Landscape Scale Restoration Initiative

Landscape Scale Restoration Initiative
Name	Landscape Scale Restoration Initiative
Type	Conservation initiative
Established	2018
Headquarters	International
Area served	Global
Focus	Ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience

Landscape Scale Restoration Initiative

The Landscape Scale Restoration Initiative is a multinational conservation effort focused on restoring degraded ecosystems across large bioregions to support biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and community resilience. It integrates approaches from Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and United Nations Environment Programme to align ecological targets with policy frameworks and regional strategies. Partners include multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, Global Environment Facility, and International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as NGOs like World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy.

Background and Objectives

The Initiative emerged from dialogues at summits including the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP26, and the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, seeking to operationalize commitments from the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Primary objectives are to restore contiguous habitat matrices across ecoregions identified by WWF ecoregions, enhance connectivity in networks recognized by Corridor conservation projects, and contribute to national commitments under Nationally Determined Contributions and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. The Initiative aims to reconcile objectives from the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and transboundary accords like the Treaty on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Scope and Geographic Priorities

Operational scope spans biomes prioritized by assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPBES Global Assessment, and the Global Land Programme, targeting landscapes such as the Amazon Rainforest, Congo Basin, Greater Mekong, Miombo woodlands, Mediterranean Basin, and the Boreal forest. Priority is given to corridors linking protected areas designated under national systems, sites listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and buffer zones adjacent to UNESCO World Heritage Site properties. Implementation emphasizes transboundary ecoregions associated with treaties like the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and regional mechanisms such as the European Green Deal and the African Union Agenda 2063.

Ecological Methods and Practices

Restoration methods draw on techniques validated by programs like Restoration Ecology research networks, the Society for Ecological Restoration, and trials under the Ecosystem-based Adaptation portfolio. Practices include active reforestation using provenance trials from FAO guidelines, assisted natural regeneration informed by studies in savanna systems, peatland rewetting aligned with Ramsar guidance, and riparian buffer restoration paralleling projects by Wetlands International. Biodiversity-focused measures incorporate species reintroduction protocols from IUCN Red List recovery plans, invasive species control strategies from Global Invasive Species Programme, and pollinator habitat enhancement reflecting recommendations by the IPBES Pollinators Assessment. Climate-smart interventions leverage carbon accounting methods from the Green Climate Fund and monitoring standards from the Verified Carbon Standard.

Implementation and Governance

Governance structures align multi-level actors including national agencies participating in Convention on Biological Diversity processes, regional bodies such as the European Commission, ASEAN, and African Union, and local authorities exemplified by municipal partnerships in Bogotá, Cape Town, and Canberra. Implementation models adapt lessons from landscape initiatives like the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, the Yellow Sea Migratory Birds Conservation, and the Great Green Wall to harmonize land-use plans with customary tenure systems recognized in instruments like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Decision-making combines technical advisory panels drawing on expertise from institutions such as CIFOR, CIAT, and WCS with stakeholder councils reflecting constituencies from Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, municipal governments, and private sector partners including IKEA Foundation-supported programs.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

Monitoring frameworks adopt indicators from the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the SDG indicators, using remote sensing platforms like Landsat, Sentinel-2, and MODIS alongside field protocols aligned with the Group on Earth Observations and the Essential Biodiversity Variables initiative. Evaluation leverages methodologies from the World Bank safeguards, Global Environment Facility monitoring guidelines, and adaptive management cycles informed by Resilience Alliance theory. Reporting feeds into national inventories for Nationally Determined Contributions and national biodiversity reports submitted to CBD parties, while independent audits engage third parties such as BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, and academic partners from universities like Oxford University, University of Cape Town, and National University of Singapore.

Funding, Partnerships, and Stakeholder Engagement

Finance mobilization combines capital from the Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, bilateral donors including USAID and DFID (now Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), philanthropic foundations such as the Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Rockefeller Foundation, and private investment mechanisms like impact investing funds and carbon markets overseen by ICVCM. Partnerships span multilateral agencies, NGOs, research institutions, and indigenous organizations exemplified by collaborations with IUCN, World Bank, Conservation International, Rainforest Alliance, and regional research centers such as CIFOR-ICRAF. Stakeholder engagement emphasizes free, prior and informed consent consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, capacity building through programs like those supported by USAID and UNDP, and grievance mechanisms modeled on standards from the IFC Performance Standards.

Category:Ecological restoration initiatives