The following pages illustrate the diversity of FLR solutions with examples from across the globe. Forest landscape restoration is not a short-term fix. People mainly cut down trees because their livelihoods depend on it: they need the timber for fuel, shelter or trade. To make a lasting difference, any attempt to restore a forest landscape must address those needs, now and in the future.
To work, the FLR process has to be open-ended, forward-looking and fluid. When a solution is put in place, it must be able to bend with the wind and resist the pressures that will undoubtedly arise from shifting social and environmental conditions.
Successful restoration projects must do more than grow trees. They have to cultivate relationships and cooperation between all those groups with a stake in the forest landscape, from local farmers and land owners to logging companies, from paper pulp manufacturers to family-run charcoal producers.
It’s never an easy task. The stakes are typically high for all concerned, and there are often fences to be mended. But restoration of forests and degraded lands can create new opportunities for goods and services, and make it possible for stakeholders to meet their needs in a complementary, fair and sustainable manner. What’s needed is collaboration and cooperation. And it is up to restoration champions to make this possible.