This study was presented during the conference “Production and Carbon Dynamics in Sustainable Agricultural and Forest Systems in Africa” held in September, 2010.

1. A World of Opportunity - Global Potential
for Forest Landscape Restoration
Lars Laestadius, World Resources Institute & Peter Potapov, South Dakota State University
ABSTRACT: Forests have paid a high price for the growing human need for food, feed, fuel and timber. More than three
quarters of the world’s forests have been cleared, fragmented or degraded while almost half have disappeared completely.
Just one fifth remains undisturbed in tracts that are large enough to maintain all their natural functions. The consequences
are immense. Degradation harms local livelihoods. Loss of ecosystem services causes local poverty and downstream
disasters. Biodiversity may be irreversibly lost.
Yet restoration is possible. Poor people can turn degraded lands into healthy, productive and biologically rich assets within a
few years if given long-term secure rights and good technical advice. Restoration can stimulate economic growth in poor
rural areas, increase carbon stocks and ecosystem resilience and reduce the risk of natural disasters.
Restoration should focus on restoring or enhancing the functionality of a landscape (that is, its supply of ecosystem
services)—not on maximizing new forest cover. Site level decisions should be made with the greater context of the
landscape in mind so that trade-offs among conflicting interests are possible. Local stakeholder involvement in decision-
making and implementation is essential. Promotion of spontaneous (“natural”) regrowth should be a viable option along with
tree planting.
A preliminary geospatial assessment by the authors suggests that more than a billion hectares of deforested and degraded
land are available for broad-scale or mosaic type restoration. The opportunities for restoration are more evenly distributed
among developing countries than the opportunities to avoid deforestation which makes restoration an interesting addition to
REDD plus.
***
DISCUSSION: Covered questions regarding the huge potential for greater integration between agriculture and forestry, and
the need to include more economic assessments within biophysical models. Funding has been allocated to do this at a
country level for both Ghana and Mexico in the coming months.

2. A World of Opportunity -
Global Potential for
Forest Landscape Restoration
Lars Laestadius
World Resources Institute
Peter Potapov
South Dakota State University
29 September 2010

3. Restoration of the World’s
Degraded Forest Landscapes

4. Potential forest
Source: WRI/SDSU

5. Virgin forest – 23% Working forest – 51% Lost forest – 26%
Source: WRI/SDSU

6. What is restoration?
Sustainable improvement
of the supply of ecosystem services
in a landscape
through active measures
Re-greening
Rehabilitation
Improvement !
Gain

7. Forest Landscape Restoration:
not a top-down, one-size fits all solution
• Brings people together to
identify, negotiate, and
implement practices . . .
• . . . that restore an agreed
optimal balance of the
ecological, social, and
economic benefits of forests
and trees . . .
• . . . within a broader pattern
of land uses

8. Forest Landscape Restoration
Functionality, not forest
Landscapes and sites
Local needs and
high-level priorities
Aided regrowth and planting
Adaptive management

9. • Alliance for Religions &
Conservation
• China
• CARE
• CBD Secretariat
• CIFOR
• El Salvador
• FAO
• Finland
• Global Mechanism/UNCCD
• ICRAF
• IUCN
• Italy
• ITTO
• IUFRO
• Kenya
• Ghana (FORIG)
• Japan
• Lebanon
• Netherlands
• PROFOR/World Bank
• South Africa
• Switzerland (SECO)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• UNEP-WCMC
• UNFF Secretariat
• WBCSD
• WWF
Collaborators include:
• Brazil Forest Service
• WRI
• Wageningen International
• Tropenbos Indonesia
• Helpage Rwanda
• Stora Enso
A global partnership for forest landscape restoration

10. Area of Investigation

11. Potential Forest Extent
forests (darker green), woodlands (lighter green)

12. Current Forest Extent
green – forests, light green – woodlands/sparse tree cover, yellow – deforested

13. How much is left?
43%
41%Forest
Woodlands

14. Potential Forest Landscapes: Status
Dark green - intact forest landscapes;
Green - natural/managed forests; Very light green - natural/managed woodlands
Lighter green – degraded forests; Orange - degraded and partially deforested
forests/woodlands; Red - deforested forests/woodlands

15. Type of land Classification Source
1. Intact forest Intact forest landscapes (3)
2. Managed natural forests
Forest (satellite)
Tree cover (landcover map)
(2)
(4)
3. Degraded forest
Forest (satellite)
Cultivated lands or agroforestry mosaic (landcover map)
(2)
(4)
4.
Degraded and partially deforested
potential forest
Woodlands (satellite)
Potential for supporting forest (climate, soils)
(2)
(1)
5. Deforested potential forest
Non-forest (satellite)
Potential for supporting forest (climate, soils)
(2)
(1)
6. Natural/managed woodlands
Woodlands (satellite)
Potential for supporting woodlands (climate, soils)
Un-managed land (landcover map)
(2)
(1)
(4)
7.
Degraded and partially deforested
potential woodlands
Woodlands (satellite)
Potential for supporting woodlands (climate, soils)
Non-forest or cultivated land (landcover map)
(2)
(1)
(4)
8. Deforested potential woodlands
Non-forest (satellite)
Potential for supporting woodlands (climate, soils)
(2)
(1)
(1) Potential forest cover map
(2) Current forest cover map
(3) Global intact forest landscapes map
(4) Global landcover map

16. Lands with potential for broad-scale restoration
Degraded or deforested areas, sparsely
populated, not used to produce crops.
Capable of supporting closed forest.
China
Madagascar

17. Lands with potential for mosaic restoration
Degraded or deforested areas ,
may have extensive land-use and
high population density.
Capable of supporting closed
forest or sparse woodlands.
China
Russia

18. Human pressure
(land-use intensity and population density)

19. Opportunities for Restoration
Dark green – broad scale restoration (degraded or lost forest, low population, no croplands)
Light green – mosaic restoration (pastures, agroforestry mosaics, mosaics of crops and
other vegetation, abandoned lands, etc)
Bright yellow – irrigated croplands protective restoration
Light yellow – rainfed croplands, plantations protective restoration

20. Opportunities for Forest Landscape Restoration
0 100 200 300 400 500
Oceania
North & Central America
Europe & Russia
South America
Asia
Africa
Million hectares
Wide-scale restoration Mosaic-type restoration

21. Wide-Scale Restoration Opportunities
(Million hectares)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Brazil
China
Myanmar
Indonesia
Russian Federation
Colombia
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Australia
Thailand
India
CЇte d'Ivoire
Turkey
Cambodia
Viet Nam
Ethiopia
United States of America
Venezuela
Canada
Ecuador
Ghana
Democratic Republic of the Congo
United Republic of Tanzania
Madagascar
Mozambique
New Zealand

22. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Brazil
China
Australia
United States of America
Russian Federation
Madagascar
Angola
Indonesia
DR Congo
Nigeria
India
Mexico
Argentina
Sudan
Mozambique
United Republic of Tanzania
Turkey
Zambia
Bolivia
Canada
CЇte d'Ivoire
Colombia
Guinea
Chad
Ethiopia
Mosaic-Type Restoration Opportunities
(Million hectares)

23. Restoration Has Many Parents ...
Mitigation
Adaptation
Water
Fuel, fiber, food
Disasters
Biodiversity
Livelihoods
... Is it therefore an orphan?

24. The Americas Asia
Africa and Europe
Opportunities Are Widely Spread

25. 1950
1900
Today
”Restoration’s just another word
for nothing´left to lose”
Restoration
is possible!