A new report commissioned by UNESCO has reviewed several case studies of national progress in learning and education for sustainable development (ESD). There are a wide range of approaches but, at the heart of all initiatives, are multi-stakeholder and collaborative partnerships which aim to instigate social change towards a more sustainable future.

Increasing pressure on land demands a careful assessment of competing activities in land-use planning. Cost-benefit analysis is increasingly used in planning processes to select the land-use plan that delivers the highest net social benefits.

Wetland restoration is a billion-dollar-a-year industry in the United States that aims to create ecosystems similar to those that disappeared over the past century. But a new analysis of restoration projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland.

More cooperation between government and business is the only road ahead to save the climate, according to former UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer. He spoke at a Nordic Council seminar in Oslo on January 24, where he urged the Nordic countries to take the lead towards a global climate solution.

New research has explored how well different governance systems can achieve desirable conservation outcomes. Results confirmed the importance of adaptive management, which relies on regular monitoring to enable ‘learning through doing’ to refine actions, and suggested that leadership using expert knowledge was also significant in successful governance.