Africa’s opportunity for a bright and sustainable future

With the increasing threat posed by global challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, energy crisis, and water shortage, it has become essential to discuss them to move towards a better and more sustainable future for all. With this aim, NSS IIT Roorkee is organizing Sustainability Conclave to model these rising issues. It aims to empower young innovative minds with the expertise and proficiency of leaders and researchers by bringing them on a common platform. The Conclave is committed to fostering a space for driving collective action for advancing equity & opportunities for all humankind, thereby aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Scotland Excel is preparing to host its annual event for the local government sector – with this year’s event set to focus on Scotland’s Green Economic Recovery, supporting climate change and sustainability objectives as we move towards a Net Zero Scotland. The event will take place online on Wednesday 18th May – and tickets are now available!
The conference will deliver content through individual sessions, across seven sessions which you will be able to join via your laptop, tablet or mobile.

About the pilot project The tropical areas suitable for palm oil plantations are incredibly rich in biodiversity. For many years, oil palm production has been associated with negative impacts on global biodiversity, as it significantly contributes to land-use changes in tropical forests, peatlands, and other species-rich habitats. The major direct impact on biodiversity caused by palm oil cultivation is habitat loss caused by deforestation and the burning of peat or natural vegetation to prepare the land for planting. Since the 1990s, palm oil has become a global commodity widely used in processed foods and is the highest yielding plant producing vegetable oil. Palm oil is produced from palm trees cultivated in Western Africa and South and Central America, but the most considerable extension of palm oil fields is in Indonesia and Malaysia, which provide 85% of the world production. This pilot aims to advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biodiversity conservation practices at the farm level for palm oil producers. To sustainably produce palm oil, there is more than concentrating on preventing deforestation or habitat loss. Advanced integrated pest management (IPM), less toxic plant protection products, and improving biodiversity-friendly production practices are crucial to arrive at environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production systems with maximum resilience. The pilot includes the development of an additional module of Malaysia-specific pesticide data for the Pesticides & Alternatives APP, a survey of biodiversity-friendly practices currently implemented by farmers, and a census of insect diversity and their associated host plants on oil palm farms – both pest and beneficial insects. The results of this census will provide important additional information about the natural history of beneficial and pest insects and their host plants in local oil palm production regions. An international team of entomologists and botanists will discuss the results to understand plant-insect interactions and…