Topic: forest restoration

Coming Soon: Global Forest Watch 2.0

James Anderson — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:03:32 -0500

Welcome to the home of Global Forest Watch 2.0, a powerful near real-time forest monitoring system that unites satellite technology, data sharing, and human networks around the world to fight deforestation.

GFW 2.0 is currently under development, and will launch in late 2013.

Read more below, and email gfw2@wri.org to participate in the pilot testing period or be notified when GFW 2.0 launches. Please note that as we prepare for the launch, the original Global Forest Watch website has been redirected to this page.

Watch a Short Preview of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10, in Istanbul.

Watch the full version here

Speakers:

Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia
Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute

Photo by David Gilbert

WHY FORESTS, WHY NOW?

Forests provide food jobs, raw materials, climate benefits and more. But without clear, up-to-date information, governments, companies and communities lack the tools to monitor and manage these resources.

We can track a company’s financial information daily, but information about forests is often years out of date.

Deforestation continues today in part because by the time satellite images are available, analyzed, and shared, the forest clearing is long done. The illegal loggers have moved on; cattle are already grazing amidst stumps; the oil palm plantation has been established. We simply find out too late.

New technologies can overcome these challenges

Fortunately, a convergence of technologies and human networks offers the ability to address these challenges for the first time:

Advances in satellite and remote sensing technology, including the launch of NASA’s Landsat 8 in early 2013, and new private systems, enable higher spatial resolution analysis and much more rapid updates of information. This has enabled the development of near-real-time forest cover change detection.
Brazilian partner IMAZON, is making its Amazon Alert System available through GFW 2.0, and also the DETER system which is innovating in detection of forest degradation. Brazil has seen a remarkable drop in deforestation in the Amazon of almost 80 percent partly due to improved linked to more effective use of satellite imagery.
Cloud computing and open source software can now be used to rapidly process and interpret large volumes of satellite data at low cost by utilizing clusters of servers scattered around the world. Google Earth Engine’s team is partnered with Global Forest Watch 2.0 to optimize easy access to cloud computing-based forest cover information.
High speed internet connectivity enables sending data and forest maps processed in North America, Europe, or Singapore to laptops and mobile phones in Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lima, Vladivostok, and other corners of the globe.
Smartphones are more common than ever and can be used by anyone in the field to download maps and satellite images, as well as upload GPS coordinates and photographs from the ground.
Crowdsourcing using simple web interfaces can empower thousands if not millions of people to gather and share information, participate in forest monitoring, and hold decision-makers accountable. • Social media outlets are creating a flat, networked world in which information travels fast, communities self-organize, and people get mobilized.

ABOUT GLOBAL FOREST WATCH 2.0

These enhanced technologies and social movements are the foundation for Global Forest Watch 2.0. GFW 2.0 will unite a near-real-time deforestation alert system, complementary satellite imagery and monitoring systems, WRI’s data-rich collection of maps, mobile technology, and a networked world to create never-before-possible transparency for faraway forests.

The platform is currently under development, and will be launched in late 2013.

This powerful new platform will enable responsible companies, NGOs, the media, and progressive government leaders to hold those responsible accountable for forest management.

GFW 2.0 can be useful to multiple groups of users involved with the sustainable management of forests:

Buyers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will enable buyers of sustainably sourced commodities―such as certified timber, palm oil, soya, and beef―to confirm adherence to or violations of supplier commitments to “no deforestation,” “no clearing of high conservation value forest,” and related criteria.
Suppliers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will help suppliers of sustainable commodities prove to buyers, investors, governments, and NGOs that their commodities are adhering to best forest management practices, national laws, criteria of the relevant commodity roundtables, or investor lending conditions.
Governments. GFW 2.0 is designed to help progressive elements in governments better enforce sustainable forest management and forest protection laws. GFW 2.0 is also designed to be a trusted, independent, and user-friendly way to help investors in REDD+ and other forest conservation projects monitor performance and hold countries accountable to their commitments on greenhouse gas emission reductions and forest conservation.
Conservation and community organizations. GFW 2.0 will enable NGOs dedicated to forest conservation, indigenous rights, and forest communities to identify deforestation hotspots as they arise and quickly mobilize action to curtail further clearing.
The media. GFW 2.0 will enable local, national, and international media to ring the alarm bell on deforestation hotspots around the globe at a pace never-before-possible, and thereby put pressure on governments, companies, and others to curtail forest conversion and illegal logging in time

