Costs and Revenues

A standard framework for assessing the costs and benefits of restoration: introducing The Economics of Ecosystem Restoration

Background

Policy behind restoration projects and efforts is stronger than ever before, however the funding and financial structure to keep these efforts going is drastically underdeveloped. Ecological restoration finance is not usually in the expertise of restoration practitioners and communities, thus requiring those people to bring in someone with that expertise for aid. The authors emphasize that restoration projects are long-term investments and therefore a better financial understanding is needed to properly plan and execute those projects. Better understanding the costs and benefits of restoration will help gain easier access to financial support.

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Adopt a carbon tax to protect tropical forests

Background

International investments in natural climate solutions such as conservation, restoration and land management remain low in many tropical countries. The authors point to research which shows that only 3% of global finance for climate change mitigation went towards natural climate solutions in 2017-18. They recommend constituting a national level carbon tax on fossil fuel companies to generate revenue to fund natural climate solutions.

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The Little Book of Investing in Nature: A simple guide to financing life on earth

Background

The authors of this book point out that the international community has missed almost all collective biodiversity targets till date. Insufficient finance or the large gap between the funds that are required for biodiversity conservation and the funds that are allotted and the inappropriate implementation of existing finance mechanisms are part of the reason for the continued decline in global biodiversity. 

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Money for Nothing? A Call for Empirical Evaluation of Biodiversity Conservation Investments

Background

The authors assert that while the ecological aspects of conservation efforts are highly investigated and supported by empirical evidence, the policy aspects are not. In response, they argue that conservation policy measures must adopt program evaluation methods that would allow one to determine if intervention would be viable. 

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Applied nucleation facilitates tropical forest recovery: Lessons learned from a 15‐year study

Background

This study examines the technique of applied nucleation, which is based on the planting of tree islands, as a means of cost-effective assisted natural regeneration. 

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Business models for sustainable investments in the context of tropical forest restoration

Background

This paper outlines the context and approaches of effective business models for sustainable investments in Tropical Forests. Triple bottom line business opportunities are defined and identified through a review of literature and analysis of three case studies (InIkea, FCFR Project, and Sustain Project). The conceptual frameworks surrounding sustainable business models are examined. Challenges and opportunities into the future are also explored.

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Silvopastoral Systems and their Contribution to Improved Resource Use and Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Latin America

Background

Of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015, livestock can contribute to the majority of them. Specifically, silvopastoral systems, which integrate cattle intensification and natural processes, is often promoted to achieve the joint economic, social, and environmental focus of the SDGs. Using three established silvopastoral systems in Latin American (Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia) as case-studies, this paper applies an analytical framework in order to determine the systems productivity and the socio-economic benefits. 

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Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products to Cash and Non-Cash Income of Remote Forest Communities in Central Africa

Background

The authors investigate the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to local community incomes within jointly-managed forest landscapes in Central Africa.

Research Goals & Methods

Data were collected from Bantu and indigenous persons' (IP) households using the Poverty-Forests Linkages Toolkit method. 

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Scaling Up Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration in Africa to Restore Degraded Landscapes

Background

Protecting and managing natural regeneration of woody species on‐farm  can help create new agroforestry parklands as well as promote natural regeneration off‐farm. Increasing the number of trees on farms as well as off‐farm is important in the context of accelerated climate change and ambitious pledges to restore degraded forestland. This study examines large-scale agroforestry parklands in three African countries.

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National Forest Policy of Malawi

Background

In Malawi, there has been extensive forest degradation, estimated at an annual loss of 2.8%. The degradation is caused by a variety of factors, including agriculture expansion, human settlement, fire use, timber and non-timber over extraction. The 2016 Forest Policy of Malawi outlines a policy-approach to stop and revert these trends. 

Open access copy available
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