Status of the collaborative drylands’ restoration initiative –

Guidelines for resilient forest landscapes in drylands

Introduction to the workshop

Nora Berrahmouni

FAO Forestry Department, Rome

World Drylands

Source: Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005

Critical issues

• Water scarcity • Deforestation and forest degradation • Soil erosion and low water retention

capacity • Desertification • Climate change • Low land productivity coupled with droughts • Low priority in national policies • Lack of capacity • Low, short-term investment • Poverty and increased population

Afforestation/reforestation in drylands:

the champions

Country Total forest

area

(m ha)

Planted forest

area

m ha %

Sudan 70 6.1 8.7

Turkey 11 3.4 30.2

Mexico 65 3.2 4.9

Spain 18 2.7 14.7

Chile 16 2.4 14.7

Source: FAO Forest Resource Assessment 2010

Collaborative Drylands Restoration Initiative: What is it?

• In collaboration with FAO member countries, local partner organizations, international institutions and organizations

• Comprehensive analysis and evaluation of relevant forestation and restoration programmes and projects (based on FRMT)

• Develop the way forward in the form of guidelines for restoration of degraded forests and lands

Collaborative Drylands Restoration Initiative: Why?

• FAO Regional forestry commissions and Committee on Forestry

• UNCCD 10-year strategic plan and framework (2008-2018)

• UNCBD Strategic plan for biodiversity 2011-2020

• UNFCCC: Climate change mitigation and adaptation

• The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative

Collaborative Drylands’ Restoration Initiative: How: The process ?

Expert Report:

lessons learnt and way

forward in the form of

guidelines

International

Workshops Literature review

First International Workshop Konya, Turkey, May 2012

Launch of the Initiative => drafting of the guidelines

Draft guidelines for building resilient forest landscapes in drylands: for whom ?

• Decision-makers from forestry and rural development sectors

• Managers of forest restoration programmes and projects • Officers and technicians of international and regional

organizations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral development cooperation agencies and NGOs

Draft guidelines for building resilient forest landscapes in drylands

Structured in 4 main blocks

1. Putting in place an enabling environment 2. Planning for forest landscape restoration

3. Field implementation

4. Monitoring and evaluation

Draft guidelines

1. Putting in place an enabling environment

To address the root causes behind forest degradation and desertification

• Supportive policies and governance mechanisms • Intersectoral collaboration • Capacity development and education • Sustainable financing

Draft guidelines

2. Planning for forest landscape restoration

• Baseline assessment and mapping • Landscape approach • Restoration priorities and objectives • Balancing environmental, socio-economic, cultural

aspects • Participation of relevant stakeholders in planning • Right Species in the right place • Reproductive material of high quality

Draft guidelines

3. Field implementation

• Assisted natural regeneration • Soil and water conservation measures • Forest protection and management measures • Innovative technologies for improving plant production

in nurseries • Planting density, planting period • sowing seeds, planting techniques • Soil preparation, watering • Fire prevention and management techniques • Development and implementation of management plans

for the restored areas

Draft guidelines

4. Monitoring & evaluation

• Incorporation of objectives, performance standards, and protocols for monitoring into the restoration plans

• Monitoring over a long period to detect major

environmental and socio-economic processes/ dynamics • Monitoring, backed by compilation of lessons learnt, to

inform adaptive management and know-how sharing

Second International Workshop Dakar, Senegal, February 2013

Second International workshop: Objectives

• Contribute to the formulation of the “guidelines for building resilient forest landscapes in drylands”

• Identify gaps and challenges that need to be addressed

and appropriate actions for building resilient forest landscapes in Great Green Wall countries

Second International workshop: Expected outputs

• Recommendations for the finalization of “guidelines for building resilient forest landscapes in drylands”

• Joint actions defined to address the gaps and challenges

for building resilient forest landscapes in Great Green Wall countries

Dakar workshop: how we get organized ?

Day 1

Plenary: •Setting the scene

3 working groups : • Review of the guidelines

Day 2 &

Day 3

Field trip : continuation of working groups • Review the draft guidelines through their testing • Analysis of the Senegal experience according to the draft

guidelines

Day 4

Plenary • Reporting from working groups • Tour de table: Key issues and challenges for building resilient

forest landscapes • Joint actions for addressing the issues and challenges • Wrap-up and Road map • Conclusions & closing

Thank you www.fao.org/forestry/aridzone/restoration

www.fao.org/partnerships/great-green-wall

This is your event, we welcome your comments and participation