Forest restoration

Around 12% (two billion hectares) of the earth's terrestrial surface is degraded. Degraded lands cost 10% of Global GDP per annum. Forest landscape restoration is a critical strategy for tackling critical societal challenges of our time, including global food security, access to clean water, soil erosion, climate change, loss of biodiversity and desertification.

Bioversity International and members of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration are working to ensure restoration maximises delivery on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Political committment through The Bonn Challenge, Initiative 20x20, AFR100 and notably, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (2011-2020) have set ambitious targets on restoration. However using the right native trees adapted to the local environment, and appropriate to maximize restoration outcomes are vital. The knowledge and capacity on how to use native tree diversity to maximize delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals is currently lacking in many countries.

The Forest and Genetic Resources team at Bioversity International is dedicated to supporting the achievement of these goals by providing the evidence base, decision support tools, and capacity strengthening needed to ensure effective use of diversity among tree species, and genetic diversity within species, for resilient restoration. Using planting material that is adapted to the changing environmental conditions of a restoration site is fundamental to ensure that the trees planted today will become the healthy forests of tomorrow.

Tree populations need genetic variation for survival, good growth and viability in the long term. Genetic variation also enhances populations' resistance against acute and chronic stressors, such as pests and diseases, and the effects of global warming. Inadequate consideration of the source of planting material has led many restoration projects to fail.

We help guide practitioners in identifying and collecting appropriate seed and planting material  to meet multiple restoration objectives and informing the development of policy and regulations to ensure seed supply meets demand.