The post 5 young ecosystem champions to follow in 2026: Restoration Stewards announced (EN·SP·PT·FR·ID) appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
]]>For the sixth year running, the Global Landscapes Forum has selected a group of young environmental experts from more than 1,250 applicants to help deepen their impact. The new cohort hails from Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia, Peru and Uganda.
Bonn, Germany (29 January 2026) – The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), a leading knowledge-led platform and community on sustainable land use, has selected five young experts from around the world to form its sixth cohort of Restoration Stewards. They are leading grassroots projects to restore drylands in Brazil, mountains in Cameroon, oceans in Indonesia, forests in Peru and wetlands in Uganda.
The Restoration Stewards program, run by the GLF and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL), supports a group of innovators each year between the ages of 18 and 35. In 2026, the program will help scale their initiatives by matching them with seasoned and young mentors fostering local and international networking opportunities. It will also provide each steward with a EUR 5,000 grant, tailored learning opportunities, participation in policy forums and global spotlighting.
“The Restoration Stewards program is grounded in a simple truth: young people around the world are already pushing the boundaries of what is possible in landscape stewardship, community leadership and ecosystem restoration. Our responsibility is to match their courage and creativity with resources, trust and care.” – Eirini Sakellari, Youth Program Coordinator at the Global Landscapes Forum.
Selected from over 1,250 applicants worldwide, the 2026 Restoration Stewards represent the power of youth acting with their communities for their landscapes as part of a global network:
Care for the sea and maintain the balance of life
Gusti Ayu Made Mirah Rismayanti, 2026 Ocean Restoration Steward, Indonesia
A graduate in marine sciences, Ayu works conserving and restoring coastal and marine ecosystems at Mertasari Beach, particularly seagrass meadows, which are increasingly degraded along Bali’s coastline due to human pressure and environmental change.
She serves as marine mapping coordinator at the Bendega Alam Lestari Foundation, supporting data-driven seagrass restoration and informing conservation strategies and sustainable decision making.
Her restoration approach combines coastal mapping, blue carbon research, science-based methods and community participation and education, involving local fishers, volunteers and other coastal groups.
Through the foundation’s work to reverse the decline in Bali’s ecological health, Ayu transplants healthy native donor seagrass species with their natural substrates to restore degraded areas. This science-based restoration approach improves the prospects of planting success and seagrass survival.
“Caring for the sea is about maintaining the balance of life. Through the project Nyawiang Segara, we work together with coastal communities to preserve nature, sustain livelihoods and foster sustainable togetherness.” – Gusti Ayu Made Mirah Rismayanti, 2026 Ocean Restoration Steward
Treat the Earth as part of us, not as a resource
Breno Amajunepá, 2026 Dryland Restoration Steward, Brazil
Breno, an international relations student at the University of Brasília and an Indigenous Balatiponé-Umutina, works at the intersection of climate adaptation, biodiversity and environmental justice in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, located between the Cerrado and the Amazon.
He is a communications intern at the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN) and member of both the Youth for Climate research group within the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) and the biodiversity working group for the Engajamundo network – Brazil’s largest youth environmental movement.
With Engajamundo, Breno responds to the growing impacts of the climate crisis on the Balatiponé Umutina Indigenous Territory, where rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, declining fish stocks, agricultural losses, wildfires and health risks are undermining food security and traditional ways of life.
Through Indigenous knowledge and involving community leaders, elders, youth, schools and technical partners, they aim to strengthen community-led climate adaptation and territorial autonomy.
“I want a future where the Earth is treated as part of us and not as a resource.” – Breno Amajunepá, 2026 Dryland Restoration Steward
Reconcile with the nature that sustains us
Lizet Mejía, 2026 Forest Restoration Steward, Peru
Lizet is an environmental engineer, award-winning climate activist and co-founder of Trenzando MinkAyni. She supports the restoration of high Andean ecosystems in the Ancash region as project coordinator at Qinti Peru, integrating ecological restoration, citizen science, environmental education, ancestral knowledge and art.
Through community-, youth- and gender-centered approaches, she focuses on restoring queñual forests, which are vital for water security, Andean biodiversity, local livelihoods and climate resilience.
Lizeth employs community diagnostics and monitoring, the propagation of queñual seedlings and other participatory actions to protect these critical ecosystems, which are increasingly degraded by wildfires, glaciers retreat and climate change.
Alongside youth, rural women, peasant communities, local schools and territorial partners, she and Qinti Peru aim to recover degraded landscapes while strengthening local capacities, fostering youth and women as stewards of forests and water.
“Restoration led by young people means sowing the seeds of the future today: healing the Earth, strengthening communities and reconciling ourselves with the nature that sustains us.” – Lizet Mejía, 2026 Forest Restoration Steward
Restore hope and dignity for future generations
Ndumbe Knollis Mokake, 2026 Mountain Restoration Steward, Cameroon
A graduate in environmental geography, Ndumbe spearheads community-driven efforts to combat deforestation and address the climate crisis as the team lead of the Center for Agricultural Stewardship and Development (CASAD).
Growing up in Buea, he became inspired to restore land and pursue climate action and environmental justice after witnessing the impacts of the climate crisis and land degradation on smallholder farmers, families and internally displaced people at the foot of Mount Cameroon.
With CASAD, Ndumbe promotes sustainable, income-generating alternatives to reduce pressure on Mount Cameroon, whose communities have long depended on forest resources, timber extraction and unsustainable farming practices, while also facing exploitative middlemen, limited conservation awareness and ongoing civil unrest.
His team trains local residents, eco-volunteers, youth and internally displaced persons in organic farming, food processing and tree nursery establishment.
“I owe our mountain ecosystem a duty of change and envision a future where it breathes again, streams flow generously and young people choose restoration over depletion. Today, I’m not just planting trees and restoring mountain landscape but restoring hope and dignity for future generations.” – Ndumbe Knollis Mokake, 2025 Mountain Restoration Steward
Turn mining-destroyed lands into sources of life
Syliah Kagiiga, 2026 Wetland Restoration Steward, Uganda
Syliah is a geoscientist and co-founder of SBE Aquafarm, a social venture transforming abandoned clay mining sites into productive aquaculture hubs. Having seen how clay mining degrades wetland ecosystems in Western Uganda, she embarked on land restoration, blending technical methods with community engagement.
