Knowledge Management and Sharing
Knowledge, attitudes and practices improved, and knowledge management structures enhanced to broaden participation in the conservation and sustainable use of GRFA. Through the construction of a provincial database on agrobiodiversity and APPs and websites for the 3 GRFA varieties, WeChat official account of the project, preparation of annual timelines of the project, broadcasting activities through Hainan TV, and meetings and exchange activities etc., the effective communication among the stakeholders and with the C-SAP Program projects has been expanded, and the understanding of farmers and other key stakeholders on the value of the endemic GRFA varieties and importance of in-situ conservation and utilization, and more importantly, farmers’ access to information, has been improved. As a result, stimulating wider participation in the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity in Hainan.
1)The participation of local media is crucial for the knowledge management and dissemination of the project outcomes. 2)Through activities such as the Shanlan rice planting ceremony, the establishment of farmers' field schools, science popularization for students, the construction and operation of community seed banks, livestock competitions, and cooking competitions, the confidence and identity of ethnic cultures has been enhanced, public awareness raised, contributing to conservation and utilization of GRFA.
Awareness raising activities targeting young people can be combined with multiple fields such as science popularization education, art education, and experience of field farming activities. New media is an effective way to engage stakeholders, in particular, farmers in the conservation and sustainable use of GRFA, helping them access to information and resources.
Mainstreaming and institutional capacity strengthening
Demonstrated approaches mainstreamed and capacities strengthened to facilitate upscaling of conservation and sustainable use of GRFA. 1)Strengthen capacities based on capacity building needs analysis and capacity training plan, including designing training courses (615 people, 31.22% women) for various target groups such as institutional staff, women (jointly with Women’s Federation of Hainan Province) and youth (jointly with the Youth League of Hainan Province). 2)The concept of agrobiodiversity conservation and utilization as well as the best practices have been incorporated into the 14th 5 Year Plan for Agricultural and Rural Modernization of Hainan Province. The guidelines for best practices for the conservation and sustainable use of GRFA have been included in the local annual work plan and is in the process of being brought into the local 15th 5-year plan for agricultural and rural development, thus enhancing the mainstreaming of the incentive approaches in the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity conservation. 3)Replicate success based on pilot demonstrations, e.g. two new regions with two more traditional varieties, that is, Hainan camellia and Hainan big leaf tea, were selected for upscaling.
The targeted capacity building plans, various modules and tailored contents of training courses and expanding involvement of women and youth play an important role in realizing the outcomes of training. Full and equal participation of all stakeholders is important for replication. In addition, knowledge transfer activities broadened the vision of participants and introduction of models from the demonstration sites brought opportunities for cooperatives and farmers in the replication areas.
Effective knowledge transfer of good practices is important for scaling up.
Strengthening institutional and policy framework
The policy and regulatory framework for in-situ conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity has been enhanced at the provincial level, including: 1)Provincial level and county/city level GRFA coordination committees have been established that facilitates the planning and implementation of approaches for the sustainable use and conservation of varieties. 2)Development of policies such as the Provincial Strategy and Action Plan of Conservation and Utilization of Agrobiodiversity in Hainan, as well as provincial and county/city level Implementation Frameworks approved by governments. These policies have been integrated into 14th Five-Year Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture and Rural Areas; the strategy and action plan for conservation and use of agrobiodiversity in Hainan incorporated into the Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Conservation in Hainan (2023-2030). 3)A guideline for allocation of eco-compensation funds and eco-compensation schemes for in-situ conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity were developed, based on piloting of the eco-compensation implementation plan. In addition, the project has successfully secured 1.64 million eco-compensation funding allocation by the Department of Finance.
1)Trans-sectoral coordination mechanisms at provincial, county/city, and demonstration landscape levels were established to promote the full and equal participation of all stakeholders. 2) In the process of piloting eco-compensation schemes, it is crucial to initially gather farmers' willingness to accept compensation, then timely adjust compensation methods and amounts according to actual conditions during implementation, and finally conduct independent third-party evaluations after execution.
A Panorama of Successful Solutions to the Management Challenges of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary

The Alpine Meadow Improvement Program aims to restore degraded pasturelands and enhance their productivity for both wildlife and livestock. Initiated in 2019 with support from Bhutan for Life, the program involves manually removing unpalatable shrubs, pruning tree branches to allow light penetration, constructing check dams, and planting grass cuttings to stabilize landslides. Around 350 hectares of meadows have been rehabilitated, leading to increased milk production, improved wildlife movement, and greater ecosystem resilience.

