The objective of this report is to discuss and present opportunities for scaling up pilot projects that will support the government of Rwanda to achieve "border to border" forest and landscape restoration that contributes to multiple sustainable development objectives.

Restoration ecology, as a scientific discipline, developed from practitioners’ efforts to restore degraded land, with interest also coming from applied ecologists attracted by the potential for restoration projects to apply and/or test developing theories on ecosystem development. Since then, forest landscape restoration (FLR) has emerged as a practical approach to forest restoration particularly in developing countries, where an approach which is both large-scale and focuses on meeting human needs is required. Yet despite increased investigation into both the biological and social aspects of FLR, there has so far been little success in systematically integrating these two complementary strands. Bringing experts in landscape studies, natural resource management and forest restoration, together with those experienced in conflict management, environmental economics and urban studies, this book bridges that gap to define the nature and potential of FLR as a truly multidisciplinary approach to a global environmental problem. The book will provide a valuable reference to graduate students and researchers interested in ecological restoration, forest ecology and management, as well as to professionals in environmental restoration, natural resource management, conservation, and environmental policy.

Many countries have adopted the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) to guide the development of national and subnational restoration strategies. This study analyzes ROAM reports for eight countries to determine the extent to which tenure and related governance considerations were incorporated. Although all of the reports found that lack of rights or weak rights impeded efforts to scale up forest landscape restoration (FLR), none provided robust descriptions of the rights and responsibilities of individuals or communities to trees, forests or land under statutory or customary law. We propose a rights actualization framework as a diagnostic that can provide a solid foundation to identify policy reforms needed to address rights-related barriers to FLR implementation. FLR initiatives informed by a robust tenure rights assessment will enhance the likelihood of achieving their twin goals of improving ecological functionality and human well-being.

Decision-making bodies at all scales face an urgent need to conserve remaining forests, and reestablish forest cover in deforested and degraded forest landscapes. The scale of the need, and the opportunity to make a difference, is enormous. Degradation is

The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture presents the first global assessment of biodiversity for food and agriculture worldwide. Biodiversity for food and agriculture is the diversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms at genetic, species and ecosystem levels, present in and around crop, livestock, forest and aquatic production systems. It is essential to the structure, functions and processes of these systems, to livelihoods and food security, and to the supply of a wide range of ecosystem services. It has been managed or influenced by farmers, livestock keepers, forest dwellers, fish farmers and fisherfolk for hundreds of generations. Prepared through a participatory, country-driven process, the report draws on information from 91 country reports to provide a description of the roles and importance of biodiversity for food and agriculture, the drivers of change affecting it and its current status and trends. It describes the state of efforts to promote the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture, including through the development of supporting policies, legal frameworks, institutions and capacities. It concludes with a discussion of needs and challenges in the future management of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The report complements other global assessments prepared under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which have focused on the state of genetic resources within particular sectors of food and agriculture.

This working paper presents the preliminary outcomes of a project that FAO has been conducting in a collaborative effort with IEA Bioenergy and with the financial support of GIZ, to promote “International dialogues on Forest Landscape Restoration and wood energy” worldwide. It focuses on the outcomes of three dialogues organized in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) at International (Global Landscape Forum Accra 2019) and at National level (in Togo and Ghana) on “Wood Energy and FLR”. The three events, whose organization and implementation benefited from the active contribution of various teams of work within FAO (e.g. GBEP, FFF, Forestry Department) and with other international organizations (e.g. IRENA, GIZ), brought together relevant stakeholders of the two realms, raised their awareness on the activities currently on-going on the same thematic area and spatial context, and created a network among them to enable synergies, thus accelerating the achievement of common goals (e.g. SDGs, NDCs). The dialogue approach proved extremely constructive and efficient. It provided Togo and Ghana with a cross-cutting analysis of their wood energy and FLR sectors, which resulted in tailor-made suggestions and targeted take home messages, ready to be incorporated in their wood energy- and climate-related strategies (e.g. NDCs), which are currently in the process of being reviewed/updated. We strongly hope that this work will encourage other SSA countries, primarily the ones that have committed to the AFR100 initiative, to replicate this experience, thus setting a more structured and solid basis for the development of sustainable FLR-modern bioenergy integrated systems.

Andean dry forest ecosystems are threatened by deforestation and unsustainable land use methods. The negative effects for the livelihood of the local population, biodiversity, and the regional climate could be countered by reforestation measures; however, dry land forests have not attracted the same level of interest and investment like other ecosystems. This book describes the development of a priority-zone map for reforestation measures, showing where reforestation might have the greatest social and ecological benefits. To achieve this, a problem analysis of a case study region is conducted and thematic reforestation benefits are determined. Using remote sensing and GIS, the areas where benefits can be obtained are mapped in individual layers and compiled into a summarizing priority-zone map. It is thus possible to identify areas where reforestation would achieve multiple benefits. The concept of priority maps could be used to facilitate reforestation strategies by local communities and municipal governments and could thus contribute to initiate an integrated forest and landscape restoration of the Bolivian montane dry forests.

This book, published in cooperation with WWF International, integrates the restoration of forest functions into landscape conservation plans. The contents represent the collective body of knowledge and experience of WWF and its many partners - collected here for the first time. This guide will serve as a first stop for practitioners and researchers in many organizations and regions, and as a key reference on the subject.

This edition of Nature & Faune journal explores the science and innovations (technical, social and policy) that can support the achievement of the African dream of restoring 100 million hectares of its degraded land. Articles in this edition share experiences on challenges, opportunities and successful restoration, including farmer managed natural regeneration, improved management of smallholder woodlots, reforestation, evergreen agriculture with intercropped trees, and associated sustainable land management practices such as water harvesting and erosion control. Africa’s Great Green Wall is presented in this edition as a transformative model for rural communities’ sustainable development. In particular the lessons learned from the “Action Against Desertification” programme funded by the European Union and implemented by FAO with partner countries and organizations, are discussed, paving a way towards the implementation of African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative. Initiatives to address land degradation and desertification trends in Africa, promote sustainable land management, and restoration of degraded forests and landscapes include Africa’s Great Green Wall initiative, and 2016’s African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative – AFR100. Most of the articles dwelt on how efforts to this end are being pursued.