Kagiiga trains community members in sustainable fish farming to strengthen food security and livelihoods and collaborates with local organizations to support long-term impact. She now aims to scale this approach across Uganda.
Through an integrated model that combines aquaculture and agroforestry, she and her team transform abandoned clay mining sites into productive ecosystems and a reference point for land rehabilitation policies.
They establish fishponds, restore native tree corridors, build market linkages for local products and foster opportunities for hundreds of families. Their community-led approach and combination of geoscience and social innovation bring local women and youth from affected households together with district fisheries officers, and village leaders.
“I envision communities where destroyed lands become sources of life again, where young people build dignified futures through restoration, where nature and people heal together, and where every abandoned pit becomes proof that devastation is never the final story.” – Syliah Kagiiga, 2026 Wetland Restoration Steward
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- For more information and to arrange interviews, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
- Download photos of the 2026 Restoration Stewards and their landscapes here
- Download the 2026 program visuals on this Trello board
- Access the video launch of the 2026 Restoration Stewards here
- Find the Spanish, Portuguese, French and Bahasa Indonesia adaptations of this announcement in our Media Room
ABOUT THE GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
ABOUT THE RESTORATION STEWARDS PROGRAM
The Restoration Stewards is a youth program rooted in care, landscape leadership, diversity, intersectionality and intergenerational equity. Launched in 2020 by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL), it aims to support the efforts of youth-led teams in holistically restoring their landscapes and seascapes while nurturing biocultural diversity. Learn more at stewards.globallandscapesforum.org.
ABOUT YIL
The Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) is a growing global network and movement of over 1.3 million young people working and studying in landscapes around the world. The Initiative is a partnership between the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA), Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), Youth 4 Nature (Y4N) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), who joined forces to deliver workshops, mentorship, training and networking. Today, YIL has become a global movement of young people committed to living and breathing the landscape’s philosophy: collaboration, diversity, and collective action. Learn more at youth.globallandscapesforum.org.
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]]>The post GLFx Thematic Hubs convene inter-regional knowledge sharing appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
]]>By: Ava Eucker
Each year, the GLFx network expands in new and enriching ways, and in 2025, the GLFx chapter network and the GLFx Secretariat team worked together to kick off four GLF Thematic Hubs.
These hubs are a knowledge-sharing initiative seeking to strengthen local action, build networks of solidarity, and influence the broader discourse on sustainable landscape management by convening representatives of community-led organizations who are working specifically with each hub’s focus area.
To ensure these groups span globally, they are hosted through virtual calls and consist of an initial meeting where everyone can share about their work and learn from one another. Additionally, the GLF invites experts to share resources and ideas, further catalyzing opportunities for knowledge exchange at a global scale.
Last year, the GLFx network kicked off four thematic hubs that will continue to meet throughout the first half of 2026. Here’s an overview of the fruitful ideas that arose across the four Thematic Hubs, confirming the power of collective discussion and networks of solidarity and support.
Agroecology and agroforestry
Around the world, communities are working with agroecology, a holistic way to manage food and farming systems, and agroforestry, integrating trees and other plants into agricultural planning to diversify land use.
There are many ways to do this, which were discussed in this hub, including making seed banks and propagating plants using cuttings. Others are exploring the world of permaculture, creating community gardens, and adopting participatory organic certification schemes to increase their local livelihoods.
Godfrey Karema from GLFx Nyanza, hosted by the Dufatanye Organisation in Rwanda, shared their successes in inviting community members to their hands-on demo agroforestry plot called the Green Village of Hope. They’ve also hosted hands-on training with hundreds of youth and community members in climate-resilient agriculture.
By showing, rather than telling, they’ve inspired many to start mulching and composting and embracing agroforestry to diversify land use and enrich their soils.
Folks from GLFx Da Nang in Vietnam spoke about the importance of citizen science and social inclusion to address how scientists and community volunteers can work together to document the survival rates of trees and other plants.
Many relayed the importance of creating economically viable situations that invite young people to work and live in rural landscapes, especially by creating opportunities for women and youth, such as running nurseries or creating value-added products to sell in local markets.
Furthermore, they are spreading awareness about how to boost food and nutritional security among households and in communal spaces such as schools by creating community gardens.
One of the agroecology and agroforestry hub sessions was held in collaboration with the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). One of the member organizations of SAN is the Assocación Mexicana de Bosques Comestibles (AMEBOSCO), which works with Indigenous Peoples and rural families to restore land in Mexico by creating edible gardens.
By equipping people with small plots of high-yield crops to shorten value chains, invited expert Nicolas Didier Terrien, shared how AMEBOSCO helps communities earn more by growing and selling spices and other crops. In doing so, communities are boosting their nutrition, livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
Sustainable value chains and ecopreneurship
Ecopreneurship is the practice of creating businesses that are ecologically sound and economically viable, and there are many ways communities are creating such businesses by venturing into ecotourism, finding nature-based solutions and entering carbon and biodiversity markets.
This can also look like consuming and selling non-timber forest products, such as berries or syrups, that combat the need for deforestation, often linked to the extractive timber industry.
In Colombia, Daniela Daza and Robinson Urrea talked about how GLFx San Rafael is using locally available materials for bioconstruction, further welcoming ecotourism opportunities while ensuring that the tourism industry isn’t destructive to the waters and forests in the area.
In Vietnam, Hanh Vu shared how GLFx Da Nang is teaching their community which plants can help stave off annual floods, protecting their crops and livelihoods.
By buying locally and integrating environmental, social governance (ESG), communities can create more sustainable value chains, which reduce the ecological impact on the planet.
Erin Wright, part of GLFx Da Nang, works with educational groups in the UK, Australia and Switzerland, setting up multi-day village homestays in Vietnam for these students to do volunteer land work. She mentions the value of this not only to help locals with labor without exploitation, but also because the value for the students is new knowledge and understanding.
This ecopreneurship model is a great example of a way to bring pride to locals and ensure their restoration work is long-lasting, while also educating young minds who will return home and continue to spread their messages of ground-up conservation.
