In this blog post ZEF junior researcher Nicolas Lara-Rodriguez shares insights from his research on Peasant Reserve Zones in Colombia. In his research he explores how these Zones protect nature and support rural communities. He also examines the Zones’ impact on deforestation and their potential to be recognized as conservation areas. Colombia is one of…
Blog post by Joslyn Muthio Nzau, post-doctoral researcher in the research project Local Dynamics and Integration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Outstanding Universal Value: Evidence from Cultural Landscapes in Ethiopia and Kenya. She is based at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. The sacred Mijikenda Kaya forests of coastal Kenya tell the profound story of…
ZEF senior researcher Anindita Sarkar shares insights from her research on and her trip to Nepal in May 2025. A quiet revolution is unfolding in the remote hills of Bajang, a district in the Sudurpashchim province, located in the northwest of Nepal. This revolution is not marked by protests or headlines, but by the steady,…
In 2024, we witnessed a concerning increase in wildfire activity worldwide. North and South America were among the regions hit hardest since wildfires were first recorded in 2003. Bolivia and Venezuela experienced their highest-ever carbon emissions caused by wildfires, and Brazil nearly reached its historical peak. Bolivia stood out among the many affected countries for…
Blog post by ZEF-colleague Andreas Gohlke, who works with ZEF’s Cultural and Political Change research group (ZEF-CPC). From March 24 to 28, 2025, he spent a week shadowing the National PhD in Peace Studies doctoral program at La Sapienza University in Rome. This “job shadowing” opportunity at a European partner university was made possible by…
Ethiopia has been implementing an industrialization plan since 2010 and become a global player in the textile and apparel sector. The annual export value of (non-)knitted and (non-)crocheted garments has increased from about $44 million in 2015 to about $143 US$ in 2021. At the heart of the country’s industrialization efforts is the creation of…
For some, roads are avenues for new business opportunities that provide access to new markets. For others, roads pave the way for deforestation, agricultural expansion, and biodiversity loss. In their research, Philipo Mtweve and Vincent Moseti study the impacts and varying perceptions of roads in Africa. They are both PhD students of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lisa…
Blog by Asrat Gella, project coordinator and senior researcher at ZEF. “I think I can smell smoke,” said one member of our research team as we entered into the sacred forests of Kaya Mudzimuvya. And she was right. Soon enough we stumbled upon what appeared to be an active charcoal making pit with logs burning…
Blog by Sara Velander and Nady Mahmoud (Junior Researchers in the LANUSYNCON Project at ZEF) share their insights from UNCCD COP 16, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 2-13, 2024. 2024 was a landmark year for global environmental governance, marking a “triple COP year” with consecutive high-profile events: New York Climate Week (USA),…
Blog by Clement Roux, Eva Youkhana and Christian Petersheim Bogotá, November, 2024. During our research stay in Colombia’s capital we took the opportunity to visit the Museo de la ciudad autoconstruida (MCA), or the Museum of the Self-Constructed City, located in the district of Ciudad Bolivar. To get there, we took the gondola lift, which…
