CIFOR-ICRAF Resilient Landscapes and Planète Urgence Partner to Identify Priority Areas for Forest Restoration in Four Countries

Collaborative Efforts for Forest Restoration: Resilient Landscapes and Planète Urgence

Introduction to the Partnership

CIFOR-ICRAF has a mission to catalyze the transition to more biodiverse and sustainable landscapes. Resilient Landscapes, a branch of CIFOR-ICRAF dedicated to impact investment, supports ambitious players in their action to restore natural resources. The NGO Planète Urgence, with a portfolio of around 4000/ha per year in native ecosystem restoration, sought the science-based guidance of CIFOR-ICRAF through Resilient Landscapes and gave birth to a particularly synergetic partnership of science and action.

 

 

Assessment Methodology and Findings

As part of a project led by Planète Urgence, a French NGO, Resilient Landscapes, a flagship initiative of CIFOR-ICRAF, conducted a collection and analysis of extensive datasets for the countries of Ecuador, Benin, Madagascar, and Indonesia to identify priority areas for forest restoration.

The objective of Resilient Landscapes’ assessment was to identify where to prioritize restoration efforts in the four target countries. The ambition was to map out where NbS investors or project holders like Planète Urgence could focus the activities of restoration of degraded areas to have a positive impact on biodiversity and climate. More specifically, the study mapped out potential areas for conservation or restoration based on biophysical elements; defined key issues surrounding these areas including characteristics and challenges; and identified the projects and local players, as well as the areas of conservation and restoration activities to date.

For each one of the four countries, Resilient Landscapes identified two scenarios of forest restoration priorities, basing them on the importance of the biodiversity present, security factors, and climate change vulnerability. In the example of Indonesia, under scenario 1, the study identified 33 areas that cover approximately 29,000 km² with the largest area (5000 km²) located on the coast of North Kalimantan, an area that has seen significant mangrove degradation. Scenario 2 identified 107 areas that cover approximately 42,000 km². In addition, a variety of areas were discovered on several islands of the country with the largest area (2900 km²) on Rawa di Pesisir Kapuas on the coast of West Kalimantan, an area of swamp, peatlands, and mangroves.

 

 

The Importance of Science-Based Investments

The collaboration with Planète Urgence has allowed Resilient Landscapes to leverage scientific data to identify where ecosystem restoration via NbS investments and energy could bring important impact for nature and climate. Stéphane Perrier, Resilient Landscapes’ Global Lead, emphasized that “project developers with a strong ambition for quality are science’s best allies in promoting evidence-based landscape investments. When action is based on knowledge, the resulting investments increase their impact and reduce their risks. At a time when funding for nature is in short supply and we can’t afford to invest badly, this is vitally important.”

In April 2024, a dedicated webinar was organized by Planète Urgence to present the country studies stressing the importance of science in delivering impact for NbS. Amandine Hersant underlined, “We all have little time and limited resources to restore, repair, and protect biodiversity, and forests in particular. This means that we need to select priority areas for intervention. That is why the assessment conducted by Resilient Landscapes needs to be spread to all relevant actors to enhance collaboration and impact capacities of all actors.”

 

Studies on priority restoration areas for the 4 countries can be accessed below.

Study on priority restoration areas: Ecuador

Study on priority restoration areas: Benin

Study on priority restoration areas: Indonesia

Study on priority restoration areas: Madagascar

About Resilient Landscapes

Resilient Landscapes is a CIFOR-ICRAF venture created to spur large scale impact investment in Nature-based Solutions. Acting as a bridge between science and the private sector, Resilient Landscapes inserts the knowledge of CIFOR-ICRAF’s 800+ international staff into high-impact, bankable project designs.

 

 

About Planète Urgence

Planète Urgence is an international solidarity NGO founded in 2000 and recognized as being of public utility. It works to empower men and women to preserve forests and biodiversity, because the NGO is convinced that Taking action for the forest means reconciling human beings with the planet in the long term. Through volunteer and skills-building schemes, awareness-raising actions and forest preservation and restoration projects, its mission is to enable each and every one of us to play a greater role in bringing about change within our communities, by relying on forests and biodiversity. Planète Urgence is operating in 7 countries with around 100 staff and a network of 88local NGOs and a member of Groupe SOS.

 

 

Contact:

Nevena Bakalar, Partnerships and Engagement Lead, Resilient Landscapes, CIFOR-ICRAF ( n.bakalar@cifor-icraf.org )

Léa Cousin, Communications Officer, Planète Urgence ( lea.cousin@planete-urgence.org )

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and CIFOR-ICRAF launch Resilient Landscapes Luxembourg to connect cutting-edge science to high-impact NbS investment opportunities

The Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with the CIFOR-ICRAF and Resilient Landscapes teams.