Marine restoration and conservation
Folks from coasts around the world are doing amazing community-led work to protect marine health, but they often face challenges in securing funding to implement more advanced monitoring systems.
Geneve Guyano, from GLFx Mindanao, hosted by Oceanus Conservation, mentioned that funding is necessary to start using systems such as using drones to monitor their work, as well as securing greater internet access in remote areas to install monitoring apps or use cloud computing that relies on shared servers with greater storage and internet capacity.
As an expert invited to the hub, Sonya Dyah Kusumadewi, CIFOR-ICRAF senior research officer, shared examples of community-based restoration monitoring systems that utilize apps and digital tools to log transparent data analysis, reporting and track stakeholder engagement. She also talked about the importance of developing locally accepted, ecologically feasible community-based restoration business models.
Several people mentioned examples of such community-based business models related to creating value-added products, such as syrups and chips from coastal plants, which help diversify their livelihoods without damaging their ecosystems.
Erlangga, a green financing and landscape management officer with CIFOR-ICRAF, was another expert invited to the hub. He highlighted the importance of corporate social responsibility programs (CSR) in doing their part to re-green landscapes.
Additionally, Erlangga shared options for financing marine restoration and conservation, including exploring ethical blue carbon markets that promote benefit sharing through policy alignment at the local and regional scale.
Terrestrial restoration and conservation
Landscapes are living systems and conservation is often best approached when humanized and led with community stewardship.
In Colombia, folks from GLFx Tolima are creating biological corridors to protect the endemic bird, the Tolima Dove, by humanizing conservation and having the community lead the planning of this work.
Similarly, Javie Barcinal, co-coordinator of GLF Panay from the Philippines, is working to protect the Dulungan Hornbill bird by addressing systemic problems such as hunger, which leads people to kill wild animals. By promoting environmental education activities and agroecology workshops, they are helping protect this native bird and its important role in their ecosystem.
For Sarasi Silvester in GLFx Kalimantan, hosted by the Ranu Welum Foundation, teaching students about Indigenous value systems and histories is an equally important aspect of preserving ecological knowledge and forest health. This sort of knowledge sharing can be done even when confronting a lack of reliable transportation and internet access in remote areas.
Takondwa Khondiwa from GLFx Lilongwe in Malawi shared how they are doing riparian restoration along rivers and lakes by grafting trees and restoring soils by doing erosion control. They are also facing great water stress in Malawi and, therefore, are creating swales and drip irrigation.
Despite increasing water stress, human-wildlife conflicts and the challenges that can come with advocating for land-use change, there are many incredible efforts happening to restore and conserve land around the globe.
Looking ahead
The work of the Thematic Hubs will be carried forward into 2026, as landscape leaders and experts continue to meet to discuss resources and methods related to each of these key areas of focus.
We hope that through these hubs, people find a greater network of solidarity, new professional contacts for knowledge sharing and are inspired to deepen the incredible work they are doing in their communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
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5 wins for collective action in 2025
2025 was a year of collective action. Discover our year in review and the lessons we’re taking into 2026 and beyond.
Explore 5 areas of growth, collaboration and
transformative action
Voices shaping landscapes
In 2025, through platforms such as GLF Forests, Forests, People, Planet and GLF Africa, we’ve had the pleasure of listening to the words and wisdom of powerful women, moving speakers, community leaders, filmmakers and storytellers from around the world.
Great change often starts with a single voice, and those calling for liveable landscapes need to be highlighted, not hidden.
In 2026, we’ll listen closer, amplify further and keep the voices of the community shaping landscapes at the center of what we do.
AI for good
Whether it was chatbots, web searches or the phone in your pocket, artificial intelligence was everywhere in 2025.
Through lively discussions at GLF Climate, insightful talks at GLF Africa and a dedicated Digital Forum, we’ve been weighing up the costs and benefits of this nascent industry and exploring the innovative ways people are using it to protect nature.
It’s anyone’s guess what 2026 will bring, but as we enter the new year, the GLF will be staying on the cutting edge to ensure AI is working for people and planet.
Knowledge is power
Lasting change is rooted in knowledge – traditional, scientific and lived – and this year, the GLF has published over 200 papers, interviews, videos and more on our Knowledge Hub.
We also launched a brand-new live podcast, TalkLandscape, where we (and you!) can chat with experts from around the world.
On ThinkLandscape, we’ve explored everything from cobalt mining to lab-grown meat, shared local stories by landscape leaders and covered this year’s biggest climate and biodiversity events.
In 2026, we’ll keep sharing stories that explore our planet and inspire the action we need to protect it.
Knowledge is an ongoing journey, whether you’re a scientist, academic or landscape professional.
Keep learning with the Landscape Academy, hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF and the GLF, which offers a growing collection of courses from world-class institutions.
Financing nature's frontlines
Nature needs financing – that’s very clear. How to make that happen is a little more complicated. Throughout 2025, we explored new paths and innovative solutions to bridge the gap between planet and profit, and get funding where it needs to be.
Together with the Government of Luxembourg, we hosted the 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium, where global experts discussed everything from redirecting subsidies to leveraging blended finance, and why investing in Indigenous and community-led solutions is non-negotiable.
Going from words to action, the GLF and Luxembourg also announced Rio Changemakers: a one-of-a-kind AI-powered marketplace to connect locally-led solutions with the capital they need.
The conversation doesn’t stop here. As we head into 2026, the GLF will be searching for ever more innovative ways to finance nature and the people that protect it, and launching our brand new AI matchmaking engine.
Majority for action
The vast majority of people – up to 89% – want their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis.
We called on you, that majority and our community, to join us in the runup to COP30 to demand a radical rethink of our economic and political systems.
Over 15,000 people answered the call and joined us at GLF Climate and the 8th Investment Case, and the momentum is still building.
We are all the majority for action – this is the message we took to Belém and the message we’ll carry forward as we continue to build momentum, connections and hope in 2026.
