Forest landscape restoration

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is defined as “a planned process to regain ecological integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested or degraded landscapes”.[1] It comprises tools and procedures to integrate site-level forest restoration actions with desirable landscape-level objectives, which are decided upon via various participatory mechanisms among stakeholders. The concept has grown out of collaboration among some of the world's major international conservation organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the World Resources Institute and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).

Aims

The concept of FLR was conceived to bring about compromises between meeting the needs of both humans and wildlife, by restoring a range of forest functions at the landscape level. It includes actions to strengthen the resilience and ecological integrity of landscapes and thereby keep future management options open. The participation of local communities is central to the concept, because they play a critical role in shaping the landscape and gain significant benefits from restored forest resources. Therefore, FLR activities are inclusive and participatory.[2]

Desirable outcomes

The desirable outcomes of an FLR program usually comprise a combination of the following, depending on local needs and aspirations:

Activities

FLR combines several existing principles and techniques of development, conservation and natural resource management, such as landscape character assessment, participatory rural appraisal, adaptive management etc. within a clear and consistent evaluation and learning framework. An FLR program may comprise various forestry practices on different sites within the landscape, depending on local environmental and socioeconomic factors. These may include protection and management of secondary and degraded primary forests, standard forest restoration techniques such as "assisted" or "accelerated" natural regeneration (ANR) and the planting of framework tree species to restore degraded areas, as well as conventional tree plantations and agroforestry systems to meet more immediate monetary needs [4]

The IUCN hosts the The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration,[5] which co-ordinates development of the concept around the world.

In 2014, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations established the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism.[6] The Mechanism supports countries to implement FLR as a contribution to achieving the Bonn Challenge[7] - the restoration of 150 million hectare of deforested and degraded lands by 2020 - and the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Biodiversity Targets[8] - related to ecosystem conservation and restoration.

In partnership with the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, FAO released two discussion papers on sustainable financing for FLR in 2015. Sustainable Financing for Forest and Landscape Restoration: The Role of Public Policy Makers provides recommendations and examples of FLR financing for countrues.[9] Sustainable Financing for Forest and Landscape Restoration - Opportunities, challenges and the way forward provides an overview of funding sources and financial instruments available for FLR activities.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Reitbergen-McCraken, J., S. Maginnis A. Sarre, 2007. The Forest Landscape Restoration Handbook. Earthscan, London, 175 pp
  2. ↑ Lamb, D., 2011. Regreening the Bare Hills. Springer 547pp.
  3. ↑ Mansourian, S., D. Vallauri, and N. , Dudley (eds.) (in co-operation with WWF International), Forest Restoration in Landscapes: Beyond Planting Trees. Springer, New York.
  4. ↑ Elliott, S., D. Blakesley and K. Hardwick, in press. Restoring Tropical Forests: a Practical Guide. Kew Publications, London
  5. ↑ "The Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration". The Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration. IUCN.
  6. ↑ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  7. ↑ Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration. "The Bonn Challenge". The Bonn Challenge. International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  8. ↑ Convention on Biological Diversity. "Aichi Biodiversity Targets" (PDF). Convention on Biological Diversity.
  9. ↑ Sustainable Financing for Forest and Landscape Restoration. The Role of Public Policy Makers (PDF). Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. June 2015.
  10. ↑ Sustainable Financing for Forest and Landscape Restoration - Opportunities, challenges and the way forward (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. June 2015. ISBN 978-92-5-108992-7.

External links

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