Work Stream: “Forest and ecosystem restoration – with people for multiple benefits”
Ecosystem restoration increasingly features on international, forest-related research, policy, and practice agendas – not least since the declaration of 2021 to 2030, as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. In Sweden, attention to this theme is likewise high, in light of the country’s commitments under the new EU Nature Restoration Law, and driven by national priorities, including the restoration of forested peatlands, the promotion of biodiversity in production forests, and the adoption of agroforestry practices among other climate-resilient land-use options.
Focali is well-positioned to act as a facilitator of knowledge exchange in this context, by drawing on its network of relevant actors in research, policy and practice in Sweden as well as in global collaborations. Within the Focali network, well known researchers from different disciplines have advanced several lines of restoration research. This includes research on institutional and governance aspects of forest and landscape restoration, the potential of tree-based restoration and agroforestry in drylands and tropical montane forest contexts, and the role of local actors’ aspirations and bottom-up initiatives, such as seed networks for landscape restoration in Brazil and community forest initiatives in Nepal.
A work stream focused on forest and ecosystem restoration will bring together Focali members and other restoration researchers and actors to advance knowledge sharing, collaboration, synthesis and outreach activities based on existing restoration initiatives in research and practice. The work stream will enhance visibility and ease access to research-based restoration evidence for policy makers, restoration practitioners and other restoration actors. Connecting different knowledge communities, disciplines, policies and practice through dialogues, the works stream further aims to bridge siloed perspectives on restoration and to promote synergistic approaches to restoration that can contribute to achieving multiple benefits for climate, biodiversity, water, food security, livelihoods and resilience.
This work stream will be further developed during 2025, through in-person discussions and collaborative idea development at the Focali annual meeting in March, online meetings, and a possible workshop on ecosystem restoration in the autumn of 2025. Activities as part of this workstream will strengthen strategic engagement with international partners and continue Focali members’ long-standing involvement in research initiatives on interconnected forest, climate, and livelihood issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. The work stream will further seek forms for enhanced exchange and collaboration with restoration initiatives within Swedish and global development cooperation where knowledge generated by researchers in the work stream and their networks can be utilized and knowledge gaps from practice can feed into research initiatives.
Work stream members:
Laura Marlene Kmoch, University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Email: laura.kmoch@uni-goettingen.de
Aida Bargués-Tobella, AGROTECNIO-CERCA center, Lleida, Spain. aida.bargues@agrotecnio.udl.cat and
Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU, Umeå, Sweden. aida.bargues.tobella@slu.se
This work stream is under development with additional Focali members and partners. More information about members in the work stream, related projects, publications and activities will soon be published here. For questions or suggestions on this work stream and Focali connect with the Focali Project Manager Maria Ölund: maria.olund@gu.se