Social media wall
#MajorityForAction Photo Exhibition
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- Investing in nature means investing in smallholders, women and Indigenous Peoples, and connecting capital directly with communities
- Technology and AI can accelerate a just transition – but only if it reinforces sovereignty, transparency and community agency
Belém, Brazil (19 November 2025) – On the sidelines of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), thousands of people gathered in Belém, Brazil, and online to call on global climate finance to catalyze ecosystem restoration by connecting capital directly with communities to secure a future where nature and people thrive.
The 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium: Financing Nature’s Frontlines convened over 200 UN Climate Conference delegates in Belém and 4,140 participants online from 148 countries. It opened the doors of COP30 to a wide global audience of practitioners, investors, policymakers and business leaders looking to streamline economic benefits to smallholders and communities.
Throughout the day, discussions focused on transformative finance mechanisms, AI tools and strategies to bridge investment pipelines and erode silos and power imbalances. From biodiversity credits in Colombia to Brazil’s Tropical Forest Finance Facility, speakers highlighted how local, grassroots action is redefining the future of conservation and sustainable economies.
Shaping sustainable finance: Voices at the 8th GLF Investment Case
“Our ambition is very clear: to be a place of reference where impact, resilience and investments meet, where ideas become action and where nature-positive investments scale. We want Luxembourg to be a hub where innovative finance mechanisms are tested, refined and deployed, and where global partnerships are forged to accelerate change. Let’s work all together to build the pipeline, connect maturity stages and unlock capital for the landscapes that need it most. The future of nature-based investments depends on our ability to collaborate across sectors, cultures and disciplines,” – Serge Wilmes, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and Minister for the Civil Service of Luxembourg
For sustainable management, we have to think of how to make forests valuable… TFFF will not and should not replace any source of funds. We are not saying this is the mother of all the facilities, and everybody else goes there. This is meant to complement and bring more money to support forests, because we need more money.” – Garo Batmanian, Director-General of Brazil’s Forest Service and the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF).
“I’m hearing this whole conference COP30) that carbon is the king. In my opinion, it is not, because we have to see this broader perspective that is a collective thing. What we call nature is a bunch of great assets: the biodiversity, the ecosystems and payment services.” – Bruna Rezende, Founder & CEO, IRIS
“My people have a saying in the Amazon that the man on the red doesn’t care about the green, which means that when you don’t have the economic means to resist your own territory, you’re forced to exploit the same nature that you depend upon. Because now the only asset that I have is trees. I’m going to sell them – I need money now.” – Gabriel Nunes, Science Lead, GainForest
“We’re talking about climate change in three years, but we don’t even have that much time. Seriously, people need to make big changes. Big investments. (…) We need to build a relationship of trust with those who are leading the fight against climate change. And Indigenous peoples are major players in this fight.”
“In the future, we will not need oil, money, gold, or any of that stuff. We will need water.” – Josimara Baré, Coordinator, Rutî Fund
“The challenges we face are interconnected, and so must our solutions be, inspired by the spirit of the Rio Conventions, which calls for inclusive and science-based action. Luxembourg is committed to deepening its engagement in this field. Finance must serve regeneration, not depletion. It must be rooted in values: inclusion, equity, stewardship and science-based decision making.” – Thomas Schoos, Director, General Ministry of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Luxembourg Government.
“CIFOR-ICRAF brings world-class scientific research, modeling and spatial analysis, while the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) offers trusted policy advisory roles, institutional capacity building and a commitment to delivering bankable project outcomes. Together with GGGI, we are building the pipelines, partnerships, and investments required to restore landscapes and drive inclusive, climate-smart growth.” – Beria Leimona, Theme Leader, Climate Change, Energy and Low-Carbon Development, CIFOR-ICRAF
The 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium forged new global connections and showcased how these partnerships are vital to accelerating progress toward our shared climate goals.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- Find photos from The 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium on our Flickr
- Explore more press materials about the GLF at COP30 in our Media Room
- For more information, schedule interviews or obtain expert commentaries, contact Kelly Quintero (quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
ABOUT THE GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
ABOUT THE LUXEMBOURG–GLF FINANCE FOR NATURE PLATFORM
The Luxembourg–GLF Finance for Nature Platform is a partnership between the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) to mainstream investments in sustainable land use and climate. The platform aims to shift financial flows towards sustainable land use models that are sustainable, equitable, inclusive and profitable not only boost economic returns but also to help drastically increase funding to combat climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org/luxembourg-glf-platform/
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]]>The post The majority for action arrives at COP30 (EN·SP) appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
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- On 17 and 18 November, in Belém and online, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) will blend science, cross-sector expertise, AI and local knowledge at “GLF Climate 2025” and “the 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium”
- Luxembourg and the GLF will unveil a bold new way to connect capital with climate action
(Updated, 12 November 2025)
Belém, Brazil (10 November 2025) – As 80 to 89% of people around the world want their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is taking its flagship assemblies to the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) Blue Zone. They offer a way to join COP30 without traveling and open the doors for global online participation with over 13,000 people already registered to attend. The forums will unite experts, practitioners and communities to turn pledges into action, spotlight Global South solutions and drive cross-sectoral collaborations.
GLF CLIMATE 2025: A NEW VISION FOR EARTH
Monday, 17 November | In Belém at the Action on Food Hub, Blue Zone, COP30 and online Plenaries, expert sessions, workshops and other opportunities to join the frontlines of climate action. Highlights include:
- Opening plenary: How to really fix the climate. Multiple perspectives will take the conversation beyond abstract targets to tackle adaptation, accountability and synergies between the Rio Conventions.
- Closing plenary: Orchestrating chaos and navigating uncertainty. The era of surface-level commitments is over. Explore how to avoid false solutions and turn fragmented efforts into powerful collective action.
- The premiere of the Indonesian short documentary “Following the Roots“.
