Sean DeWitt

Director, Global Restoration Initiative

Bio

Sean is the Director of the Global Restoration Initiative at World Resources Institute (WRI). He manages the process to inspire, support and mobilize our partners to restore forests and degraded lands. This involves active coordination among governments, civil society, communities and individuals to fulfill international commitments on forests, and most importantly to deliver benefits to local livelihoods, local communities and to nature.

Sean previously worked for 14 years in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. He was a Director at Grameen Foundation for 6.5 years, working to improve the livelihoods of the poor in Africa and Asia through technology innovations. He worked to support small business and small nonprofits at the Fund for the City of New York. He managed projects for the US Department of State in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Sean also worked in the private sector with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Management Consultant and worked as an Industrial Engineer for Intel and the Walt Disney Company.

Sean holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and an MSc in Development Finance from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Sean enjoys running, banjo, guitar, music festivals, hiking, camping, traveling and most of all spending time with his wife Ranita & daughters Samaya & Simran.

Blogs

Want to Grow Trees? Consider These 5 Lessons
by Sean DeWitt, Jared Messinger and Nadia Peimbert-Rappaport - February 10, 2020
Whether you're planting one tree or one trillion, it helps to pick the right species for the right location, monitor its growth and understand the social landscape.
3 Steps Toward Growing the Funds for Restoration
by Sean DeWitt, Sofia Faruqi and Andrew Wu - October 13, 2016
Restoring degraded landscapes and forests has the potential to enhance social and economic well-being while delivering powerful environmental benefits. The challenge is getting the funding to make that happen.
African Countries Aim to Restore 100 Million Hectares of Degraded Land
by Sean DeWitt, Sarah Weber and Mamadou Diakhite - December 06, 2015
In Paris today, a coalition of more than a dozen African countries, nine financing organizations and 10 technical partners announced a new initiative called the African Restoration Initiative (AFR100), with the goal of restoring 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested land in Africa by 2030.
Our Fraying Ecosystems
by Manish Bapna and Sean DeWitt - September 22, 2015
Sustainable Development Goal 15 aims to improve the management of forests, combat desertification, reverse land degradation and preserve biodiversity. It recognizes that poverty reduction, healthy land and vibrant ecosystems all go together.
South Africa Hosts World Forestry Congress: 4 Big Opportunities for Progress
by Charles Victor Barber, Crystal Davis, Sean DeWitt and Nigel Sizer - September 03, 2015
More than 1,700 leaders will gather for the World Forestry Congress next week, the most prominent gathering for discussions about forest management. Will they use the opportunity to make progress?
Getting Governors on Board with Landscape Restoration
by Jared Messinger and Sean DeWitt - August 10, 2015
As momentum builds towards the climate negotiations in Paris, national governments are being asked to consider how their countries will contribute to a low-carbon, climate resilient future. With support from international efforts like the Bonn Challenge and the New York Declaration on Forests, many countries are committing to restore degraded land and forests to offset emissions as they improve household income and food security. But while these international frameworks and national commitments are important, it is often the states, provinces and districts that must go beyond commitment to take action.
Bonn Challenge 2.0: Forest and Landscape Restoration Emerges as a Key Climate Solution
by Nigel Sizer, Sean DeWitt and Jared Messinger - April 15, 2015
The Bonn Challenge—only an idea just four years ago—has already secured commitments from more than 20 countries to restore 60 million hectares of degraded land.
Bonn Challenge On Track to Meet Land Restoration Goal by 2020
by Jared Messinger and Sean DeWitt - March 20, 2015
The Bonn Challenge, a global movement aimed at starting to restore 150 million hectares by 2020, is on track to meet or exceed this ambitious goal. International partners meet in Bonn this week to discuss progress already made and a vision for what should happen after 2020.
Restoration Pledges in NY Declaration on Forests: Where Are the Opportunities?
by Sean DeWitt, Katie Reytar, James Anderson, Lars Laestadius and Jared Messinger - October 07, 2014
The newly established New York Declaration on Forests aims to restore 350 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes into productivity by 2030—an area the size of India.

Here we highlight countries that are prime for restoration.

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Sean DeWitt

Want to Grow Trees? Consider These 5 Lessons

3 Steps Toward Growing the Funds for Restoration

African Countries Aim to Restore 100 Million Hectares of Degraded Land

Our Fraying Ecosystems

South Africa Hosts World Forestry Congress: 4 Big Opportunities for Progress

Getting Governors on Board with Landscape Restoration

Bonn Challenge 2.0: Forest and Landscape Restoration Emerges as a Key Climate Solution

Bonn Challenge On Track to Meet Land Restoration Goal by 2020

Restoration Pledges in NY Declaration on Forests: Where Are the Opportunities?

The Restoration Diagnostic

A Method for Developing Forest Landscape Restoration Strategies by Rapidly Assessing the status of Key Success Factors

Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM)

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A Method for Developing Forest Landscape Restoration Strategies by Rapidly Assessing the status of Key Success Factors

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