Constructive critique. This book provides a critical, evidence-based analysis of REDD+ implementation so far, without losing sight of the urgent need to reduce forest-based emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change.

REDD+ as envisioned has not been tested at scale. Results-based payment, the novel feature of REDD+, has gone untested. International funding (both public and private) remains scarce, and demand through carbon markets is lacking.

Although Tanzania looks back onto a long history of land degradation, it has seen significant restoration efforts even before the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR 100) was launched. Building on this experience, the fact sheet highlights the main landscape restoration approaches employed in the country and elaborates on the major constraints as well as enabling conditions for FLR.

The Mau Forest Complex forms the largest closed canopy forest ecosystem in Kenya and is an asset of great national and regional importance. The complex supports a wide range of environmental services crucial for the socioeconomic development of the region. Despite its critical importance in sustaining current and future economic development, the forest has been adversely affected by extensive illegal, irregular and ill-planned settlements, in addition to illegal forest resources extraction.

Land degradation poses a major challenge to sustainable development in Burkina Faso. Against this backdrop, the fact sheet explores relevant Forest and Landscape Restoration approaches as well as enabling factors to overcome pertaining constraints for the country to achieve its varied international FLR commitments.

In almost every country of the world, forest landscape restoration (FLR), which aims for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of forests, can help to reduce land-based emissions. In light of the fact that FLR remains heavily underutilized in practice, this brief elaborates concrete options for ambitious climate and forest protection through FLR that are not only effective and efficient, but also politically desirable and implementable.

The outcome statement for GLF Nairobi 2018, featuring the key insights and takeaways from the event that took place August 29-30th.

This collection of 12 stories from women and men in nine countries in different parts of Africa shines a light on the efforts of communities, some of them decades-long, in restoring degraded forests and landscapes. The stories are not generated through any rigorous scientific process, but are nonetheless illustrative of the opportunities communities create as they solve their own problems, and of the many entry points we have for supporting and accelerating community effort.

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) aims to achieve ecological integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested or degraded landscapes. Evidence shows that addressing gender equality and women’s rights is critical for addressing this dual objective. Against this backdrop, CIFOR and a number of partners hosted a Global Landscapes Forum workshop on FLR and gender equality in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2017.

Between 2012 and 2017, Vi Agroforestry and partners supported the development and implementation of the Lake Victoria Farmers’ Organisation Agroforestry (FOA) program. Under this program, and in cooperation with 40 member-based farmer organizations spread across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, approximately two million female and male farmers, school children and young people were mobilized to implement agroforestry and sustainable agriculture land management (SALM) practices in different agroecosystems of Lake Victoria catchment areas.

Given their different roles, responsibilities, access to and control of resources, the costs and benefits of land restoration are likely to differ for men and women. Yet, many restoration projects fail to consider gender dimensions when designing their interventions. Efforts to restore agricultural lands are often knowledge- and labor-intensive, and risk increasing women’s already heavy workloads.

The forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach is a forward-looking and dynamic approach that strengthens landscape resilience while creating opportunities to optimise ecosystem goods and services to meet livelihood needs. The equitable and active involvement of all stakeholders in FLR decision making, goal setting and implementation is fundamental.

Many forest landscape projects around the world do not address gender gaps sufficiently. As a result, interventions may lead to outcomes that are not only inequitable, but also unsustainable. In response, the World Bank Group (WBG), Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) and others, in partnership with civil society organizations, local and national governments, are increasingly supporting interventions that explicitly target gender-related inequalities.