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]]>Women, youth, Afro-descendants and Indigenous Peoples join the GLFx network to expand the impact of their climate adaptation, ecopreneurship and conservation projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Bonn, Germany (19 February 2026) – The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), a leading knowledge-led platform and community on sustainable land use, welcomes 12 community-led initiatives to its global network of chapters, GLFx.
Selected from 818 applicants, these initiatives join 50 existing GLFx chapters spanning 33 countries, involving over 70,000 people across 400 landscape restoration activities, involving both the ecosystems and their inhabitants.
“GLFx is exceptional at connecting us with the key partners and institutions we need to talk about scaling our Food Forest project, and with landscape leaders who are eager to join us in restoring landscapes, which family farmers depend on.” – Gerald Nkusi, Coordinator of GLFx Virunga, a Uganda-based chapter active since 2024.
The new GLFx chapters are led by women, Indigenous people, youth and Afro-descendants, and their work focuses mainly on climate adaptation, ecopreneurship and biodiversity conservation within a variety of ecosystems across the globe.
These independent local organizations will gain new opportunities for partnerships, networking, learning, global exposure and participation in international events, as well as access to seed funding for sustainable landscape management.
- GLFx Sidama is the first GLFx chapter in Ethiopia. Led by the Integrated Women’s Development Organization, the chapter connects this women-led initiative to a global network for the first time. Its approach involves restoring communal and private farmland while expanding women-based small farms management, and it aims to tackle land degradation, the climate crisis, gender inequality, high unemployment and poor farm productivity.
- GLFx Machakos, led by the Kijani Mtaani initiative in Kenya, is restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening livelihoods and enhancing wellbeing by focusing on local knowledge, inclusive participation and long-term stewardship. It co-designs nature-based solutions covering restoration, climate resilience, learning and care with young people and local communities.
- GLFx Sambirano, led by SoaRoots ReForest in Madagascar, is a women-led social enterprise restoring landscapes by designing and supporting reforestation initiatives. Working with farmers, children and schools, companies, associations, and local authorities, its approach covers the circular economy, agriculture, agroforestry, food security, improved livelihoods and sustainable activities in dry and moist forests.
- GLFx Msimbazi, led by the Environmental Conservation Community of Tanzania (ECCT), is an initiative managed by youth and women that aims to create lasting environmental and social impact by restoring degraded ecosystems, particularly through mangrove restoration and coastal regreening. Working with women and youth in ecosystem restoration and ecopreneurship, the initiative also tackles plastic waste and promotes sustainable fashion.
- GLFx Kalangala is led by Beautiful Periods Uganda and based on the Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria. Formed within the School Food Forest Initiative, it helps the community restore damaged land and improve nutrition and livelihoods through self-sufficient food systems. It works with youth and women in agroforestry, tree nurseries management and environmental education, while also addressing period stigmas and hygiene issues.
“This is the first time that our organization has had the chance to collaborate with different community-based organizations, associations, nongovernmental organizations, researchers and funding agents at the global level. It will help expand best practices and successful stories to other communities.” – GLFx Sidama team.
- GLFx Buton, led by Sekolah Rakyat Butuni (SERABUT), is an Indigenous-led initiative based on the island of Buton in Indonesia. It implements community-driven ecosystem restoration while strengthening Indigenous rights, promoting regenerative agriculture and safeguarding forests, coastal zones and marine biodiversity. It aims to create a buffer against the expansion of mining projects on the island through agroforestry and restoration.
- GLFx Wabag-Enga is the first GLFx chapter in Papua New Guinea. Led by the Wabag District Coffee Growers Cooperative Society, it aims to help smallholders – particularly youth and women – transition from subsistence farming to sustainable commercial production. This initiative promotes sustainable coffee agriculture in climate-affected and HIV-and-conflict-prone areas in Enga Province while also addressing local food security challenges and improving rural livelihoods.
- GLFx Vanuatu, led by Mitingar Women & Girls Association is the first GLFx chapter in Vanuatu. Gathering nearly 500 women in 25 sister circles, and aiming to expand across the country, this initiative is fully women-based and specializes in teaching, finance and social development. Through local and national actions, it aims to connect more women and girls, focusing on education, health and climate-resilient agriculture.
