The XV World Forestry Congress featured this side event on 4 May 2022. Over the past three years, ten Asian and African countries have planned and carried out forest and landscape restoration (FLR), guided by the common framework and vision of The Restoration Initiative (TRI). This large-scale restoration programme funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) brings together the expertise and experience of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to overcome existing barriers to restoration in support of the Bonn Challenge. 

Pascal Martinez, Senior Climate Change Specialist at the GEF Secretariat, welcomed participants to the event and highlighted how the programme is leveraging more results than what individual country projects can achieve. 

Christophe Besacier, Coordinator of FAO’s Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM), set the scene by introducing the context of TRI, which is the largest ongoing GEF-financed programme focusing on restoration.  

Meshack Muga, the National Coordinator for the FAO project in Kenya, presented the key project focus, which is to build restorative bio enterprises and livelihoods in close collaboration with local stakeholders and communities. The project developed key policy documents, such as the Forest and Landscape Restoration Implementation Plan (FOLAREP) at the national level and County Environment Action Plans to guide finance for restoration on the ground.  

Faizul Bari, the National Coordinator for the TRI project in Pakistan, talked about the unique ecosystem approach targeting the Chilgoza Pine forests. Through the empowerment of the local community, targeted local technical training and the development of the chilgoza nut value chain, local livelihoods are being secured through the long-term sustainable management of forest ecosystems. He also highlighted the importance of integrated land-use planning and strong inclusive local governance mechanisms, such as the Chilgoza Forest Protection Community Committees. 

Benjamin Toirambe, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presented the importance of restoring threatened mountainous forest ecosystems. He also discussed the context of the TRI project in South Kivu, which is focusing on and around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Floribert Mbolela, the National TRI Coordinator from FAO, described the process of developing a provincial FLR strategy to guide the planning of restoration interventions on the ground. He also highlighted the important approach of providing small grants to community projects focusing on restorative actions. Marie Bwami, Gender and Indigenous Peoples Expert, highlighted the project’s importance in that it aims to specifically integrate Indigenous Pygmies within the project approach, and support the development of local livelihoods to safeguard the conservation of the Kahuzi-Biega natural forests. 

Jiayi, Assistant Project Manager and Communication Officer, shared the experience of the TRI project in China, which aims to enhance the ecosystem services provided by planted forests by mainstreaming and localizing FLR through capacity development and policy integration. Through the piloting of integrated forest management and restoration plans in seven pilot state forest farms (SFFs), lessons learned and concepts can be upscaled to 4 200 SFFs, representing 8 percent of the land area in China.  

To introduce the second part of the event, Emelyne Cheney, Forest and Climate Change Team Leader for Asia Pacific at UNEP, presented the financial component of the programme, specifically, the Restoration Factory, which strives to mobilize the private sector to mentor restoration projects during their development period and help them reach bankability quicker. Adriana Vidal further explained the mechanics of the TRI programme and its policy component, which is tailored to addressing specific problems that could be monitored and mitigated through adaptive policy creation. 

Country representatives from Cameroon, Kenya and Sao Tome and Principe then addressed the political and legislative advancements that have aided and led restoration initiatives within their borders.  

They were followed by Benjamin De Ridder, Natural Resources Management Expert at FAO, who emphasized FAO’s work in producing online webinars and training to help share knowledge and best practices among the different programmes and countries that seek to consider the diversity of landscapes and approaches to restoration.  

The goal of the TRI programme, as presented by Pascal Martinez, is to foster environmental and socioeconomic benefits, which promote healthy and resilient ecosystems to ensure secure livelihoods and a sustainable planet. 

You can watch the recording of the session here. 

Benjamin DeRidder (FAO)