Learn more and explore the full agenda here Among the climate actors and leaders joining GLF Climate in-person:
- Ayisha Siddiqa, Founder and Executive Director of Future Generations Tribunal
- Kumi Naidoo, President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, and global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity
- Marielos Peña Claros, Co-chair of the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), and Professor on Ecology of Tropical Managed Rainforests at Wageningen University
- Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Executive Chair at Earth4All and Founder of Systems Transformation Hub
- Sineia do Vale, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at COP30, and Special Envoy and Environmental Manager & Coordinator of the Indigenous Council of Roraima
- Tainá Marajoara, Founder and Cultural Director of Lacitatá Amazônia Viva Institute
Discover the full list of speakers here
THE 8TH GLF INVESTMENT CASE SYMPOSIUM: FINANCING NATURE’S FRONTLINES
Tuesday, 18 November 2025 | In Belém at the Action on Food Hub, Blue Zone, COP30 and online. Panels, workshops and Dragons’ Den-style pitches will present innovative mechanisms and programs to unlock inclusive, long-term investment in people and nature, including:
- Opening plenary: Financing nature’s frontlines. Governments, multilateral institutions, private sector leaders and frontline communities will share how innovative finance mechanisms are reshaping capital flows toward local actors and ecosystems.
- Closing plenary: Can AI help reinvent finance for people and the planet? Explore how artificial intelligence and digital innovation can turn finance into a driver of regeneration and stewardship on nature’s frontlines.
Learn more and explore the complete agenda here Among the leading sustainable investors and innovators joining the Investment Case in person:
- Andrea Álvares, Fund Leader at fama re.capital. One of GreenBiz’s “25 Badass Women Shaping Climate Action” in 2022
- Benoît Clément, Growth and Product Advisor at Evercity, and AI expert working at the intersection of finance, technology, and climate action
- Heitor Dellasta, Economist at the Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF), and Policy Co-coordinator at the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)
- Mariana Sarmiento, Founder and CEO of Terrasos, a certified B Corporation structuring and managing investments to protect and restore ecosystems
- Serge Wilmes, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and Minister for the Civil Service of Luxembourg
Discover the full list of speakers here. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, will join online. At COP30, Luxembourg and the GLF will unveil a bold new way to connect capital with climate action. Stay tuned for updates. Learn more and save a seat online for GLF Climate at bit.ly/GLFClimate2025 and for the 8th GLF Investment Case at bit.ly/8thInvestmentCase. For more information, contact Kelly Quintero at k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- Download visuals and more in our Trello board
- Find press releases and register on our media list at the GLF media room here
- For more information, expert commentaries or arrange interviews, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
ABOUT THE GLF The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
ABOUT THE LUXEMBOURG-GLF FINANCE FOR NATURE PLATFORM The Luxembourg-GLF Finance for Nature Platform is a partnership between the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) to mainstream investments in sustainable land use and climate. The platform aims to shift financial flows towards sustainable land use models that are sustainable, equitable, inclusive and profitable not only boost economic returns but also to help drastically increase funding to combat climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org/luxembourg-glf-platform/
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AI for the Earth
Artificial intelligence can help us understand, protect and restore our planet – but it also raises important questions about ethics, equity and environmental impact.
The Global Landscapes Forum AI Hub brings together people, ideas and knowledge to explore how technology can promote responsible land use, conservation and climate action. Discover stories, events, voices and research on the incredible power of AI for the Earth.
Why a GLF AI Hub?
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The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, dedicated to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Climate Agreement and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and committed to the landscape approach. The Forum takes a holistic approach to create sustainable landscapes that are productive, prosperous, equitable and resilient and considers five cohesive themes of food and livelihoods, landscape restoration, rights, finance and measuring progress. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank and Charter Members. Charter members: CIAT, CIFOR-ICRAF, CIRAD, Climate Focus, Conservation International, Crop Trust, Ecoagriculture Partners, The European Forest Institute, Evergreen Agriculture, FAO, FSC, GEF, GIZ, ICIMOD, IFOAM – Organics International, The International Livestock Research Institute, INBAR, IPMG, IPAM Amazonia, IUFRO, Rainforest Alliance, Rare, Rights and Resources Initiative, SAN, SouthSouthNorth, TMG-Think Tank for Sustainability, UNCCD, UNEP, Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation part of Wageningen Research, World Farmer Organization, World Bank Group, World Resources Institute, WWF International, Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL)
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]]>6 steps to build Africa’s nature economy
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"We need a shift from aid to investment-centered development. Africa is home to USD 6.5 trillion in natural resources and a population that will reach 2.5 billion by 2050. This is not a charity case. This is a compelling investment case that the world cannot afford to ignore. To attract meaningful capital, we must move beyond the language of need and start showing up with investable opportunities."
“Africa’s rich ecosystems, forests, savannas and wetlands must be recognized not as passive resources but as core foundations for economic resilience, climate adaptation and food security.”
At GLF Africa 2025, over 2,000 participants gathered together in Nairobi, Kenya, and online to reshape Africa’s future based on six strategic pillars rooted in the continent’s priorities, science, heritage and knowledge.
These pillars provide a practical framework for turning potential into reality, advancing a new nature-driven development model and positioning Africa as a global leader in shaping a sustainable future.
Pillar 1: Recognize, value and integrate Africa’s natural capital into all development plans
Africa has an unmatched opportunity to shift away from extractive and aid-dependent development paradigms and towards self-sustaining, dignified, regenerative and inclusive models
Goal: Recognize, value, mainstream and account for all of Africa’s natural capital in the ecological, economic and social dimensions of its development planning.
What’s working: Across the continent, bold initiatives are proving that valuing natural capital can transform landscapes, economies and livelihoods. These initiatives are restoring millions of hectares through initiatives like Regreening Africa, AFR100 and the Great Green Wall Initiative, conserving the Congo Basin with OFAC, restoring Ghana’s cocoa landscapes, driving ecotourism in Kenya, mapping Rwanda’s natural capital and drawing up South Africa’s bioeconomy strategy. Farmworks Africa is boosting farmers’ market access, while the African Natural Capital Alliance is mobilizing the financial sector and policymakers to integrate nature-related risks and investments.
These successes prove that natural capital planning works – and now, it’s time to make it the norm across the continent.
GLF Africa 2025 Session on nature economy-driven development
Action points:
- African governments should adopt bioeconomy strategies that prioritize sustainable biomass use, circularity and value retention, ensuring at least 50% of natural capital value is kept on the continent rather than being exported or used in raw form.
- Practitioners and investors must scale regenerative agriculture and land use by investing in farmer- and community-led restoration initiatives that combine local knowledge with market access.
