Restoring the planet, one forest at a time

On the International Day of Forests, four stories of people and trees healing the Earth and strengthening communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

BONN, Germany (21 March 2023) – Today, on the International Day of Forests, the United Nations invites you to honor the world’s forests and reflect on their importance to humanity. Here are four community-led forest restoration initiatives supported by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

These are stories of people and trees contributing to the world’s biodiversity, environmental balance, food security, local socio-economic development and communities’ well-being, among other goals:

The native Amazonian Palo Rosa tree was on the brink of extinction due to the impacts of the perfume industry. It is now flourishing through regenerative agroforestry. This demonstrates the impact of the systems implemented by the GLFx Peruvian Amazon chapter, which works with native species that provide non-timber forest products, food security, medicine and forest enrichment. Together with Amazonian farmers and local communities, this chapter – consisting of farmers, foresters, and ecologists – is working to restore forests and improve livelihoods.

In the Gambia, beekeepers and women oyster farmers are reshaping their relationship with mangroves after receiving training on safe practices from the GLFx Banjul chapter. Restoring mangroves in three of the most degraded wetland regions of Gambia, they are building positive socio-economic impacts and preventing the further degradation of the ecosystem in the east of the country’s capital, Banjul, alongside the Bintang Bolong river–one of five main tributaries of the Gambia River.

The first Indigenous women-led conservation group in Nigeria is learning about agroforestry and other conservation best practices. The GLFx Uyo chapter recently inaugurated the “Engaging Indigenous Communities in Sustainable Food Systems (ECOSuF)” project, which prioritizes agroforestry, ecopreneurship and the restoration of degraded community forests. The chapter also celebrated International Women’s Day by training 70 women and girls on climate resilience techniques and forest restoration activities such as nursery operations, tree planting and jackfruit value chains.

In the Philippines, local and Indigenous communities are reclaiming the stewardship of their ancestral lands through regenerative practices, storytelling and nature-based education. Gloria Amor Paredes, the GLF’s 2023 Forest Restoration Steward, co-founded the Indigenous youth and women-led initiative Salumayag Youth Collective for Forests, based in a Manobo-Kulamanen community on the island of Mindanao with a long history of ecological, social, and economic disadvantages. Salumayag Youth works to nurture culture and sustain Indigenous ways of living in its community.

Today, connect with the GLF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about these and other initiatives that are restoring the planet, one forest at a time.

#ActLandscape

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For more information, please contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org).

About the GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.