Year of publication 2015

Drylands, which cover 41  percent of the earth’s land surface and are home to 2 billion people, are widely affected by desertification, biodiversity loss, poverty and food insecurity. Trees and forests are essential for tackling the challenges that confront drylands, and they are also a source and factor of resilience in the face of global change. Large areas of dryland forests and other wooded lands are being degraded, however, and there is an urgent need for action. Restoration actions range from on-the-ground activities such as habitat protection, assisted natural regeneration, sand-dune stabilization and tree-planting to policy improvements, the provision of financial incentives, capacity development, and continuous monitoring and learning. To be effective and sustainable, dryland restoration should be approached at the landscape scale. At the request of member countries and in collaboration with a wide range of partners, FAO launched the Drylands Restoration Initiative with the aim of capturing, evaluating and sharing knowledge on dryland restoration gained in dryland restoration initiatives worldwide. This publication, Global guidelines for the restoration of degraded forests and landscapes in drylands, is an output of that initiative. The aim of the guidelines is to enhance restoration efforts in the world’s drylands. They provide specific guidance for policymakers and other decisionmakers, and for practitioners.