Balancing land sharing and sparing approaches to promote forest and landscape restoration in agricultural landscapes: Land approaches for forest landscape restoration

BACKGROUND

In response to the Bonn challenge of restoring 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes, Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) has been introduced using sparing or sharing approaches. FLR has many environmental benefits and allows coexistence of different landscapes. However, little is known about how existing land uses have to be modified to accommodate more trees. This research seeks to answer four critical questions that can support decisions on forest and landscape restoration. These questions are on the main focuses of the selected restorative interventions, the kind of tree cover which restorative interventions should target, where restorative interventions should be implemented and the main factors influencing restorative intervention outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

According to the authors, land sharing/ sparing approaches both have challenges and opportunities that come with them. These approaches depend on both degradation levels and the desired outcomes. There is a need for proper planning and management to accommodate additional tree or forest cover without bringing serious setbacks for people and the environment. Governance issues, stakeholder involvement, socioeconomic and biophysical factors should all be considered to reduce tradeoffs and maximize the benefits of FLR.