The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), both of the CGIAR Consortium, merged at the beginning of 2019. In September 2019, they announced the creation of a new organization “born from the merger”: Resilient Landscapes. The organization will promote sustainable, innovative solutions to ensure integrated, multi-functional landscapes that are performing, productive and resilient and will help countries, communities and companies improve land management and livelihoods in sustainable and resilient ways.

CIFOR and ICRAF merged in recognition that the complex environmental and social challenges arising from climate change, land degradation, food security and demographic changes demand inclusive, science-based solutions. They write that the “time for fragmented approaches has passed” and emphasize a need for viewing terrestrial landscapes “as integrated wholes from forests through farmlands to the edge of grasslands.” CIFOR and ICRAF state that working as one organization will allow them to leverage their legacy investment in research, policy and development to capitalize on emerging opportunities with greater agility and will drive efficiencies and greater value for money.

Working as one organization will allow CIFOR and ICRAF to leverage their legacy investment in research, policy and development to capitalize on emerging opportunities with greater agility.

The newly created Resilient Landscapes organization will focus on providing the evidence and innovative solutions to address global challenges and scale up investments in sustainable development. It will target science in development in two ways. First, Resilient Landscapes will address green-growth planning and deployment, with a focus on tree-based value chains. Second, the organization will promote nature-based solutions, including regenerative technologies, as economic enterprises.  

Resilient Landscapes will bring together scientists, development specialists, business and finance partners to implement large-scale landscape programs to protect, expand and value forests; rejuvenate the functions of degraded ecosystems; transform agriculture into sustainable systems; and mainstream biodiversity into national planning. The organization will also work to diversify and optimize agricultural and forestry value chains and support governments and the private sector in transitioning to sustainable economies.

CIFOR and ICRAF merged in January 2019, with a common Board, and a commitment to work towards a single leadership team and unified policies, processes and systems. The Common Board of Trustees provides governance oversight while the day-to-day management of the Centres is delegated to the Directors General. CIFOR and ICRAF have worked together for more than 25 years, cooperating on research projects and publishing papers as part of the CGIAR’s Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) research program. [CIFOR Press Release] [World Agroforestry Centre Press Release] [Board of Directors] [Merger FAQs]