São Tomé and Príncipe’s The Restoration Initiative (TRI) project’s capacity development programme took place from 19 to 21 November 2019 with a three-day training workshop on the concept, principles and practices of Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR). 

The workshop came at a strategic moment in the project timeline: when the target landscapes were mapped and the Directorate of Forests and Biodiversity (DFB), the main partner of TRI project, were designing the FLR plans.

The objective of the workshop was to create a shared understanding of FLR not only within the project team, but among all involved partners and stakeholders, and to create the enabling conditions for the implementation of FLR planning exercise.

The workshop was led by an international specialist and attended by 40 members of the National FLR Platform (NFLRP), established in São Tomé and Príncipe to support the project. Some of the members were government officials, foresters, farmers, NGOs, representatives of local communities, interest groups, the private sector, police, the army and other stakeholders.  

The first day of the workshop was dedicated to an introductory lecture on the concept of FLR, its history and its principles, highlighting the fact that FLR is much more than “planting trees.” The workshop also underlined the importance of working at an appropriate scale and encouraging the active participation of all concerned parties.  

On the second day, two case studies were presented: the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact in Brazil and the FLR programme in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve in Lebanon. These aimed at gathering information about best practices and lessons learned, such as the need to set up effective and participated FLR governance mechanisms and the importance of building resilience to climate change. After the presentation, the DFB representatives introduced the information and maps of the target landscape of the north part of Sao Tomé Island where participants would work. Four working groups were established: (1) Landscape definition and root-causes analysis; (2) Stakeholders’ participation and definition of multiple benefits; (3) Enabling conditions for the long-term sustainability of FLR; (4) Priority interventions with a cost-benefit analysis. The members of the groups worked very actively and produced good analyses and results on the FLR issues addressed for the target landscape, which the group visited the following day. 

The international specialist, with the support of the DFB and the TRI project team, led the participants through a field exercise on the interpretation of different natural and semi-natural ecosystems that characterize the landscape such as the savanna-like grasslands with scattered trees (including very old baobab), dense natural forest stands, mangroves, cocoa and banana agroforestry, and maize crops. The specialist then initiated a group discussion about land uses, drivers and main causes for land degradation. The specialist also proposed potential interventions for FLR plan and identified key stakeholders to be involved.

By the end of the workshop, the project team met with the consultant and the DFB to evaluate this first FLR training experience. The workshop was successful because NPFLR members learned more about FLR concept, principles and modalities of intervention. This workshop favored a positive shift towards a more integrated and participatory restoration of forests and landscapes.

For more information contact: [email protected]

Marco Pagliani (FAO)