practice grazing management to support livestock and reduce land degradation.
• Alternative micro-enterprise – aimed at women and youth, support in establishing enterprises such as poultry and beekeeping.

Trained farmers are encouraged to share their knowledge and skills with other community members. This approach means more people are reached. Livelihoods are enhanced as well as building support for conservation through benefit-sharing.

In order to enable community-based, participatory and inclusive conservation, local development is a very important and relevant component in the implementation of our actions.

That's why we decided to initiate an approach centered on local communities living near the biotopes we are promoting for the conservation of bonobos and their associated habitats. By responding favorably to community needs and feelings, and by supporting them in the rational, reasoned and sustainable management of their natural and acquired resources, we have achieved success rates of up to 85% for our solution.

The various micro-projects put in place (goat rearing, pig rearing and pilot fish farming; family vegetable gardens; micro-trades and others) have been replicated by the beneficiary associations and by 75% of the inhabitants throughout the project area, and have helped to increase the income of local communities, enabling them to meet their material, financial and food needs. So far, this has been an effective solution to the problem of preserving biodiversity in general, and bonobos and their habitats in particular.

To achieve community-based, participatory conservation of bonobos and their associated habitat, we believe it is essential to monitor primates, i.e. bonobos and other species of small monkeys, as well as other species of large fauna. To this end, the NGO GACEBB is working with local communities to select Community Trackers (CTs) with proven expertise in the forest in question to carry out ecological monitoring of these species, and to record on a pre-established form whether the numbers of the flagship species (the bonobo) are increasing or decreasing, and also whether human pressures are decreasing or increasing, as well as ascertaining whether or not other species of large fauna are present.

Using manual labour allows for selective removal of invasive plants. This protects the other native vegetation in the area, allowing for the native vegetation and grasses to grow back in the following months whereas when using heavy machinery, the top layer of soil in addition to the grass and native vegetation are removed. Using heavy machinery also removes vital seed banks of native plants, which further facilitates the spread of invasive plants.

It is critical to remove the IAS before the seeds mature and disperse. Through this project, we aim to remove as much IAS growth as possible manually (inclusive of roots), before they shed seeds. The remaining plants, which are more difficult to uproot, will be removed via a ‘slasher’ and the roots will be removed manually, at a later stage, when the soil is moist and plants may be easily uprooted. FEO has observed regrowth of grass after a couple weeks of IAS removal and the growth of native vegetation inhibits the regrowth of invasive species in the cleared areas.

In order to address the challenges faced by society in social, economic, environmental and cultural terms, commitments have been adopted at the global level and subscribed to by States in different agendas, each with particular intervention approaches (rights, ecosystemic, urban-regional, disaster prevention and risk management and/or climate change). which of these approaches is appropriate for effective territorial management of biodiversity and social inclusion? All. The reality of the territories is diverse, complex and has very specific problems and potentials, which require cooperative, concurrent, complementary and multi-scale work of social and institutional actors to harmonize and implement the actions proposed in the planning instruments, in such a way that they respond to the identified needs, in order to prevent and manage socio-environmental conflicts, advance in the conservation of nature and human wellbeing.Combining rights, ecosystemic, urban-rural, risk management and climate change approaches is necessary to manage territories in an integral and pertinent manner.