The restoration agenda is not about tree-counting or “blanket reforestation”. It is about recuperating ecosystem functions needed to support specific desired land-use objectives or trajectories, the end-point of which may or may not be “nature restored”. Tree planting, nurturing, and facilitation of natural regeneration —AGROFORESTRY—have central roles to play, because of the ES associated so closely with trees and forests

1. Restoration dreams unpacked in a
multifunctional landscapes perspective:
Reviewing where ICRAF stands in the
restoration agenda
Jonathan Cornelius, Lalisa Duguma, Atiek Widayati, Jianchu Xu
Science Week 2016, Day 4:
Eye-opening lecture

2. What is the “restoration agenda”?

4. Restoration Colombian style…
• Ecological restoration: re-establishment to a condition similar
to that before disturbance with respect to composition,
structure, and function. The restored ecosystem should be
self-sustaining and should guarantee the conservation of
species and of the majority of associated goods and services
• Ecological rehabilitation: return to a self-sustaining condition
similar or not similar to pre-disturbance, preserving some
species and providing some ecosystem services
• Ecological recuperation or reclamation: recover some
environmental services of social interest; generally the
resulting ecosystems are not self-sustaining and are not
similar to the original ecosystem

5. Core principles of FLR (GRC 2016)
• Multiple functions: Restoring an agreed, balanced package of
landscape functions, not only increasing forest cover and not trying
to re-establish the forests of the past
• Landscapes not just sites: Working across whole landscapes
containing mosaics of land uses, not just individual sites, so
competing land uses can be assessed and prioritized
• Packages of restoration strategies: Use of a range of restoration
options from natural regeneration to tree planting depending on
site conditions
• Stakeholder engagement: Active participation and collaboration
among stakeholders
• Protection of natural ecosystems: Avoiding further reduction or
conversion of natural forest cover and other ecosystems
• Learning and adapting: Tailoring to local conditions, continuously
learning and adapting to changes in these

6. What does the “Forest” in Forest Landscape
Restoration imply…and not imply?
• It implies that the landscapes targeted by FLR
were once or are partially forest-covered
• But other landscapes without natural tree cover
can also be objects of restoration…
• Landcape restoration is a more inclusive term and
avoids misleading connotations of “return to
forest”. It is preferred by many at ICRAF.

7. In summary…
• The restoration agenda is not about tree-counting
or “blanket reforestation”
• It is about recuperating ecosystem functions
needed to support specific desired land-use
objectives or trajectories, the end-point of which
may or may not be “nature restored”
• Tree planting, nurturing, and facilitation of
natural regeneration —AGROFORESTRY—have
central roles to play, because of the ES associated
so closely wth trees and forests

8. What is the “restoration agenda”?

9. Where is ICRAF in the “restoration
agenda”?

10. Where is ICRAF in the restoration
agenda?

11. Where is ICRAF in the restoration
agenda?