Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

News archive

2023 I 2022 I 2021 I 2020

Jhum - Shifting cultivation in the Naga Hills of Myanmar

Jhum – Shifting cultivation and customary tenure in the Naga Hills of Myanmar

18.10.2024
Visit our multimedia exhibition: 11 to 15 November 2024, Hochschulzentrum vonRoll, Bern! More information

Bottom-up trainings in digital literacy for and by young people from Kibera, Nairobi

Updating gender dynamics for digital employment in Kenya (UPDATE)

15.10.2024
Kenya is considered a pioneer in digital infrastructure. However, the goal of an “empowered citizenry” can only be achieved if the inequalities in digital skills are also overcome. In this area, Kenya still has a lot of catching up to do. This new research project explores how enhanced connectivity and technology could be reimagined in a feminist way. More information

“Deforestation-free products are the market of the future”

15.10.2024
EU imports are responsible for around 19 per cent of global deforestation. Two products that contribute to deforestation are coffee and cocoa. The EU wants to stop this trend with its EUDR regulation. A study in Peru explores the difficulties and opportunities associated with EUDR implementation. More information

Promoting a sustainable intra-African timber trade

25.09.2024
The "African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action" highlights the importance of forests and calls for continental collaboration to drive green growth. This research project aims to work with stakeholders to co-develop strategies to scale up the intra-African use of timber for sustainable green growth. More information

Biodiversity: “We shouldn’t just accept continuous decline”

22.08.2024
In a new, as yet unpublished study, CDE’s Mara Häusler investigated whether Swiss farmers are likely to create bigger, higher-quality, or more varied areas to support biodiversity when they are better informed about how biodiversity is evolving on their own farmland. More information in German

Rwanda: Coffee – “the cow that never falls”?

20.08.2024
A specialty coffee consisting of 100 per cent arabica, cultivated and hand-picked by small farmers – and frequently advertised as “made by women!” In short, we’re talking about coffee from Rwanda. But what’s really behind this good-sounding story? A CDE research team took a deeper look. More information

Designing liveable futures – Experimenting with shorter working hours

09.08.2024
In this project, CDE together with Dezentrum and in collaboration with Swiss companies, civil society, and institutions, is conducting an iterative experiment and developing desirable scenarios for innovative, resilient working time models. More information

Biodiversity: “Not all moors are the same”

07.08.2024
Switzerland will vote on an initiative that aims to better protect biodiversity. Supporters and opponents are using different figures to argue their case. But how do you actually measure the state of biodiversity? We put this question to Roger Bär, a scientist at CDE and the Swiss Biodiversity Forum. More information

Digging up a biodiversity hotspot: How is large-scale mining in Madagascar impacting locals?

30.07.2024
Africa is home to two-thirds of the world’s mineral reserves. Madagascar is an increasingly important site of cobalt, ilmenite, monazite, and nickel extraction – highly sought-after ingredients for sustainable, future-oriented infrastructure. The new CDE Policy Brief explores the reality on the ground and ways of improving. More information

Leading House Africa. Photo by Astrid Zabel

EUDR: Facilitating advocacy for African smallholders in the Swiss policy debate

26.07.2024
Switzerland has the opportunity to design and implement legislation that can help smallholders in the global South overcome problems that are likely to arise as their access to the European market narrows. This project aims to identify enabling mechanisms with African stakeholders and to facilitate advocacy for smallholders in the policy debate. More information

Impacts of the soy–meat complex in Santarém, Brazil

03.07.2024
By now, the studies and reports on soy cultivation in Brazil could probably fill a library. Environmental degradation is a popular focus. Far less discussed is how the soy sector turns local food systems upside down – and jeopardizes local access to sufficient healthy food. This raises questions of justice, as studies by CDE and the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro show. More information

“People as social beings should be at the centre of our sustainability discourse”

26.06.2024
Interview with Ben Jann, the new President of the CDE Board. More information

CDE’s Annual Report 2023

26.06.2024
In 2023, ARUA and The Guild launched 20 Clusters of Research Excellence to boost Africa-Europe research cooperation. One cluster, co-led by CDE and WLRC in Ethiopia, focuses on sustainable land and water use to ensure food security, strengthen climate resilience, and promote sustainable livelihoods. Our annual report delves into these issues and invites you to explore highlights, learn how we co-produce knowledge for concrete sustainability transformations, and get to know our efforts to forge pathways to sustainable futures. More information

