Communication to Combat Forest Crime in the Lower Mekong and in China: A Handbook Based on the Findings of the Knowledge, Attitude, Practices Survey on Illegal Logging and Illegal Forest Trade in the Lower Mekong and in China

United Nations 3 years ago

The Lower Mekong region is rich in biodiversity and forests that are vital for carbon storage. But illegal logging and illegal trade worth billions of dollars each year are causing extensive deforestation and harm to its people, the environment and the economy. Programmatic interventions to counteract forest crime seek to reduce demand for illegal forest products and create sustainable supply chains. In this context, effective communications and behavioural strategies are critical. The KAP score model, used in this handbook, measures knowledge, attitude, and practice related to forest crime and provides a step-by-step guide for designing communications interventions and behavioural change strategies to address illegal logging, illegal trade and other serious threats to the region's lush forests. An online version of this handbook is accessible at: www.un-redd.org/kaphandbook
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 2 hours ago



The week’s sustainability in construction agenda is being shaped by policy delivery, clean power capacity and verified building performance rather than headline technology. The UK climate watchdog’s warning over failures to meet national targets raises direct risks for sustainable construction, where developers and contractors are under growing pressure to cut embodied carbon, prove whole life carbon outcomes and align projects with net zero carbon buildings.

New gas licensing weakens confidence in long-term decarbonising the built environment, leaving investors with less certainty for low carbon design, sustainable building design and net zero whole life carbon strategies.

The next clean-power Contract for Difference auction could reduce wholesale electricity costs and deliver £11bn in net savings to households and businesses by 2050, strengthening the case for heat pumps, electric plant, smart controls and energy-efficient buildings. Corporate demand for renewable power is already outstripping supply, making credible procurement essential for net zero carbon claims.

Whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis are becoming central to investment decisions, with building lifecycle performance now judged against measured outcomes, not intent.

Inside buildings, the push to make pumps part of a building’s digital DNA underlines the value of operational data in reducing waste. Poorly monitored plant can lock in excess energy use for decades, undermining carbon footprint reduction and the carbon footprint of construction across an asset’s life.

The direction is clear: environmental sustainability in construction now depends on low embodied carbon materials, sustainable material specification, environmental product declarations (EPDs), circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction. BREEAM, BREEAM v7 and stronger performance standards will increase scrutiny of sustainable building practices, circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies. Green construction will be defined by evidence: low carbon construction materials, eco-design for buildings, transparent data and disciplined delivery.

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