Applying new technology

GFW 2.0 combines satellites, new algorithms, cloud computing, mobile phone technologies, and WRI databases to connect images, maps, photos, and data with forest clearing alerts ultimately within two weeks of significant deforestation occurring.

Because GFW 2.0 will be powered by Google Earth Engine and Earth Builder, it will bring to target users a seamless experience of the best technology offered by WRI, Google, and their partners, as Bloomberg does for the world’s vast, complex array of financial information.

Mobilizing human networks

GFW 2.0 will mobilize networks of people to ensure sustainable management of forests and greater forest conservation. Global Forest Watch “anchor” NGOs in each priority country or region, will actively use and contribute content in an open-source, network model.

These groups will include ScanEx and its non-profit affiliate Transparent World in Russia, Imazon in Brazil and their Amazon-wide network of partners across the seven neighboring countries, the Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) which covers the Central Africa region. More partners in Canada, China, Europe, and the United States are joining every day.

Watch a Sneak Peek of GFW 2.0 presented at Rio+20

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Carlos Souza Jr., Senior Researcher, IMAZON
Charles Barber, Forest Division Chief, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, U.S. Department of State
Rebecca Moore, Google
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch UNEP’s press conference featuring GFW 2.0 at COP18 in Doha

Speakers:

Mr. Heru Prasetyo, Deputy I, Presidential Delivery Unit on Development Monitoring and Oversight, Government of Indonesia
Tim Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Jane Feehan, Natural Resources Specialist, European Investment Bank
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch a Sneak Peek of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the U.S. Pavilion, COP18 in Doha

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Nigel Sizer, Director, Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute
Nirarta “Koni” Samadhi, Head of REDD+ Task Force Working Group on Moratorium Monitoring, Presidential Work Unit on Monitoring and Development Oversight (UKP4), Government of Indonesia
Per Fredrik Ilsaas Pharo, Director, International Climate and Forest Initiative, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, Government of Norway
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Read more about WRI’s forest work here.

ADVISORY: WRI's 9th Annual Stories to Watch

Michael Oko — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:23:18 -0500

The World Resources Institute will host its 9th Annual Stories to Watch event on January 10, 2012, looking ahead to the big environmental and sustainability stories for 2012. The event will feature Manish Bapna, WRI’s Interim President, who will explore key potential media stories and trends facing people, business, and the planet.

Topics will include: What does the U.S. presidential election mean for key environmental issues, including the future of the EPA? What will be the key drivers for renewable energy in 2012? What does China’s upcoming leadership transition mean? How will the expanding global population impact scarce natural resources, including forests? What will happen at the 2012 Earth Summit in Rio?

The event will take place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

A continental breakfast will be served.

WHAT
World Resources Institute’s 9th Annual Stories to Watch

WHO
Manish Bapna, WRI’s interim president, has been with the organization for five years, previously serving as its managing director. Bapna is an internationally recognized expert on environmental and sustainability issues, with a background in international development, rural poverty, and natural resources.

He is a frequently published author, with recent pieces in the Washington Post, McClatchy-Tribune News, Bangkok Post and Huffington Post.