Mining in Madagascar: more side effects than expected

18.06.2024
A CDE research team in Madagascar has investigated the social and environmental impacts of mining, analysing deforestation and forest degradation over time and space. It turns out that the largest mine in Madagascar, Ambatovy, is having a far greater impact on the forest than previously reported – despite the company’s efforts to provide ecological compensation. More information

Biodiversity impact investments in developing countries

28.05.24
The potential of impact investments in biodiversity hotspots of the global South is still largely untapped. This project aims to develop and market a "support package" provided by CDE in Bern and its regional office in Laos. The goal is to transform biodiversity conservation projects that lack funding into sustainable investment opportunities. More information

“Small forests in West Africa are unique in their composition”

17.05.2024
The potential of small forest patches to support biodiversity and climate protection is often underestimated – including in West Africa’s highly fragmented agricultural landscapes. The importance of such forests is now being highlighted by an ERC research project led by Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, professor at the University of Bern’s Institute of Geography and member of the CDE Board. More information

Traceability systems and landscape approaches for sustainable coffee trade

08.05.2024
Based on coffee production and trade in Ethiopia, this new research project will show how regulations for deforestation-free supply chains can be designed to effectively promote socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable processes in producing countries. More information

High school students change agents for climate action

High school students practised being change agents for climate action

01.05.2024
How does climate policy work? Young people are particularly affected by it, but they often feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the issues and political processes involved. In April, we visited Gymnasium Lerbermatt in Köniz and worked with students to change this. Politicians from Bern also joined in. More information in German

Forced-labour-free supply chains in Switzerland

11.04.2024
The European Union (EU) plans a regulation to eradicate forced labour from supply chains feeding into its market. This would also affect Swiss businesses and their suppliers. This new project aims to create a knowledge base for the dialogue in Switzerland in anticipation of the proposed EU regulation. More information

Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel by Per Tomas Kjaervic

“Indigenous knowledge can help design new paths to better futures”

22.03.2024
Indigenous peoples manage and care for over one quarter of Earth’s land surface. Yet their perspectives remain insufficiently accounted for in debates on conservation of biodiversity and cultural landscapes. According to CDE researcher and ISE President Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel, “this knowledge can make vital contributions to addressing our current planetary crises”. More information

“Missing Dollars” – a documentary on Illicit Financial Flows

20.03.2024
Researchers from Switzerland, Ghana, and Laos – among them CDE scientists – engaged in a six-year research to study the Illicit financial flows (IFFs) associated with commodity trade mispricing and tax evasion. The Ghanaian filmmaker Fiifi Koomsom retraces this research collaboration in the documentary “Missing Dollars”. More information

Bernese Award for Environmental Research

29.03.2024
Invitation to the award celebration on 20 March at the University of Bern. More information

Come y habla: A sensorial experience in Ecuador and Spain

29.03.2023
Coffee Corner, Blog post. More information

Well-being and ecology through more time?

21.02.2024
What’s the impact of reduced working hours on hospital employees? A study by CDE researchers suggests that reducing working hours can be an effective way of at least partially easing the burden on staff and improving working conditions, thus addressing the shortage of skilled labour. More information in German

New Master's in Sustainability Transformations

01.02.2024
CDE is launching a new study programme. This cutting-edge MSc seeks to train students to become sustainability specialists. The programme starts in the autumn semester of 2024. Students from Switzerland and abroad can apply for a study place from mid-February. More information

Sustainable landscapes: How can the private sector contribute?

25.01.2024
Pressures on landscapes driven by soaring global consumption call for innovative solutions to enable sustainability. This policy brief highlights the promise and challenges of landscape approaches involving the private sector and how to improve them. More information

Knowledge – a key to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

04.01.2024
The Certificate of Advanced Studies on Sustainable Development provides participants with a solid basis in knowledge for sustainable development, offers space for reflection, and reveals tailored solutions for implementation. The next programme starts in March 2024. More information in German