  • The Portable Solar Corral Fencing initiative reduces livestock losses caused by predators such as wild dogs. The solar-powered, mobile electric fencing system can be easily transported and set up by semi-nomadic herders as they move between pastures. This approach safeguards livestock, especially calves, and reduces retaliatory killings of predators, promoting coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Enabling Factors Alpine Meadows Improvement:

  • Financial support from Bhutan for Life and technical guidance from the Department of Forests and Park Services.
  • Strong participation and labor contribution from local herding communities.
  • Use of native plant species adapted to local soil and climatic conditions.
  • Continuous ecological monitoring and adaptive management.

Enabling Factors (Portable Solar Corral Fencing):

  • Availability of affordable, renewable solar technology suitable for remote areas.
  • Technical training and maintenance support provided by sanctuary staff.
  • Cooperation and enthusiasm among herders to adopt new methods.
  • Government and donor support for equipment procurement.

Lessons Learned (Alpine Meadow Improvement):

  • Active community involvement ensures long-term maintenance and ownership.
  • Simple, low-cost restoration methods can yield significant ecological and social benefits.
  • Integrating traditional knowledge with modern conservation practices enhances effectiveness.

Lessons Learned (Portable Solar Corral Fencing):

  • Introducing technology that complements traditional herding practices encourages community acceptance.
  • Reducing economic losses from predation fosters positive attitudes toward wildlife conservation.
  • Continuous follow-up and technical support are vital for sustained use of the technology.
Nationwide capacity-building and awareness-raising for environmental budgets’ planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting

Lastly, this solution has included capacity-building activities and awareness-raising meetings across all 21 provinces and the capital since 2022. For capacity-building, trainings have been provided online and in-person, while forums and workshops were also organized for broader discussions. Awareness-raising meetings have targeted specific local decision-makers and have been conducted in-person.  

The objective of these activities is to equip local actors with the knowledge and skills needed for environmental management and budgeting aligned with the NRUF, through exercises on planning, execution reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of local environmental budgets. Trainings have also focused on the Environmental Budget and Expenditure Database, helping local governments to disclose their information and improving data-driven planning and decision-making.  

 Moreover, UNDP BIOFIN is working with the government of Mongolia in the development of an expenditure taxonomy, which will provide a standardized categorization of environmental expenditures, adding clarity and consistency to budget reporting.  

Key enabling factors include sufficient time, personnel, and funding to conduct a variety of trainings, workshops, and meetings at the local level. The development of easy-to-understand materials, knowledge products, and supporting activities is also an essential factor. 

Trainings and workshops should focus on translating complex information into clear and actionable messages. This is crucial to ensure their effectiveness and address the main challenge of legal complexity and ambiguity in the context of the NRUF. Practical components, such as hands-on activities, further support the achievement of learning outcomes by reflecting what local actors will have to do, in practice, when defining and reporting their budgets. Finally, trainings and workshops should be tailored to specific audiences. Since local governments are responsible for implementing the NRUF, and each province has unique opportunities and constraints, it is effective to provide separate trainings for individual local governments rather than solely aggregating all personal at a higher level.  

Developing a public database to track biodiversity finance, improve accountability, and ensure that governments’ expenditure responsibilities are met

A public Environmental Budget and Expenditure database was developed to disclose environmental budgets and expenditures (since 2023). Its intuitive and visual layout allows users to track how much each province has spent on biodiversity each year. This has two main implications.  

 First, by having to thoroughly fill the database, local governments can use it as a tool to better understand how to develop their own environmental budgets and clarifying which categories should be included.  

 Second, the public database promotes accountability and transparency in environmental planning and budgeting, encouraging governments to fulfill their biodiversity finance responsibilities under the NRUF and, ultimately, functioning as an effective monitoring tool.  

 

Technical capacity and funding for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the database; local governments’ understanding of the database and commitment to disclose their environmental budgets and expenditures.  

Beyond legal responsibilities, monitoring and accountability tools (such as publicly available databases) can create additional incentives for enforcing biodiversity expenditure laws. These tools offer a practical way to translate disaggregated information into an easily accessible format for tracking biodiversity finance. It is important, however, that the development of these tools is accompanied by efforts to raise awareness of their existence, ensuring they are effectively used to monitor progress and support law enforcement.  

