Forest Restoration in Landscapes : Beyond Planting Trees

Is it a sign of the times that last year the Nobel committee chose to award the Nobel Peace prize to Wangari Maathai for having planted 30 million trees? We believe so.We think that while in the 20th century conservation made signi?cant progress on setting up a global protected area network, the 21st century will be a time of forest restoration.The fact that Wangari Maathai is the ?rst African woman to receive such an honourable distinction is in itself a major accomplishment.What is even more remarkable is that,for the ?rst time, this highly esteemed prize, which has long been associated with political feats, was given for an environmental achievement. And not just any environmental achievement, but forest resto- tion. It is a comfort to see that it is not just us at WWF, the global conservation organisation, who believe forest restoration to be of global signi?cance, but that the Nobel committee is in agreement.

The importance of restoration continues to grow, and this book integrates the restoration of forest functions into landscape conservation plans. The global conservation organization WWF has made forest landscape restoration a key topic and priority for its environmental work.  Due to the WWF’s extensive global reach, and together with its many partners and counterparts, it has acquired a significant level of experience on the topic of forest restoration at large scales. This book represents the collective body of knowledge and experience of WWF and its many partners--which is collected here for the first time and which will be invaluable to all of those working in the field.  This guide will serve as a first stop for practitioners and researchers in any organization or region and as a key reference on the subject.  Along with concise, practical information for a variety of specific systems and issues, it gives many suggestions for further research.

From the Foreword by Chief Anyaoku, President, WWF International:

"Is it a sign of the times that the Nobel committee chose to award the Nobel Peace prize to Wangari Maathai for having planted 30 million trees?  We believe so. . . .The 21st Century will be a time of forest restoration."