Lessons learned, knowledge gained and new ideas on how local stakeholders in forest and landscape restoration can access financing are being exchanged during a two-week, online learning forum that begins today.

The forum, “Local finance for forest and landscape restoration”, includes an international webinar on Wednesday 28 November. The webinar is focused on topics that include how stakeholders working in local restoration projects can better understand, and tap into, a spectrum of existing finance mechanisms. It will also address how stakeholders can build the capacity to take advantage of existing opportunities to benefit from improved coordination of public and private investments, and the financial and non-financial incentives they provide.

Worldwide, deforestation and land degradation threaten the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people; undermining their food, water, energy security and resilience. This degradation also leads to the loss of soil fertility, biodiversity and carbon stocks. Over two billion hectares of land – an area the size of South America – are degraded and in need of restoration. 

Restoration of this land to ensure it can continue to provide benefits requires significant investment. Meeting the targets set under the Bonn Challenge, including restoration of 150 million hectares of degraded lands by 2020, and 350 million ha by 2030, is estimated to cost as much as USD 35 billion. Achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030 – target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals – could cost over USD 300 billion. 

The benefits of restoration are, however, also estimated to be large and wide-ranging: mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration in restored forests; additional crop yields and improved food security; livelihood resilience in local communities; soil conservation; and enhanced fresh water supplies.

The webinar is co-organized by FAO’s Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM) with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Landscape Finance Lab. The lab acts as an incubator, which helps to speed up and support the growth and success of sustainable landscape regeneration and restoration projects.

FLRM works to help countries restore degraded landscapes by identifying and implementing practices to balance the ecological, social and economic benefits of forests and trees within a broader pattern of land uses.

Related links:

• Enroll in the webinar
• WWF Landscape Finance Lab
• The Forest Landscape Restoration Mechanism
• Key messages on Sustainable financing for forest and landscape restoration