WHERE
National Press Club
The Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20045

DIAL-IN INFORMATION
U.S. (Toll-Free): (888) 606-9536
Int’l (Toll): + (212) 547-0412
Passcode: WRI

WHEN
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. ET

RSVP required to press@wri.org

Forest and Landscape Restoration

Susan Minnemeyer — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:03:52 -0500

Mapping of Forest and Landscape Restoration Opportunities

Worldwide, enormous areas that once supported forests have become deforested or degraded. About 30 percent of the world’s potential forest cover has been completely cleared and a further 20 percent has been degraded. Yet more than two billion hectares of deforested and degraded forest land worldwide may have the potential to be restored.

Forest and Landscape Restoration is about more than just planting trees. It goes beyond afforestation, reforestation, and ecological restoration to improve both human livelihoods and ecological integrity.

As a contribution to the Global Partnership of Forest and Landscape Restoration, The World Resources Institute is partnering with the University of Maryland and IUCN to map opportunities for forest and landscape restoration – where they can be found and how big they are.

Making Forest and Landscape Restoration a Force for Change

View more presentations from World Resources Institute (WRI)

Restoration By Region

Download these brochures for more information on Forest and Landscape Restoration opportunities:

Global (PDF, 2.4 Mb)
Africa (PDF, 680 Kb)
Asia (PDF, 729 Kb)
Latin America (PDF, 678 Kb)

Interactive Map of Forest and Landscape Restoration

Click on the map below to open up our Interactive Atlas of Forest and Landscape Restoration Opportunities.

Click to open the Atlas

Photo: Mosaic restoration could improve the functionality of this landscape in Uganda. Credit: Flickr/weesam2010.

RELEASE: Leaders Announce Global Effort to Restore 150 Million Hectares of Deforested Land

Michael Oko — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:54:06 -0400

New Global Restoration Council to be led by former Swedish Prime Minister Persson

A global effort to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands by 2020 is being launched in Bonn, Germany. The announcement comes during the Bonn Challenge Ministerial Roundtable, where a select group of government officials, business leaders, and international forest experts are gathering to catalyze support for global forest and landscape restoration.

At the meeting, Göran Persson, former Prime Minister of Sweden, will propose a new Global Restoration Council to help galvanize action for forest and landscape restoration and build support to achieve The Bonn Challenge. The Council will be facilitated by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“Restoring 150 million hectares of degraded lands represents an exciting and largely untapped opportunity to create more jobs and economic growth, while also protecting our climate,” said Prime Minister Persson, who is also a member of WRI’s board of directors. “I am delighted to be announcing this new Council to raise attention and generate action to strengthen our forests, our economies, our climate, and our lives. I look forward to working with world leaders, businesses, and other colleagues in an effort that will send a strong signal that forest and land restoration must be pursued globally.”

The Bonn Challenge builds on a new global assessment identifying that more than 2 billion hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded lands are available for restoration. This assessment, carried out by WRI, the South Dakota State University, and IUCN on behalf of the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, nearly doubles the previous estimate, reflecting greater precision and a better understanding of the conditions needed for forests to grow.

“Forest restoration is big idea that carries many benefits. It will improve food security, enhance biodiversity, protect our climate, and generate jobs,” said Manish Bapna, interim President for WRI. “With this new 150 million hectare target– and support from leaders like Mr. Persson— we have a great opportunity to take action that will enhance the resilience of people and nature.”

Restoring 150 million hectares of land reflects a significant contribution to implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Target 15 and the REDD-plus agreement of the UNFCCC. The CBD Target 15 calls for the restoration of at least 15 percent of degraded ecosystems by 2020, and the REDD-Plus goal is to slow, halt and reverse forest cover and carbon loss, including through the enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Find maps and information behind the 2 billion hectare analysis.

Find out more about IUCN forests work.

Learn more about the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration.

Global Map of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities

Maggie Barron — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:19:41 -0400

A New And Improved Map

This restoration opportunity map is a revised and improved version of a previous map (published in 2009 and revised in 2010). The boreal forest landscapes of the north are now included; differences in forest canopy cover are reflected in greater detail; the assessment of potential forest cover has been improved; and the analysis has been updated with more recent and higher resolution data.

