Priority Setting for Scaling-Up Tropical Forest Restoration Projects: Early Lessons from the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact

Background

The Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP) serves as a network of different stakeholders at all scales, from local farmers and landowners with a few hectares on local scales to environmental action groups and policy makers on an ecosystem scale. There are currently over 200 stakeholder partners involved in the network, though it is not an NGO yet as of the publication of this article. The AFRP seeks to restore 15M ha of deforested land by 2050, the majority of which is land that, compliant with the Brazilian Forest Code, should be forest land.

Research Goals & Methods

The AFRP has formed a database of restoration projects and successful management techniques throughout the Atlantic Forest region. They also maintain an outreach team that teach training courses to practitioners. Their field-tested framework provides information and protocol for land-use planning, plant nurseries, forestry techniques, and legal processes. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The AFRP has worked closely with forest code legislation and with ecosystem services and alternative income opportunities as opposed to cattle and soy.The AFRP model may be applicable in other countries, but the degree to which it is is dependent on stakeholder buy-in and belief in the ability to restore forests. The take-away lesson is the need to connect stakeholders across scales of time and space, industry, community, and legislation.