27 June 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), together with the Government of Japan, have announced the second phase of the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS), which includes new initiatives in Bhutan, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Mongolia, Namibia, and Niger. The Programme promotes inclusive, community-based approaches to the sustainable development of landscapes and seascapes, through support for biodiversity conservation, human security, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

According to UNDP, a total of twenty countries are now involved in the Programme, which was launched in 2011. UNDP says the landscapes and seascapes to be targeted include diverse ecosystems from coastal areas, to low lands and highlands, with this second phase focusing on scaling-up the COMDEKS programme, facilitating knowledge and generating policy based on lessons learned and good practices.

The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative is a global effort to promote the sustainable use and management of natural resources in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS). COMDEKS is the flagship programme of the Satoyama Initiative. [Satoyama Initiative Website] [UNDP Press Release]