- Public and private actors should boost nature-based enterprises by creating incentives, easing market access, supporting procurement schemes and fostering hubs for restoration, eco-tourism and green supply chains.
- Public and private sectors should collaborate to build value ‘webs’ by integrating biotechnology, natural products and commodity development into restoration economies to cut waste and capture more of Africa’s natural capital value.
Pillar 2: Build effective and responsive governance and policies for natural resource stewardship
To realize the potential of Africa’s nature economy, we must advocate for, support and develop effective, inclusive and transparent governance systems.
Goal: Build coherent and responsive governance architecture to support ecological restoration, safeguard community rights and interests, integrate nature-based solutions into national development planning and safeguard the value of Africa’s natural capital.
What’s working: Important steps are being taken towards the sustainable governance of Africa’s natural resources. Namibia has boosted biodiversity and income by devolving conservation rights to communities. The Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA) is helping governments scale green infrastructure. Ghana’s Ministry of Finance has developed a green finance taxonomy with incentives to guide carbon and biodiversity markets.
To take these efforts to the next level, public and private stakeholders must now unite to scale successes and bridge governance silos.
GLF Africa 2025 Session on stewarding Africa’s nature economy
Action points:
- Governments must adopt responsive, proactive and inclusive systems that bridge silos across ministries and other stakeholders such as civil society, the private sector, academia and local communities
- Policymakers and development actors must integrate ecological infrastructure into development frameworks and recognize it as essential to economic and social sustainability.
- Governments should create policy incentives such as green tax credits, subsidy reforms and support for multifunctional landscapes.
- Institutions at all levels must ensure policy enforcement and transparency in land restoration and the stewardship of biodiversity and natural resources.
Pillar 3: Secure the rights and support the agency of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth and women
A fully developed nature economy could transform the livelihoods of Africa’s communities and serve as an engine for rural development.
Goal: Support increased agency for local communities, promote social cohesion, reduce conflict over land and resources, and facilitate greater local ownership and equitable sharing of the benefits associated with an African nature economy.
What’s working: For Africa’s nature economy to thrive, it must shift from colonial top-down models to community-led, rights-based pathways. Across the continent, local governance is thriving through self-organized forest charters in West Africa, climate justice mobilization by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and rights advocacy by the Rights and Resources Initiative. Young people are also leading the way with programs like Inuka, which funds and supports restoration initiatives that create impact and sustainable livelihoods.
GLF Africa 2025 Community engagement sessions:
- The land beneath: Confronting challenges to secure rights, land restoration and livelihoods
- Scaling up farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR): Action in Ethiopia and Kenya
Action points:
- Policymakers must adopt community-informed development planning that respects the diverse values of nature, including spiritual, cultural and socio-economic connections.
- Restoration and nature economy actors must promote the active participation of youth, women and Indigenous Peoples in their initiatives as designers, implementers and beneficiaries.
- Development actors should combine peace-building initiatives with community-led development models, especially in fragile and conflict areas such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
- Policymakers and civil society actors must protect and formalize land tenure – especially customary tenure – to avoid displacement and ensure local stewardship.
Pillar 4: Deliver sustainable finance to the last mile
Less than 5% of climate finance goes to African farmers, Indigenous stewards and women, who could serve as key players in locally-led, high-impact nature economy investment.
Goal: Restructure financial mechanisms and scale nature-positive finance to benefit both communities and ecosystems through impact investments, rather than focusing solely on maximizing financial returns.
What’s working: Models like Kenya’s Livelihoods Fund and green bonds in Ghana and Nigeria show the impact of channeling finance to the frontlines. Institutions such as the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association are strengthening financial institutions to lend affordably to agriculture, while venture builders like The Catalyst Fund, Le Groupe Crédit Agricole du Maroc and Tamwil El Fellah invest in entrepreneurs, innovators and farmers across the continent. Initiatives like the W+ Standard by Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) are directing adaptation resources to women, and institutions like the Barka Fund are building pre-investment readiness and aggregating small producers. Meanwhile, fintech solutions such as M-PESA are driving financial inclusion, transparency and traceability.
GLF Africa 2025 Sustainable Finance Session:
Action points:
- Governments should develop innovative financing instruments such as incentive-based risk sharing, blended finance platforms and green bonds linked to restoration outcomes.
- Public- and private-sector actors should promote financial inclusion by expanding insurance and local microfinance for smallholder farmers, digital savings tools and climate resilience credit lines.
- Such actors must also ensure transparency in financial flows by tracking, auditing and redirecting harmful subsidies towards green innovation and incentivizing nature-aligned investment portfolios.
- Policymakers should establish green finance taxonomies and investment pipelines that align investor criteria such as science-based targets, Indigenous rights and additionality with community-led project design.
- Development banks must ensure free, prior and informed consent in all nature-sensitive investments.
- The private and financial sectors should promote patient and intelligent capital to unlock the long-term potential of nature-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)).
Pillar 5: Optimize AI and emerging technologies for Africa
Artificial intelligence and emerging digital innovations can help Africa leapfrog into a resilient, prosperous and data-driven nature economy.
Goal: An inclusive and localized digital infrastructure grounded in local contexts, fully optimizes local knowledge and data – as desired by local knowledge holders – and links human, natural and digital capitals.
What’s working: From AI-powered early warning systems in Mozambique to blockchain land tenure and drone-based crop tools in Ghana, digital innovations are transforming Africa’s nature economy. In Kenya, AI is easing supply chain bottlenecks and improving soil testing, while the Kenya Space Agency is expanding cloud power and data access. Initiatives like the Women in STEM Leaders Network are breaking gender barriers, while in Southern Africa, Vambo AI has built an AI infrastructure trained in 200+ African languages, and the FAIR Forward program is driving AI democratization through inclusive policies and open datasets. Deep-tech startups like Amini AI are delivering hyperlocal environmental insights to farmers, insurers and governments. These applications must be scaled up and democratized to fully unlock their potential.
GLF Africa 2025 AI
Action points:
- Governments and academia must invest in AI education and infrastructure, including curricula in schools and partnerships with AI developers.
- Tech companies must build inclusive, multilingual, farmer-centric tools using AI and mobile platforms tailored to local knowledge systems.