The new map indicates a restoration opportunity twice as large as the old one. This is mainly because a more precise mapping of potential forest extent has increased the estimate of degraded lands with opportunities for restoration, not because something has changed in the real world.

Downloads

High Resolution Bitmap (PNG, 2200 x 1765 px, 3.2 Mb)
Brochure (PDF, 2.4 Mb) (includes map)

A World of Opportunity

Over the last several centuries, vast forest areas have been cleared as agriculture has spread and human populations have grown. About 30 percent of global forest cover has been completely cleared and a further 20 percent has been degraded. Breaking the spiral of loss and degradation and restoring these lands would bring many benefits.

Restored lands support livelihoods and biodiversity by supplying clean water, reducing erosion, providing wildlife habitat, biofuel, and other forest products. Forests and trees mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon. Trees in agricultural landscapes can enhance soil fertility, conserve soil moisture, and boost food production.

More than two billion hectares worldwide offer opportunities for restoration—an area larger than South America. Most of these lands are in tropical and temperate areas.

One and a half billion hectares would be best-suited for mosaic restoration, in which forests and trees are combined with other land uses, including agroforestry, smallholder agriculture, and settlements.
Up to about half a billion hectares would be suitable for wide-scale restoration of closed forests.
In addition to these two billion hectares, there are 200 million hectares of unpopulated lands, mainly in the far northern boreal forests, that have been degraded by fire. These areas would likely be difficult to restore due to their remoteness.

Croplands and densely populated rural areas on former forest lands amount to a further one billion hectares. They do not offer extensive restoration opportunities in terms of area, but some of these lands would benefit from having trees planted in strategic places to protect and enhance agricultural productivity and other ecosystem functions.

Restoration is possible. Most countries have suffered forest loss and degradation and have opportunities for restoration. Vast deforested areas in Europe and North America have regrown forests. South Korea and Costa Rica have embarked on successful forest restoration strategies. tries are slowing desertification and restoring woodlands with associated dramatic improvements in livelihoods and ecological health. Yet restoration opportunities are often overlooked.

Restoration of Forests and Landscapes

Forest and landscape restoration is about more than just trees. It goes beyond afforestation, reforestation, and ecological restoration to improve both human livelihoods and ecological integrity. Key characteristics include the following:

Local stakeholders are actively engaged in decision making, collaboration, and implementation.
Whole landscapes are restored, not just individual sites, so that trade-offs among conflicting interests can be made and minimized within a wider context.
Landscapes are restored and managed to provide for an agreed, balanced combination of ecosystem services and goods, not only for increased forest cover.
A wide range of restoration strategies are considered, from managed natural regeneration to tree planting.
Continuous monitoring, learning, and adaptation are central.

A restored landscape can accommodate a mosaic of land uses such as agriculture, protected reserves, ecological corridors, regenerating forests, well-managed plantations, agroforestry systems, and riparian plantings to protect waterways. Restoration must complement and enhance food production and not cause natural forests to be converted into plantations.

Conclusions

Many countries have suffered forest loss or degradation in the past. Opportunities for restoration are huge in terms of area and exist on all continents.

Many more countries can mitigate climate change through restoration than by avoiding additional deforestation and degradation.

Restoration and avoided deforestation are complementary and mutually supportive measures. Restoration opportunities tend to be located far away from the areas where ongoing deforestation is widespread and concentrated.

One of the most attractive features of forest and landscape restoration is its many benefits. The Convention on Biological Diversity has agreed on a target to restore 15 percent of degraded ecosystems by 2020. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change has adopted a decision that sets a goal for all countries to slow, halt, and reverse forest cover and carbon loss. Properly designed initiatives could bring benefits for biodiversity and climate while also improving people’s lives.

