Landscapes
Experiences with capacity building for ecological restoration in Latin AmericaBackgroundLandscape scale restoration initiatives are experiencing an increasing popularity, specifically in Latin America. Yet, these initiatives not only require an ecological understanding but also a holistic focus on the socio-economic. To do so, it is critical to promote capacity building in conjunction with these initiatives. Capacity building both improves the technical skills of stakeholders while also increasing the institutional capacity and leadership of all parties. This paper highlights six organizations who are successfully strengthening capacity for ecological restoration in Latin America. Open access copy available |
Ecosystem Services Approach to Landscape Restoration and Sustainable LivelihoodsBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Leaders in Action: Success Stories from the TropicsBackgroundThe Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI) seeks to seeks to train and support people to restore and conserve tropical forest landscapes. Since 2006, the organizations has engaged with thousands of people both through their in-person and online training platforms and through follow-up support and mentorship. This paper highlights select inspirational stories from ELTI alum. These stories come from the Neotropics, including Panama, Colombia, and Brazil, and Asia, including Indonesia, Singapore, and the Phillipines. Open access copy available |
Leaders in Action: Achieving Forest Landscape Restoration Through Online LearningBackgroundBetween May 2016 and March 2017, the Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative and IUCN conducted six online courses titled “Forest Landscape Restoration in the Tropics.” These courses were in response to the emerging trend of countries committed to restoring millions of hectares of land via the forest landscape restoration approach, which aims to achieve ecological, economic, and social benefits simultaneously. This paper highlights numerous success stories of individuals who participated in these courses. Open access copy available |
Prioritizing sites for ecological restoration based on ecosystem servicesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Vital Landscape Attributes: Missing Tools for Restoration EcologyBackgroundThe authors introduce a series of 16 candidates quantifiable attributes, named “vital landscape attributes” (VLAs), for evaluating the results of ecological restoration or rehabilitation undertaken with a landscape perspectives. VLAs provide quantitative indicators of levels of landscape degradation. VLAs aim to monitor and compare restoration or rehabilitation projects whether or not the project designers fully realized the importance of a landscape perspective. Available with subscription or purchase |
Linking forest conservation and food security through agroecologyBackgroundThis chapter, found in Forest Landscape Restoration: Integrated Approaches to Support Effective Implementation, focuses on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in the tropics. Specifically, the authors examine agroecology as an integrated approach for both gaining food security and restoring agro-forest landscapes in post-conflict Colombia. Available with subscription or purchase |
Partnering with cattle ranchers for forest landscape restorationBackgroundIn order to address land degradation due to agricultural expansion and intensification throughout Latin America, silvopastoral systems are being promoted as a forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach. Yet, the success of these strategies rely on ranchers voluntary participation and full adoption at a regional scale. The author recognizes a knowledge gap in regards to why ranchers are driven to adopt silvopastoral systems and thus seeks to understand this issue through the examination of a cast study in Colombia. Open access copy available |
Before Bonn and beyond: the history and future of forest landscape restorationBackgroundThis article presents an overview of the history of restoration at an international scale. It begins with the origins of forestry in 1990s and goes to the landmark decision in 2011 to establish the Bonn Challenge. The authors focus specifically on the emergence of forest landscape restoration and how this concept has evolved over time. Open access copy available |
Forest Landscape Restoration: Progress in the Last Decade and Remaining ChallengesBackgroundDefined in 2000, forest landscape restoration (FLR) has recently been actively promoted as a means to provide both ecolocial and societal benefits. This article aims to reflect on the evolution of FLR since 2000, using a framework of 13 key issues put forth in 2005. It identifies both progress and challenges and provides suggestions for steps forward. Available with subscription or purchase |