- All involved stakeholders must foster open collaboration between tech innovators, local leaders and knowledge holders to develop agtech solutions that address real needs and support data sovereignty.
- Governments and restoration/development actors should use AI, geospatial technologies and satellite data to improve land use planning, monitor restoration, identify degradation risks and track project outcomes.
Pillar 6: Harness and integrate Africa’s plural knowledge systems
Africa’s strength lies in combining traditional and scientific knowledge, making both equal foundations for evidence-based, inclusive, and resilient landscape management.
Goal: Consistently integrate traditional, Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems into natural resource governance frameworks.
What’s working: On-ground evidence shows that blending diverse knowledge sources can drive ownership, passion for stewardship, benefit sharing and better decision making in a nature economy. In sub-Saharan Africa, initiatives like Regreening Africa, Knowledge for Great Green Wall Action (K4GGWA) and the GGWI use dialogue and iterative learning to integrate science, community insights and practitioner experience into adaptive management. In Tanzania’s Maasai landscapes, Afriscout, an AI tool co-created with local communities, – is helping livestock keepers make evidence-based grazing decisions while digitalizing traditional rotational systems.
GLF Africa 2025 Session on Knowledge Systems:
Action points:
- Universities, community groups, policymakers and practitioners should build partnerships to institutionalize spaces for knowledge co-creation.
- Community members and researchers should digitize and document traditional ecological knowledge to preserve and integrate it into modern restoration science and planning.
- All stakeholders involved in producing and using knowledge should invest in developing participatory learning and data platforms and dashboards with community validation and access.
- Landscape actors should promote long-term trust building and iterative learning in landscape restoration, prioritizing safe dialogue spaces for evidence sharing.
"We must create policies that are working for the people and co-created by the people. Through this, we will be able to do more restoration work because the policies encourage people to take more action.”
"Africa can provide the resources needed for global decarbonization. But all of the mineral resources that are important for a just transition have all been locked away for global corporations, who are exporting all of those resources. Most of the countries that are producing these critical minerals have almost no stake in the sector."
“Before us is the opportunity to reimagine a future where Africa stewards its landscapes and shapes its own path, guided by science and traditional knowledge, and paired with good governance, meaningful partnerships, and ethical AI and technology”.
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- Community-led organizations restoring landscapes with Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia and Kenya have been recognized by the United Nations Development Programme.
- Ranu Welum Foundation, leading the GLFx Kalimantan chapter, and Nature and People As One (NaPO), co-founded by the GLFx Africa Hub Officer, were selected from over 700 nominations.
Bonn, Germany (19 Aug 2025) – This August, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) honored 10 nature-based solutions with the Equator Prize 2025 – out of 700 nominees – led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the Global South under the theme “Nature for Climate Action.”
Among them are two organizations at the heart of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) and it’s GLFx network of grassroots initiatives: Ranu Welum Foundation (Indonesia) and Nature and People As One – NaPO (Kenya).
They join fellow GLFx members Instituto Zág (leading GLFx Zág Xokleng in Brazil) and Uru Uru Team (spearheading GLFx Uru Uru in Bolivia), alongside more than 300 community-based organizations honored with the Equator Prize since 2002.
Climate action with Dayak communities in Indonesia
Working across forests, wetlands and rivers in Central Kalimantan, the women- and youth-led Indigenous Ranu Welum Foundation was recognized for its work in biodiversity conservation, community-based adaptation to climate change and sustainable forestry.
As leader of the GLFx Kalimantan chapter, the foundation focuses on preserving indigenous land and heritance by actively battling increasing peatland fires and restoring degraded areas, protecting endemic biodiversity, and amplifying the relevance of Indigenous knowledge in forest protection. GLFx Kalimantan’s vision and action are driven by young people who centers its work on Talekoi, one of the oldest Dayak communities in South Barito Regency, Central Kalimantan.
“We are deeply humbled and gratified to receive the Equator Prize 2025. This award reflects the collective efforts of our dedicated team, community partners, and the inspirational spirits of Dayak people. This recognition empowers us to continue our journey as we know now that we are heard, never alone”, said Emmanuela Shinta, founder and Board of Trustees’ member at Ranu Welum Foundation
“This recognition has a very significant impact and becomes a deep inspiration for our work and initiatives at GLFx Kalimantan as well as for the communities involved with us. For us, the Equator Prize is not just an award, but a testament to over a decade of long journey of grassroots movement born from the spirit of indigenous youth to protect forests, culture, and their communities from the climate crisis,” said Roro Garini, Director of the Foundation.
Restoring drylands with pastoralist communities
In the grasslands, drylands and mountains of Karare, Marsabit Province in northern Kenya, the women- and youth-led Indigenous organization Nature and People as One (NaPO) was recognized for its inclusive model for elevating pastoralist community solutions such as the Ramat and the NaPO Conservation Cup for ecosystem-based adaptation and biodiversity conservation.
“The Equator Prize is a powerful tribute to the enduring knowledge and practices of the Indigenous Rendille and Samburu people of Marsabit, Kenya. They are the expert stewards, and the intricate knowledge of their landscapes is our most vital tool against environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. For the NaPO team, this award is a profound validation of our collaborative approach that is based on deep listening. For our community, it is a global megaphone for their voice and agency. For me, it strengthens my resolve to champion locally-led practices both at the local and regional levels. This recognition illustrates that the future of our landscapes rests in the hands of its traditional stewards,’’ said Adrian Leitoro, co-founder of NaPO, 2022 Dryland Restoration Steward and GLFx Africa Hub Officer.
“We are beyond proud and deeply honored to celebrate these recognitions. For the past four years, we have partnered directly with the Ranu Welum Foundation as host of GLFx Kalimantan, witnessing their remarkable growth as a youth-led Indigenous organization,” said Ana Yi Soto, GLFx Coordinator.
“We are equally proud of Adrian Leitoro and the NaPO team in Kenya. Adrian’s journey, from 2022 Dryland Restoration Steward and co-founder of NaPO to GLFx Africa Hub Officer, embodies the spirit of community-led restoration and the valuable connections that can be created between the landscapes we restore and the global community for restoration.”