The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration

The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration is a worldwide network that unites governments, major UN and non-governmental organizations, companies, and individuals with a common cause. We believe that ideas transform landscapes. The partnership provides the information and tools to strengthen restoration efforts around the world and builds support for forest landscape restoration with decision-makers and opinion-formers, both at local and international levels.

Authors

Susan Minnemeyer (WRI)
Lars Laestadius (WRI)
Nigel Sizer (WRI)
Carole Saint-Laurent (IUCN)
Peter Potapov (South Dakota State University).

This map was supported by the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, building on work supported by Profor and the Forestry Commission of Great Britain. Review comments from the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre are gratefully acknowledged.

MEDIA ADVISORY: 4th Annual Ecosystem Markets Conference - Making Ecosystems Work

Lauren Zelin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:18:28 -0400

Experts and innovators meet to chart the future of ecosystem conservation

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) co-host the 4th annual Ecosystem Markets Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, June 29 – July 1, 2011. Hundreds of experts, innovators, land owners, government officials, investors and academics will discuss how to make ecosystem markets work to conserve natural resources; followed by a field trip through Aldo Leopold’s backyard to see ecosystem services in action.

At a time when state and federal budgets for conservation are dwindling, ecosystems are being degraded and threats to natural resources are increasing, more market-driven solutions are necessary to open the next chapter in conservation. Through ecosystem markets, the many benefits that well-managed lands provide, such as clean water and wildlife habitat, are assigned a value that results in payments to landowners for providing these services. This win-win for the public and landowners is necessary to protect the planet’s natural resources.

The 2011 conference theme “Ecosystem Markets: Making Them Work” underscores the need for innovative thinking to bridge the gap between ecosystem market potential and reality. Participants will gather for two days of open-format meetings on topics including payments to landowners, policy and ethics, private investment, water quality, bioenergy, and more.

The conference will open with a video address by Harris Sherman, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Senior representatives from the host organizations along with ecosystem services experts from around the world will participate in the conference and will be available for interviews.

What:
4th Annual Ecosystem Markets Conference. Website: http://ecomarketconference.com/

When:
June 29-30, 2011, conference sessions
July 1, 2011, field trip to working ecosystems and Aldo Leopold’s shack

Where:
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club
1 W. Dayton Street, Madison, WI
(Free parking is provided for our conference group)

Media Highlights:

Wednesday, June 29, 2011
* 8:15 a.m. – Welcome and video address by Harris Sherman, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture
* 8:35 a.m. – Plenary Session 1: The Current State of Ecosystem Markets
* 10:20 a.m. – Plenary Session 2: Policies to Support Ecosystem Services and Markets
* 12:40 p.m. – Lunch and preview of Green Fire documentary, hosted by the Aldo Leopold Foundation and followed by a Q&A session

Friday, July 1, 2011
* 8:00 a.m. – Field trip; See below for details. * Experts available for interviews during the tour

For the full conference agenda, visit http://ecomarketconference.com/agenda/.

RSVP and Media Requests:

Amanda Cooke | AFF | ACooke@forestfoundation.org | 202-463-2731
Lauren Cole | WRI | LCole@wri.org | 202-729-7736

Follow the Twitter conversation - #ecomarkets2011

Field Trip Information - PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

What:
Tour the Leopold family shack and farm, and see sites conserved for ecosystem services through public/private partnerships, including the Leopold Waterfowl Production Area, Baraboo Oak Street dam removal site, and the Leopold Memorial Reserve constructed wetland. Detailed agenda: http://ecomarketconference.com/field-trip/.

When:
July 1, 2011 from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Where:
Meet at the Madison Concourse Hotel for bus departure.

Who:
Experts from WRI, AFF and other conference attendees will be available for interviews and photo opportunities during the Field Trip. Please contact Amanda Cooke or Lauren Cole to RSVP.

Thanks to the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Sand County Foundation for their generous assistance in hosting and organizing the field trip.

Restoring Forests: An Opportunity for Africa

Nigel Sizer — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:27:21 -0400

New research shows that Africa offers some of the greatest opportunities globally for restoring forests.

