Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) aims to restore ecological integrity at the same time as improving human wellbeing through multifunctional landscapes.
However, despite the optimism associated with aspirational targets set by various groups such as the Bonn Challenge, there are many challenges for successful implementation of restoration, especially those involving communities. Despite growing funds dedicated to FLR, many projects fail to meet their potential or address the large-scale need. The reasons for this are many fold but often there is a gap between rhetoric and action. Typically projects that fail do not adopt a landscape approach and do not effectively engage actors in local landscapes.
Many lessons can be learnt from current efforts to implement FLR programs and projects. These aspects will be explored as part of Theme 1: Lessons learned: Case studies of FLR design, implementation, and outcomes (positive and negative).
The research-practice gap in restoration is widely recognized. Many scientists do not communicate the results or applications of their work. Likewise, practitioners do not consider how interventions and outcomes from projects can provide essential data to advance conceptual frameworks and promote better practices more broadly. Scientists and practitioners work on different teams in different locations, on paths that rarely cross. These aspects will be explored as part of
Theme 2: Advances in science and policy to inform FLR and improve outcomes.
The FLoRES (Forest Landscape Restoration Standard) project began in 2017 to discuss the need to address the quality and effectiveness of FLR implementation. One of their goal is to develop a consensus process for illuminating and operationalizing the core principles of FLR, which can be adopted and tailored to guide initiation and long-term sustainability of FLR processes by stakeholders within any landscape or region. The FloRES Whitepaper will be presented, and groups will discuss how to operationalize the FLR principles, stimulate holistic implementation processes and provide examples of effective and long-lasting FLR practices. This is part of Theme 3: Why operational guidelines for FLR are needed and what they might look like.
Effective FLR practices will provide significant rewards for people and nature in the landscape. But getting it started often requires external funding, which presents many challenges., Most funds to date come from the public sector, which has many competing urgent expenditures. There is an increasing desire by many involved in FLR to find ways to facilitate private sector funding to support FLR, either through direct investments or private-public partnerships, which will be explored in
Theme 4: Engaging the private sector in FLR: From smallholders to international corporations.
FLR faces many challenges, and also offers many opportunities. Some of these challenges are well known and some are just starting to emerge. Some challenges are generic while other challenges are more situation/context specific. There are different perspectives associated with whether FLR is viewed from a project, program or process perspective. Furthermore, how and why does it matter how FLR is viewed by government, NGOs and communities. Also, there is increasing recognition that the short-term focus of funders (government, private sector, NGOs) is in conflict with the long-term nature of FLR resulting in sub-optimal outcomes and failures of FLR in many cases. During the conference a Panel Discussion will explore these issues in
Theme 5: Key interventions and directions for FLR.
< CONFERENCE BOOK OF ABSTRACTS >
However, despite the optimism associated with aspirational targets set by various groups such as the Bonn Challenge, there are many challenges for successful implementation of restoration, especially those involving communities. Despite growing funds dedicated to FLR, many projects fail to meet their potential or address the large-scale need. The reasons for this are many fold but often there is a gap between rhetoric and action. Typically projects that fail do not adopt a landscape approach and do not effectively engage actors in local landscapes.
Many lessons can be learnt from current efforts to implement FLR programs and projects. These aspects will be explored as part of Theme 1: Lessons learned: Case studies of FLR design, implementation, and outcomes (positive and negative).
The research-practice gap in restoration is widely recognized. Many scientists do not communicate the results or applications of their work. Likewise, practitioners do not consider how interventions and outcomes from projects can provide essential data to advance conceptual frameworks and promote better practices more broadly. Scientists and practitioners work on different teams in different locations, on paths that rarely cross. These aspects will be explored as part of
Theme 2: Advances in science and policy to inform FLR and improve outcomes.
The FLoRES (Forest Landscape Restoration Standard) project began in 2017 to discuss the need to address the quality and effectiveness of FLR implementation. One of their goal is to develop a consensus process for illuminating and operationalizing the core principles of FLR, which can be adopted and tailored to guide initiation and long-term sustainability of FLR processes by stakeholders within any landscape or region. The FloRES Whitepaper will be presented, and groups will discuss how to operationalize the FLR principles, stimulate holistic implementation processes and provide examples of effective and long-lasting FLR practices. This is part of Theme 3: Why operational guidelines for FLR are needed and what they might look like.
Effective FLR practices will provide significant rewards for people and nature in the landscape. But getting it started often requires external funding, which presents many challenges., Most funds to date come from the public sector, which has many competing urgent expenditures. There is an increasing desire by many involved in FLR to find ways to facilitate private sector funding to support FLR, either through direct investments or private-public partnerships, which will be explored in
Theme 4: Engaging the private sector in FLR: From smallholders to international corporations.
FLR faces many challenges, and also offers many opportunities. Some of these challenges are well known and some are just starting to emerge. Some challenges are generic while other challenges are more situation/context specific. There are different perspectives associated with whether FLR is viewed from a project, program or process perspective. Furthermore, how and why does it matter how FLR is viewed by government, NGOs and communities. Also, there is increasing recognition that the short-term focus of funders (government, private sector, NGOs) is in conflict with the long-term nature of FLR resulting in sub-optimal outcomes and failures of FLR in many cases. During the conference a Panel Discussion will explore these issues in
Theme 5: Key interventions and directions for FLR.
< CONFERENCE BOOK OF ABSTRACTS >