Resilient Landscapes Luxembourg (RLL), a flagship initiative jointly developed by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity (MECB) of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Centre for International Forestry Research and the World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), has been launched to accelerate the urgently needed scaling up of investment in sustainable landscapes.

Science is a key ingredient in ensuring evidence-based quality investments in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to prevent climate change and biodiversity loss. Science also guides the design of innovative tools that support high-level impact ambitions and commitments by providing concrete scientific evidence and solutions to those global challenges. While the relationship between science and business has been evolving, there is still a need to improve the dialogue between the two fields to create synergies with substantive impact.

 

In an effort to address this challenge, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and CIFOR-ICRAF established Resilient Landscapes Luxembourg (RLL), to connect science with high-impact NbS investment opportunities throughout the geographies of landscape investment. In doing so, the initiative is aligned with result-binding commitments which are being made under Luxembourg initiatives such as the Luxembourg International Climate Finance Strategy (2021-2025), Luxembourg’s National Strategy and Action Plan, in an effort to fulfil its international commitments under the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Paris Agreement.

Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Serge Wilmes, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

“Luxembourg and CIFOR-ICRAF are committed to foster synergies between biodiversity and climate by protecting and leveraging nature as the foundation of a sustainable economy,” said Serge Wilmes, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. “Our priorities are focused on advancing science-based environmental solutions that mobilize government, civil society, and the private sector. The need to direct our efforts towards nature-based solutions, and to address the climate and biodiversity crises simultaneously, is becoming more urgent.”

 

“Science-driven nature-based solutions come to life when the right players understand each other and connect in action with shared values,” said Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). “Nature needs funding and funding needs knowledge. Such synergies do not come about spontaneously, which is why, together with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, CIFOR-ICRAF has established RLL to effectively connect the academic, business, and public spheres.”

 

In the coming years, the partnership will leverage funding for Nature-based solutions. CIFOR-ICRAF as the world’s leading development organization on terrestrial natural capital research together with Resilient Landscapes, a team of non-scientists within CIFOR-ICRAF, speaking the language of both science and business will contribute with its joint knowledge to the success of the partnership. The catalytic effects of Luxembourg’s expertise in finance and Resilient Landscapes’ expertise in Nature-based solutions will provide an opportunity to push topics such as ‘Business for Biodiversity’ and natural capital accounting.

 

More specifically, RLL intends to focus on incubating projects that have either emerged from the CIFOR-ICRAF research portfolio or that come from external sources and can benefit from CIFOR-ICRAF’s outstanding research database and network of partners and project activities in over 60 countries.

 

“As Luxembourg gathers and supports key players of impact investment, cross-player synergies are expected to take place immediately and, after a few years, results to speak for themselves,” said Stephane Perrier, Global Lead, at CIFOR-ICRAF Resilient Landscapes. “Telling project stories backed by hard evidence provided by CIFOR-ICRAF is the most influential tool to advocate for high-quality standards in the NbS sector.”

 

“The partnership is expected to embed RLL into Luxembourg’s existing suite of strategies, programs, and initiatives. Given the international recognition of Luxembourg’s dynamic impact finance sector and early adoption of sustainable standards for this industry, Luxembourg is in a unique position to contribute to the mission and governance of RLL as it drives quality standards in large-scale long-term NbS investments,” said Georges Gehl, Director of Climate and Sustainable Development at the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity.

 

“RLL will not only become an impact multiplier for CIFOR-ICRAF but offers a new entry point and an opportunity for CIFOR-ICRAF to ensure that its science and innovation is vastly visible and actionable to the private sector,” said Nevena Bakalar, Partnerships and Engagements Lead at CIFOR-ICRAF Resilient Landscapes.

 

By substantially contributing to the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss in a synergetic way, Resilient Landscapes Luxembourg (RLL) will also generate other environmental and social co-benefits. RLL environmental, social and governance  assessments will be robust and science-based, with clear metrics and impact results to enable the private sector to make real changes for nature and people.

Contacts:

  • Nevena Bakalar, Partnerships and Engagement Lead, Resilient Landscapes, CIFOR-ICRAF (n.bakalar@cifor-icraf.org)
  • Selma Weber, Communication Officer, Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (communication@mev.etat.lu)

Resilient Landscapes is powered by CIFOR-ICRAF. Our mission is to connect private and public actors in co-beneficial landscapes; provide evidence-based business cases for nature-based solutions and green economy investments; leverage and de-risk performance-driven investments with combined financial, social and environmental returns.

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