News from APPEAR Alumni

Showcasing Nepal’s forestry restoration efforts on a global stage
Representing Nepal, former scholar Dr. Sony Baral, Associate Professor at the Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University and former PhD at the Institute of Silviculture of BOKU University in October 2019 attended the FLARE (Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement) Meeting in Italy. Her presentation was about the leasehold forestry, which is a community-focused programme in Nepal aimed at restoring degraded forestlands while improving the livelihoods of marginalized and landless households. By granting small groups of family’s exclusive rights to manage degraded forest patches the programme seeks to balance ecological restoration with socio-economic benefits.

Further information can be found here. 

Researching the rise of water levels in Kenya’s Rift Valley Lakes
Rising water levels in Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes are dramatically altering ecosystems and disrupting livelihoods. During a flagship workshop, Dr. Luke Olang, a hydrology expert at the Technical University of Kenya and former APPEAR scholar and PhD at BOKU University, presented a detailed policy brief offering critical insights into the drivers of this phenomenon. The findings establish a clear link between shifting rainfall patterns and recurrent lake flooding, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable, policy-driven water management strategies to safeguard ecosystems and protect the vulnerable rural communities whose livelihoods are threatened by the encroaching waters. The research was conducted under the 'Great Lakes 
Project'.

Further information can be found here.