Currently, African landscapes are being degraded at alarming rates. Two-thirds of the continent has been degraded by expanding agriculture frontiers, foreign market pressures, deforestation, and the climate crisis. In an attempt to address this worrying scenario, restoration efforts can be found across the continent, however, many frameworks to restore African landscapes are created and disseminated by those who don’t live on these territories. Often, vertical approaches to restoration and conservation in the continent are consolidated without considering the knowledge of local communities, including youth, Indigenous peoples, and other minorities. Despite this, many youth and community-led efforts are successfully contributing to the efforts of regreening the continent.
This report synthesizes the shared experiences, challenges, and solutions suggested by several dozen young landscape practitioners and experts across Africa who participated in a series of consultations centered on the restoration of African ecosystems. Co- written by several experts in the field, this report covers gaps and solutions across policy, finance, capacity building, and communication to show how landscape restoration can be scaled for long-term impact on people and the planet. The report identifies 4 opportunities for transformative change:
- Finance: create flexible financing and resources for community-led restoration.
- Policy: commit to a paradigm shift, ensuring youth and excluded groups are meaningfully represented in decision-making.
- Capacity development: support the capacity of young experts and restoration practitioners across Africa.
- Communications: use clear, culturally appropriate methods and platforms to co-create and communicate about restoration.
Are you attending UNCCD COP16? Join us on 9 December at 09:00 local time (UTC+3) at the Restoration Pavilion for the session “How are young visionaries rewriting the future of Africa’s landscapes?“
Join 1M+ youth on the Youth in Landscapes Initiative, driving change for people and landscapes worldwide! 🌍