This post originally appeared on Mongabay.

Tropical forest news last week was dominated by Indonesia and Brazil. Forest clearing has surged over the past year in parts of the Amazon, the Brazilian Government reported. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s President signed a moratorium on cutting some intact forest areas, as part of a landmark billion-dollar deal with international donors. But new research shows that Africa offers some of the greatest opportunities globally for restoring forests.

Investors are gathering this week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to learn more. The meeting, hosted by the World Agroforestry Center, together with the World Bank’s Program on Forests and others, aims to help mobilize private investment in trees and landscape restoration in Africa.

With about half of the world’s original forest cover lost or degraded, interest is growing in planting trees to absorb carbon and to help communities better prepare for climate change. Restoring forests has many potential benefits. In the tropics, farming that includes more trees can be more productive and resilient to changes in weather patterns. Trees are also the primary source of fuel for most of the world’s poor. Growing trees to produce charcoal and sell wood for fuel helps to pay the bills for millions of Africa’s farmers. Growing trees also absorb carbon dioxide and so contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.

A new analysis, carried out by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and South Dakota State University, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, found that about 450 million hectares of degraded land in Africa offer opportunities for forest restoration. This is an area the size of the entire European Union. Opportunities for Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa

Restoration comes in various forms. Sparsely populated areas that are not intensively used may be suitable for wide-scale restoration. Here restoration may entail quite low investment, involving control of fire and grazing so that trees can naturally regenerate. Areas where land is more intensively used can be restored to tree cover in a patchwork pattern, known as “mosaic restoration”. Even intensively farmed and developed areas can benefit greatly from “protective restoration”, including the planting of trees to prevent erosion on steep slopes, along rivers and streams, to serve as windbreaks, and to provide shade along tracks and roads.

Recent experience from West Africa sees farmers putting the theory into practice. Niger, just a generation ago, was in the throes of mass famine, spreading deserts and entrenched poverty. Just 20 years later, over five million hectares of Niger has been restored to productive farmed woodland as the value of trees to enhance farm yield and provide income from fuel wood has caught on. Over 200 million new trees were planted, protected and managed as a result, and there is no sign of this movement stopping.

Others are being inspired to follow. Rwanda has committed to a nationwide effort to restore forests as a means to improve livelihoods, enhance food security, and safeguard water supplies and biodiversity. This dramatic move, supported by the United Nations Forum on Forests, and gaining donor interest, seems likely to be the first of several such efforts across Africa.

Leadership by national governments may be the key for catalyzing action and investment. In Rwanda, visionary efforts by the country’s leadership are leading to a pioneering process of policy reform to encourage tree planting. Niger’s greening partly followed a revision of the law to crucially give farmers ownership of the trees growing on their land. Prior to this, all trees had belonged to the state. As democratic currents gained force in the country it was possible to shift control to farmers and thereby give them an incentive to manage the resource as their own.

Despite these positive steps, many challenges remain. As resources become scarcer, economies grow and demand expands for timber, palm oil, soya beans, and other commodities, remaining intact forests will come under increasing pressure. Efforts to combat deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia will continue to grab the headlines and need long-term support. But it may be the emergence of a steady and sustained effort to help trees grow in places where they used to that gains greater traction and makes more progress toward meeting human needs. The policymakers and investors gathering in Nairobi this week may well be onto something big.

Opportunities for Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa

Maggie Barron — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:06:50 -0400

Download High Resolution Bitmap (PNG, 2000 x 3072 px, 5.3 Mb)
Download Brochure (PDF, 430 Kb) (includes map)
Global Map of Forest Restoration Opportunities
Read more about forest restoration in Africa

Findings

Nearly 450 million hectares of degraded forest landscapes — an area the size of the European Union — offer opportunities for restoration in Africa, more than in any other continent.
Over 400 million hectares offer opportunities for mosaic restoration. These lands could support either closed forest or open woodlands and have a mosaic of land uses, including agriculture and human settlements.
Approximately 50 million hectares offer opportunities for wide-scale restoration: on these lands, population pressure is lower and the climate supports closed forests.
Additional areas offer opportunities for protective restoration, e.g. to protect water supplies by incorporating trees into rural landscapes dominated by intensive crop production. Trees within agricultural lands, also called “evergreen agriculture” can enhance soil fertility and moisture content, boosting the production of food.