Enhancing regulation and strengthening cooperation across government levels for effective law enforcement

BIOFIN and the National Audit Office of Mongolia jointly assessed the implementation level of the NRUF and examined institutional and regulatory gaps affecting law enforcement. The review found that weak enforcement resulted from legal ambiguities, inconsistent regulations, and ineffective coordination among government agencies. Following this process, BIOFIN provided technical assistance to develop revised regulations that address these legal ambiguities.  

 

Beyond regulatory enhancements, a fundamental component was strengthening cooperation and communication between government agencies — ensuring that the NRUF and its revised regulations are understood and effectively implemented. This is particularly important since local governments are responsible for incorporating the NRUF, a national law, into their budget processes. To support this, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) began to issue bi-annual budget call circulars: official instructions that explain the procedures to prepare next fiscal year’s budget, helping local governments to incorporate biodiversity expenditures. The MoF also increased efforts to review and approve dedicated budgets for environmental protection and natural resource rehabilitation.  

Enabling factors include mutual understanding among government agencies of the interconnectedness of biodiversity finance procedures and a willingness to cooperate. Support from biodiversity finance specialists, particularly the BIOFIN team, was also critical in identifying gaps in regulations and coordination, and in effectively supporting the development of solutions to address them.    

A key lesson learned from this building block is that cooperation and communication can bridge the gap between biodiversity finance law and practice, in combination with clear regulations that support enforcement. Although the NRUF was approved in 2012, these inconsistencies have prevented the law from achieving its intended outcomes.  

 While the NRUF is specific to Mongolia, the replicability of this building block goes beyond that. It consists of the fact that biodiversity finance is an inherently interconnected matter, and government solutions typically involve multiple agencies at different levels, from finance departments to environmental sectors. This building block shows that other governments-national, regional, or local — seeking to strengthen biodiversity finance through laws and regulations must give equal attention to governance structures, cooperation mechanisms, and regular communication and guideline tools, such as the bi-annual call circulars.  

 

Strengthening Disaster Preparedness

Through the establishment of a dedicated emergency management task force, the refinement of contingency plans, the development of a robust disaster information communication framework, and the implementation of regular drills, the community's capacity for disaster preparedness and response has been significantly strengthened.

A comprehensive community emergency management map was developed, delineating critical infrastructure such as roads, residential buildings, and waterways. The map also identifies the locations of vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, pregnant women, and individuals with disabilities, while designating safe evacuation routes to provide a clear and actionable foundation for disaster response.

Special attention was given to addressing the specific needs of women during disasters. Preparedness measures included ensuring an adequate stockpile of sanitary products, while drills incorporated protocols to safeguard the mobility and security of women and girls, with a particular focus on mitigating risks of gender-based violence.

  1. Strong demand due to local disaster risks, motivating community engagement.
  2. Capacity-building for local responders, ensuring sustainability of preparedness measures.

Climate risk assessments should identify specific local hazards and community needs, with support from professional teams to institutionalize disaster management.

Storytelling for Climate Awareness

The “Grandmothers’ Climate Stories” series combined group study, film screenings, and lectures with traditional ethnic ecological values, such as reverence for nature. 

Around the theme of “Women and Climate,” women leaders shared the impacts of climate change on women’s health, raised awareness about the link between pesticide overuse and breast cancer risks, promoted the use of protective equipment, and encouraged reduced pesticide use. In addition, women carried out public education on climate-related infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya, organizing 3–5 person teams to visit households, guide villagers in clearing standing water to curb mosquito breeding, and teach methods and knowledge for disease prevention.

Social support: Traditional authorities such as village elders and local organizations, together with “cultural codes” like ethnic languages, oral literature (folk songs and proverbs), which were used for dissemination to ensure the information was trusted and effectively received.

  1. Leveraging indigenous ecological wisdom​: Explore and respect the traditional ecological concepts of ethnic groups (such as the belief in sacred mountains and the wisdom of crop rotation). Engage in a dialogue and integration with modern climate knowledge to endow the advocacy content with a sense of cultural identity.
  2. Successful climate advocacy in ethnic minority rural communities depends on aligning climate adaptation measures with livelihood improvement, such as promoting resilient crops and eco-tourism.
Explore sustainable cultivation methods

The project introduced water-saving technologies, such as drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers, and established demonstration households. A women’s cooperative for sustainable agriculture was created, supported by RMB 10,000 seed funding and small individual contributions (RMB 200 per household). Members jointly purchased seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to reduce costs.

  1. Monthly peer learning sessions and problem-solving discussions.
  2. Field visits where women host peers to observe and exchange practices.

Family support is crucial—men take over household duties when women attend training, enabling their sustained participation.