A two-day expert consultation on private investments in Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Global Mechanism (GM) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), explored ways to scale up FLR investments to enhance livelihood opportunities for rural communities in drylands and reduce forced migration from such areas.
15 July 2015: A two-day expert consultation on private investments in Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Global Mechanism (GM) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), explored ways to scale up FLR investments to enhance livelihood opportunities for rural communities in drylands and reduce forced migration from such areas.
Noting that an estimated 12 million hectares of land are degraded every year, the workshop discussed some opportunities for restoring the current “total stock of more than two billion hectares of degraded land,” of which roughly three quarters is deemed to be suitable for “mosaic restoration.”
Specific FLR initiatives reviewed at the workshop included: impact investments in agroforestry systems by the Moringa Fund; large-scale bamboo restoration by EcoPlanet Bamboo; the TerrAfrica and ‘Initiative 20 by 20′ regional initiatives in Africa and Latin America, respectively; and a Payments for Environmental Services programme to promote sustainable cork oak production in Portugal, supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Coca-Cola Company.
Participants discussed some opportunities to upscale such investments, for example through aggregating financial resources at the landscape level, or bringing together different stakeholders and sectors involved in order to prevent inter-sectoral or resource-use conflicts. They noted, however, that to leverage private funding for FLR, a number of key conditions need to be in place, including an adequate enabling investment environment, “local champions” with the necessary skills, and bankable investment proposals that focus on promising value chains within landscapes.
At the conclusion of the workshop, FAO and the GM Rome Liaison Office agreed to develop a discussion paper on ‘Sustainable Finance for FLR,’ that will review “best available information,” discuss issues and success stories related to FLR funding, and assess opportunities to increase access to financing that supports FLR implementation at scale.
30 international experts from multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organizations, research institutes and the private sector attended the workshop, which was co-organized by FAO and the GM on 30 June and 1 July 2015, in Rome, Italy. [GM News Announcement]