In a recent webinar hosted by The Restoration Initiative (TRI), the power of collaboration and shared learning was evident, emphasizing their crucial roles in advancing forest and landscape restoration. Since its inception in 2018, TRI has united ten projects across nine countries, partnering with three Global Environment Facility agencies—the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)—as well as governments and strategic partners to tackle barriers to restoring degraded landscapes in support of the Bonn Challenge.
During TRI’s recent webinar, teams representing the diverse in-country projects – situated in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya ASAL, Kenya Tana Delta, Pakistan, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the United Republic of Tanzania – shared practical experiences and insights on best practices tailored to their specific contexts and challenges. This gathering showcased a wealth of perspectives, providing valuable insights into TRI’s impactful initiatives.
Engaging TRI Practitioners
Hearing the experiences and challenges faced by project managers and teams on the ground is invaluable to support the success and sustainability of restoration efforts under TRI. These teams have been at the forefront of implementing restoration activities, navigating complex ecological, social, and economic landscapes. Their insights provided crucial lessons about what works and what doesn’t in real-world settings, helping to refine strategies and approaches to restoration.
Understanding their challenges allows for the identification of barriers that may hinder progress, such as resource constraints, community engagement issues, or policy gaps. By listening to these firsthand accounts, restoration efforts can adapt and innovate, ensuring that activities are not only effective but also culturally and contextually relevant.
First Hand Accounts of Active and Effective Landscape Restoration
In-country team speakers were given the floor to elaborate on project-specific restoration strategies, approaches and achievements, highlighting the leaps, bounds, innovations and successes achieved over the years of The Restoration Initiative’s lifespan.
Ajaz Ahmad, TRI Pakistan Provincial Coordinator, highlighted the challenges faced in engaging local communities: “It was a challenge to involve the local communities and motivate them [to recognize] that the smaller trees and younger trees are more important for the future. So we started awareness-raising sessions among the local community and sensitized the local community, the forest users, about the importance of protecting young Chilgoza trees in the forest so that forest regeneration and long-term benefits can be achieved.” This reflected TRI’s commitment to fostering local stewardship and understanding of restoration efforts. In the end, socially-bound demarcated forest plots and simple seedballs assisted the project teams to work with communities to support the regeneration of the forests.
James Ndufa, Deputy Director at KEFRI and government focal point for TRI Kenya ASAL, shared insights into their innovative approaches to water management: “We have used a number of water harvesting technologies. We have used a mechanized method where we construct water harvesting structures using a tractor. We have also used the ‘half moon’ [method] to construct micro catchments, and after we have made those, we try to reseed those catchments using grass and also planting trees, using indigenous species.” This illustrated the practical applications of technology and traditional methods in restoration efforts. These can be replicated by communities themselves to continue restoration efforts by themselves, or to inspire neighboring communities to join in the efforts.
Dr. Damas W. Mapunda, National Project Coordinator of TRI Tanzania at the Vice President Office, emphasized the vital role of gender and youth in landscape restoration: “Women and youth are victims of landscape degradation, but both are the guidance and agents of landscape restoration. We have a dedicated gender expert who has prepared a guideline for mainstreaming gender issues in sustainable landscape restoration.” This highlighted TRI’s holistic approach, ensuring that diverse voices are included in the restoration dialogue. In the Ilalasimba village in Tanzania for example, women were included in community groups, such as the Village Natural Resources Committee, which made them part of the decision makers and drivers of restoration activities. Through this, they identified milk production as a key area for intervention and ensured support for farming and livestock keeping as alternative and sustainable women-led income-generating activities.
As TRI continues to cultivate partnerships and facilitate knowledge exchange, it is well-positioned to drive meaningful change in global restoration efforts. The insights shared during the webinar reflect the initiative’s commitment to adaptive, inclusive, and innovative strategies in tackling landscape degradation.
The TRI webinar was a testament to the power of collaboration and shared learning in advancing forest and landscape restoration. By bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences, the gathering provided a unique opportunity to gain deeper insights into TRI’s impactful work. As TRI continues to foster partnerships and knowledge exchange, the initiative is well-positioned to drive meaningful change in restoration efforts globally.