Restoration of Forests and Landscapes

Forest landscape restoration is an approach that is complementing and enriching more narrowly defined approaches to afforestation, reforestation, and ecological restoration that have been tried in the past. Central to this approach is the need to improve both human livelihoods and ecological integrity. Forest landscape restoration has the following characteristics:

A focus on restoring or enhancing the functionality of a landscape (that is, its supply of ecosystem services) – not on maximizing new forest cover;
Restoration applied to whole landscapes – not to individual sites. This allows trade-offs to be made;
Local stakeholder consent and participation in decision making and implementation;
Use of a range of restoration options that include active promotion of spontaneous (“natural”) re-growth of trees (e.g., by reducing pressure from grazing and fire), as well as planting, avoiding conversion of natural forests and other important ecosystems into plantations;
Land-use complexity and dynamics are accommodated by adaptive management. Provision is made for monitoring and learning.

A restored landscape can be configured to accommodate a suite of land uses including, for example, protected reserves, ecological corridors, regenerating forests, well-managed plantations, agroforestry systems (or other agricultural systems that make use of onfarm trees) and plantings along waterways.

Restored lands support livelihoods and biodiversity, supply clean water, reduce erosion, provide biomass fuel and produce forest products. Trees in agricultural landscapes can enhance soil fertility, conserve soil moisture, and boost food production.

Forests and trees can also mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon; on a large scale, restoration could reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Restoration can help people weather the impacts of climate change, helping us to adapt to global warming by ensuring water supplies or reducing the impacts of catastrophic storms. The “plus” in the REDD-plus mechanism provides an incentive for restoration activities and could allow many countries that have already lost significant forest areas to participate.

Mapping Restoration Opportunities

We first mapped where forest and woodlands could grow according to climatic conditions, i.e. their potential extent absent human influence. Dry areas such as the Sahel were not included in the extent of this study, although trees play an important role there. Second, we mapped the current extent of forests and woodlands. Forest maps were derived from global 250m resolution satellite imagery.

Third, restoration opportunities were identified by comparing potential and current forest extent in light of information about current land use. Intact forest landscapes and managed natural forests and woodlands were considered to have no need for restoration. Lands with a low likelihood of offering restoration opportunities were identified by mapping human pressure as a combination of population density and land use.

Deforested and degraded forest lands were divided into three categories, resulting in a map of restoration opportunity areas (with resolution of 1km x 1km):

Wide-scale restoration — Population density of less than 10 persons per square kilometer and potential to support closed forest.
Mosaic restoration — Moderate human pressure (between 10 and 100 persons per square kilometer)
Protective restoration — Intensive human pressure (density over 100 persons per square kilometer), croplands, and urban areas.

The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration is a worldwide network that unites influential governments, major UN and non-governmental organizations, companies and individuals with a common cause. We believe that ideas transform landscapes. The partnership provides the information and tools to strengthen restoration efforts around the world and builds support for forest landscape restoration with decision-makers and opinion-formers, both at local and international levels.

Other Featured WRI Maps

This map is part of a continuing project to produce maps that shed light on significant environmental issues throughout the world.

New Hope for Restoring Forest Landscapes

Lars Laestadius — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:16:36 -0500

A new map shows a world of opportunity for restoration of forest landscapes. COP-15 negotiators should take note.

Stopping deforestation is a critical part of global efforts to fight climate change. In Copenhagen, most discussions about forests focus on policies to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (known as REDD). Much of the conversation is focused on countries where forests are disappearing at a rapid rate, such as Brazil and Indonesia.

