Integrating land and ecosystem restoration efforts to create resilient landscapes and ecosystems

On 6 December 2024, Cargele Masso, Director, CGIAR’s Environmental Health and Biodiversity Impact Area Platform joined other high-level experts to discuss how integrating land and ecosystem restoration efforts effectively, can create resilient landscapes and ecosystems, mitigating and preparing for challenges like drought from multiple angles.

Stressing that community-led landscape restoration involving all key stakeholders is essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes, Cargele stated that the CGIAR has re-engineered its approach to focus on participatory research, actively involving stakeholders to ensure practical and impactful results.

Reiterating the importance of stakeholder involvement and a holistic approach to landscape restoration, Victoria Gutierrez, Head of Global Policy, Commonland stated, “Landscapes vary widely across regions, with unique conflicts, perspectives, actors, and interests. Successfully navigating these complexities often demands at least 20 years of engagement. Building trust among stakeholders is essential, as trust underpins the development of shared visions, solid governance systems, and effective implementation plans. Such collaborative efforts empower local communities to become stewards of their landscapes, fostering improvements in water availability, quality, and access, alongside broader restoration goals. Together, we develop coherent and integrated visions for their landscapes.”

Projects that fail to account for how people use and value their landscapes often struggle to succeed. “When people are involved as drivers of restoration, they take ownership of maintaining, directing, and improving these efforts. This long-term, people-cantered, and people-driven approach ensures that restoration initiatives are not only sustainable but also deeply rooted in the needs and aspirations of those who depend on the land,” she emphasized.

The role of standards in landscape restoration
In demonstrating how restoration standards can improve the outcomes of landscape restoration, Bethanie Walder, Executive Director, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) noted that they have issued the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Restoration. Additionally, SER has collaborated with IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management and the Food and Agriculture Organization to develop principles and standards of practice for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Restoration aims to rebuild dynamic ecosystems, which are constantly changing. This dynamism makes restoration inherently challenging, as it often involves a high risk of failure. Yet, we can’t afford significant failures in this space. “Using standards helps control the factors within human influence, reducing the likelihood of project failure. While standards can’t address uncontrollable variables like rainfall, floods, or natural disasters, they can minimize uncertainty and improve outcomes. By reducing risks, we can increase the return on investment in restoration efforts. With limited funding, maximizing ecological, social, and human health benefits is critical. Standards are among the best tools to mitigate risks and uncertainties while enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of restoration projects,” she stated.

An integrated approach to restoring landscapes involves combining holistic perspectives and systems thinking to address diverse issues comprehensively. By integrating land and ecosystem restoration efforts effectively, we can create resilient landscapes and ecosystems, mitigating and preparing for challenges like drought from multiple angles.

Strengthening landscape partnerships for restoration
Tom Nemo, Eco-Agriculture Partners’ Director of 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People Initiative. We view drought as part of a broader climate cycle, with some areas being more resilient to drought while others are more prone. However, within landscapes, there are specific actions we can take to enhance drought resilience.

Drought is just one of many interconnected crises—what we call a “poly-crisis”—affecting landscapes globally. To address these overlapping challenges, we need “poly-solutions,” or strategies that tackle multiple issues simultaneously.

Landscape partnerships are central to these solutions. Landscapes typically involve diverse stakeholders—government entities, large and small landowners, and local communities—none of whom can address these challenges alone. Our initiative focuses on building effective partnerships by providing standards, best practices, and tools for collaboration.

1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People is designed to support these partnerships through every stage of their journey: from forming a vision and developing a plan to implementing transformative actions. We collaborate with organizations like Conservation International, UNDP, and others to co-create tools and resources that strengthen landscape partnerships. Examples include learning modules and Terrasso, a digital platform for data collection and landscape monitoring.

We also address the critical issue of finance. Landscape restoration requires significant resources over extended timeframes. Developing innovative financial portfolios is essential to sustain these efforts. By focusing on partnerships, best practices, and resource development, we aim to empower local groups to drive meaningful, long-term change in their landscapes.

CGIAR innovations for drought resilience

Masso shared examples of research products and tools developed by CGIAR that address drought resilience through integrated landscape restoration.

Genetic innovations: By engaging communities to understand their landscapes and identify resilient crop varieties, we’ve integrated local knowledge into our breeding systems. This approach enhances drought resilience by selecting crops better suited to challenging conditions.

Conservation agriculture: Through demonstration sites and long-term trials, we’ve shown the benefits of practices like minimum tillage and carbon storage, which improve water retention and soil health.

Water management: Innovations such as drip irrigation and community-based solar water pumping systems enable efficient water use, particularly in resource-constrained areas. However, these systems must be carefully managed to avoid depleting underground water sources. Education and community involvement are crucial to ensuring sustainable implementation.

Water recycling also holds significant potential. In regions like the MENA area, treated wastewater is being repurposed for agriculture, showcasing the importance of technology transfer and cooperation. Such practices reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency, providing valuable lessons for other regions.

“Ultimately, our goal is to integrate these innovations into a systemic approach that combines community education, resource management, and technological solutions to build resilient landscapes,” concluded Cargele.