Community members in Ngurunit, Marsabit, participating in a workshop on the Indigenous Peoples and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) Assessment Toolkit. Photo: Nature and People as One (NaPO)
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NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
About GLFx
GLFx is a network of independently organized, community-oriented and grassroots initiatives transforming their landscapes from the ground up and advocating for policy change. GLFx is designed to accelerate local action toward global landscape restoration by connecting members with the knowledge, tools and networks necessary to achieve lasting and holistic change. GLFx is supported by the German entities Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as the Robert Bosch Stiftung and International Model Forest Network (IMFN) with support from the Government of Canada.
Learn more at globallandscapesforum.org/about-glfx/.
About the GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable and resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members.
Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
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WHAT’S NEW
Releases, Trello boards and other press materials
19 February 2026
FIND AN EXPERT
Selection of experts from diverse fields and regions. Keep an eye out for expert updates –at the top of the list– matching GLF events and themes unfolding throughout the year.
For more information or to connect with the experts below or others in similar areas or different regions, email k.quintero@cifor-icraf[dot]org and media@globallandscapesforum[dot]org
MEDIA LAB
Curated conversations, tools and fresh takes on journalism and media to better report on and portray environmental topics.
Making forests click: Engaging youth through digital storytelling
By Yunanto Wiji Utomo, Visual Interaktif Kompas. 2025
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How we make young people care about forests
By Kiyo Dörrer, Planet A, Deutsche Welle (DW). 2025
READ
Forest and landscape restoration: technologies to select trees and monitor impact.
By Tor-Gunnar Vågen, CIFOR-ICRAF. 2025
READ
MEDIA MARKET
GLF PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2026
To celebrate the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, we’re inviting photographers from across the world to tell powerful visual stories of these landscapes –from grasslands to savannas, woodlands, shrublands, deserts or even tundra– and the people who steward them.
Prizes:
- Cash prizes of USD 500 (1st place), USD 400 (2nd place) and USD 300 (popular vote)
- A feature article on ThinkLandscape
- A showcase at GLF Africa 2026 and other GLF and partner events throughout the year
Entries will be accepted until 1 March. Learn more and participate here.
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Communities, experts and practitioners across the continent are shifting narratives, building resilient landscapes, raising funds for the planet and learning from each other. Here’s how
Nairobi, Kenya (27 February 2025) – Africa is positioning itself as a global hub for innovation and environmental action drawing from a rich heritage of both scientific and ancestral knowledge systems.
Over the past two years, more than 10,000 people worldwide have engaged in conversations and interactive sessions, with innovators tackling some of the continent’s most pressing challenges – millions have followed their transformative stories online.
Convened by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), African communities, experts and practitioners from diverse sectors and generations have exchanged knowledge and showcased holistic, rights-based approaches to restoring, protecting and sustainably managing forests and landscapes.
Together, these changemakers are striving to safeguard ecosystems, strengthen food security and support local livelihoods. Here are five key lessons we can learn from them.
African leadership and stewardship: 5 pathways to ecological balance
- Rewrite narratives and reshape discourse. Across Africa, people are holding dialogues, engaging in negotiations and exchanging knowledge to co-create a resilient and healthy relationship with the Earth’s landscapes. Regional actors and local landscape practitioners are connecting to drive transformative restoration through sovereign solutions while tapping into global trends such as artificial intelligence and social media through a bottom-up approach. By engaging in hybrid and digital spaces, Africans are actively shaping the conversation on sustainable landscapes in the face of competing interests.
- Transform landscapes from the ground up. Small grants are delivering much-needed landscape finance to Africa, allowing communities to implement high-impact, low-cost community and landscape development models. Community-led initiatives are scaling up landscape work, increasing self-organization and influencing policy. Communities are strengthening local ownership, enhancing financial efficiency and ensuring that landscape development aligns with their needs, values, knowledge and rights.
- Strengthen youth leadership and inclusion. As the planet’s ‘youngest continent,’ with over 400 million people between the ages of 15 and 35, Africa’s future hinges upon supporting its youth in stewarding their landscapes. Across the continent, young people are producing knowledge that informs sustainable practices, guiding landscape actors and influencing policy. Passionate young changemakers are building skills and advancing a vision that values their perspectives and secures the continent’s future. Training and education for Africa’s youth is as critical as providing fair access to financial resources.
- Enhance landscape learning. As ecosystem and landscape restoration takes off across Africa, demand is rising for knowledgeable practitioners. People are gaining expertise by enrolling in restoration education programs packed with opportunities to practice skills in the field. Options range from innovative and interactive learning methodologies to self-paced and blended courses, digital learning, on-the-ground experiences and more.
- Leverage sustainable finance for local landscapes and people. One of Africa’s biggest challenges remains ensuring a steady flow of climate and landscape finance to local communities. The continent faces an annual sustainable finance shortfall of USD 400 billion and receives only 3.6% of global climate finance. Africans are participating in forums to push the conversation on channeling sustainable finance to communities, shaping projects to boost their bankability, leveraging small grants for locally-led initiatives and exploring both public and private finance opportunities.
“Africa’s landscapes and communities are increasingly becoming points for developing, testing and scaling innovative landscape solutions, programs, technologies and business models by various actors, both collaboratively and competitively. It is critical to create a space to connect various stakeholders to share knowledge on solutions and tools and hold dialogues on emerging developments to ensure that they are fit for purpose, aligned with local priorities and sustainable – and that is what GLF is doing in Africa,” said Amos Amanubo, Africa Regional Coordinator at the GLF.
Ever since its founding in 2013, the GLF has fostered constructive dialogue and knowledge-sharing among African stakeholders at all levels. In the past two years, it has organized a series of Africa-focused regional and global events, including GLF Nairobi 2023, GLF Africa 2024, OFAC Hybrid Forum and the Investment Case Symposia. It has also developed initiatives such as the GLF Photography Awards, Social Media Ambassadors program, community watch parties, the new Global AI Hub and learning opportunities such as the Restoration Education platform, as well as strong networks of community and youth-led initiatives such as the GLFx chapter network and the Restoration Stewards program.
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NOTE TO EDITORS
- Learn more about African action, numbers and stories here
- For more information, photos or to arrange interviews, contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org).
ABOUT THE GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
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