Forest Restoration within a Landscape/Ecoregion Context

Jeffrey Sayer and Mark AldrichWWF Forests for Life Programme

Hämeenlinna, Finland6th October 2004

Forest Landscape Restoration in Central and Northern Europe

Introduction: Where are we with FLR?

• For WWF, forest landscape restoration means implementing forest restoration within a landscape context - i.e. to complement our core targets for protected areas and improved forest management…

• …versus restoring forest cover across a whole landscape

• ...versus large scale reforestation projects

Progress to date

Restoration Initiatives underway in:

• Annamite Range Moist Forests – Vietnam• Borneo Forests – Kinabatangan, Malaysia

• Forests of the Upper Yangtze – China• New Caledonia Dry Forests

• Nusa Tenggara Dry Forest – Rinjani, Indonesia• Eastern Africa Coastal Forest – Kenya and Tanzania

• Madagascar Forests and Shrublands• Mediterranean Forests/Woodlands - Portugal and

Morocco• Danube River delta - Bulgaria(/Romania)

• Plus those in LAC….

What entry points or initial interventions are we using ?

• Policy changes that can promote natural regeneration or near-natural forest management

• Stakeholder negotiations at a landscape scale to guide restoration

• Development and dissemination of technical expertise to facilitate restoration

• Small scale strategic tree-planting or agroforestry to restore tree cover – e.g. to improve connectivity between patches of intact forest and/or protected areas

WWF's Forest Restoration target (May 2004) is:

By 2020, restore forest goods, services and processes in 20 landscapes of outstanding importance within priority ecoregions to regain ecological integrity and enhance human wellbeing.

Forest Restoration Milestones (2005 – 2007)

1. By 2007, 20 detailed landscape restoration programs with clear biodiversity and socio-economic goals are integrated within ecoregion action plans.

2. By 2005, develop and pilot a tracking tool that measures improvements in landscape values through protection, management and restoration.

3. Multi-year funding secured and demonstrable progress achieved on Forest Landscape Restoration in at least 5 landscapes by 2007

Tracking Tool: Landscape Values

• You cannot manage what you cannot measure

• Forcing clearer thinking on "landscapes"

• Most M&E systems emphasise project inputs and outputs or process - not "state“ or “condition” of the resource

• Simplicity seems to be essential for adoption

Tracking Tool: Landscape Values

For Rinjani in Indonesia we propose annual measures of:

• Total forest extent

• Areas of community forests

• Change in Village Development Index

• Water discharge from catchment

• Amount of environmental service payments

Some issues for Northern and central Europe

•CAP Reform = Payment for Environmental Services

•Multi-functional landscapes

Restoring landscapes that are resilient to fire

•For European Biodiversity too much forest is more often a problem than too little

•Lynx in Iberia – Orchids in Mediterranean grasslands

•Water birds on Scottish moorlands

How can we help?

• Providing technical advice and support on restoration techniques, ongoing preparation of a manual on Forest Restoration – working draft on WWF Connect at:

http://intranet.panda.org/documents/folder.cfm?uFolderID=52081

• Targeted advocacy/research activities aimed at influencing changes in reforestation/restoration policies;

• Developing a monitoring and learning platform, and support to regular exchange of experiences between restoration initiatives

• www.panda.org

WWF Forests for Life Programme:

Some lessons learned

• Clear objectives – realistic attainable goals• Field interventions focussed but within landscape vision• If you can’t measure it you cannot manage it – tracking tool• Understand the “system” be part of policy narrative• Realism about participatory processes – tyranny of special

interest groups• Strategic partnerships needed – we do not have all the skills• You cannot plan FLR – it’s a constant process of learning and

adaptation – you need short feedback loops• External drivers important – climate change and WTO

WWF Forests for Life Programme:

Pre-conditions

• Better institutional arrangements at the scale of the “problem” or the “opportunity”

• New roles for private and public sectors

• Decentralisation and subsidiarity

• Clarity about property rights

• Mechanisms for environmental payments

WWF Forests for Life Programme:

Thank you