But recent research suggests huge opportunities for restoration of forest landscapes as well. The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) with WRI and South Dakota State University recently released a map showing where global forests have great potential for recovery. While many maps show forest loss, this one is the first of its kind to show areas where forests could be regained. This has significant implications for climate negotiators that are working to reduce and reverse carbon emissions from forests.

The World from a Forest Landscape Restoration Perspective

Download High Resolution Bitmap (PNG, 3300 x 1650 px, 3.9 Mb)

The map suggests that globally, over a billion hectares of former and degraded forest land offers opportunities for restoration; a global combined area greater than that of China. These are areas that do not produce crops and are not subject to intensive land use, although they may be densely populated. The Partnership expects the global map to act as a catalyst for more detailed assessments at the country or regional level, e.g. in West Africa and/or China where potential for forest restoration could be further explored.

Although the sheer size of the areas with potential for restoration alone is noteworthy, negotiators at COP-15 have other reasons as well for paying attention. The restoration potential is not limited to countries with rapid deforestation. Developing and developed countries on almost every continent, including India and China, have opportunities to restore forest landscapes as a way to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Restoration could provide many co-benefits, such as reduced erosion, reduced risk of flooding, improved agricultural productivity, and production of wood fuel and timber. The successful restoration of the Loess Plateau in China, recently featured in a New York Times op-ed, is one such example.

It’s important to keep this big picture in mind as negotiators at COP-15 decide the future of REDD policies. REDD, combined with forest restoration, may present a much larger opportunity to curb global warming than we have imagined, and many more countries can play a part in the solution.

Downloads

Ideas Transform Landscapes Brochure (PDF, 3.2 Mb)
Very High Resolution Bitmap (PNG, 3300 x 1650 px, 3.9 Mb)
Animated Slides (Powerpoint, 3.3 Mb)

The World from a Forest Landscape Restoration Perspective

Maggie Barron — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:02:03 -0500

Note: This map was updated in December, 2010. View the most recent version here

This map shows areas where global forests have great potential for recovery. Areas with the highest potential for forest restoration opportunities are shown in green, while the orange and yellow areas show a lower likelihood of restoration, due to the presence of croplands.

Download High Resolution Bitmap (PNG, 3300 x 1650 px, 3.9 Mb)

Forest Landscapes Initiative

Richard Waite — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:53:48 -0400

Our strategy is to harness the power of information and communication technologies (e.g., satellites) to strengthen the incentives and capacity for sustainable forest management.

We partner with in-country organizations in four forest-rich regions of the world: Central Africa, Southeast Asia, Russia, and South America. We also monitor tree cover change and intact forest landscapes at the global level.

State of the World’s Forests (Click map to view larger size)

Our activities:

Monitor and map forests—support national efforts to create, review and make public geo-spatial forest information and produce map-based tools for decision making.
Provide training and technical assistance to governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations in the production and use of maps and information.
Build bridges among business, government, and civil society institutions to share information and promote collaborative problem solving.
Support sustainable procurement of forest products—provide purchasers with reliable, impartial, and easy-to-understand advice.
Support emerging forest/climate policies and incentives (e.g. REDD)—develop methods for measuring and monitoring changes in forest cover and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Assess forestry revenue distribution—examine how revenue from forest exploitation is distributed, so that forest-dependent communities receive their fair share.
Work at both ends of the forest products supply chain— The Forest Legality Alliance supports the Lacey Act amendment in the US, and similar legislation in the EU, by helping forest product producers and importers more effectively identify and avoid illegally sourced wood products.
Pilot test transformational investment strategies—Project POTICO (Palm Oil, Timber, and Carbon Offsets) is designed to divert new oil palm plantations onto degraded lands in Indonesia to curb deforestation.

Also check out our Interactive Maps and Data Explorer.