“Joining the GLFx network isn’t just about gaining access to international collaborations; it’s about building bridges between grassroots communities and global knowledge. For us, it’s a way to showcase our work for Earth’s restoration.” – GLFx Buton team.
Latin America and the Caribbean
- GLFx Wikina Wos, led by Alianza Wichi in Argentina, works with Indigenous Wichí, Nivaclé, Chorote and Guaraní people to restore the Gran Chaco ecosystem through agroforestry and agroecology. Drawing on ancestral knowledge, contemporary tools and multidisciplinary scientific research, it tackles several ecological and social challenges, including food sovereignty, water infrastructure and the legal defense of Indigenous territory.
- GLFx Cerrado Goiano is led by the Pró-Onça Institute in Brazil. This women-led initiative in the municipality of Cocalzinho de Goiás sustains strong partnerships with local community groups, national parks and universities. It conserves jaguar habitats and implements community-based ecological restoration by training women and youth in ecosystem monitoring and planting native species in degraded areas of ecological corridors.
- GLFx Napo-Cotopaxi, led by Fundación Ecosistemas en Acción (ECO-ACCIÓN), involves the Indigenous Kichwa community of Atacapi and the peasant community of Santa Elena de Cuchitingue in the Amazonian and Andean regions of Ecuador. It adopts community-based and participatory land use planning to promote landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, agroecology, agroforestry and food security.
- GLFx Sisal, led by the community youth group Reciclando Dunas in Mexico, aims to restore deforested coastal dunes in Sisal, Yucatán, by creating local capacity for their protection. This includes reforesting degraded areas with native plants and implementing environmental education programs, involving students, teachers, NGOs and the wider local community.
“Joining GLFx means amplifying the reality and potential of the Indigenous Peoples of Argentina and connecting our work in the Gran Chaco with a global community of learning and action. We see it as an opportunity to weave a network of interconnected, prosperous and resilient Indigenous territories capable of dialoguing with the world without losing their roots: sharing evidence, stories and regenerative models that inspire alliances and scale.” – GLFx Wikina Wos team.
“GLFx embodies the aspirations of locally-rooted organizations to connect, collaborate and restore the landscapes that sustain life and community wellbeing. Together, we are shaping a trust-based partnership model where tailored opportunities and resources go hand in hand with supporting and advocating for local agency and landscape leadership, ultimately making global restoration goals grounded and possible.” — Ana Yi, GLFx Coordinator at the Global Landscapes Forum.
Explore all the GLFx chapters here.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
- Download photos of the chapters’ landscapes and communities here
- Download GLFx visuals from this Trello board
- For more information and 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 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 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 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) in partnership with the Government of Canada. Learn more at globallandscapesforum.org/about-glfx/.
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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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]]>A call to action
Building blocks for a new vision for Earth –
2025 EDITION
We urgently need a New Vision for Earth. We ask the international community, policymakers, public and private financing, and the private sector to adopt these global actions backed by knowledge and the latest research.
Restore Landscapes and Seas Across All Scales
The Earth’s lands and oceans have been severely degraded by centuries of deforestation, mining, fossil fuel extraction, industrial and urban expansion and resource accumulation. We must conserve and restore our landscapes and seascapes to protect the ecosystems they harbor and the livelihoods they sustain. We call on policymakers to pass concrete, legally binding measures to halt degradation and urgently and holistically implement commitments to restore degraded landscapes.
- We call upon all stakeholders to combine their efforts towards conservation and restoration, as well as developing incentive programs to accelerate and amplify ongoing efforts.
- We urge public and private financiers to provide funding for land, stewards and restoration initiatives of all scales.
Unite for Food and Seed Sovereignty
In the face of conflict, the climate and biodiversity crisis and pandemics, our current global food system has proven vulnerable to external shocks and damaging to both ecosystems and communities. We must strengthen their resilience by rethinking and redesigning our food systems and value chains.
- We call on all stakeholders to unite in building sovereign, sustainable and localized food systems that produce a reliable supply of diverse, nutritious crops using locally available resources for all.
- We call on policymakers and financiers to address policy gaps and ensure coherence amongst sectors while redirecting harmful subsidies to incentivize the sustainable production and consumption of food.
- We encourage scaling practices and accessible tools for farmer-led regenerative agriculture to restore soil health.
Transform Financial Models to be Transparent, Inclusive and Appropriate
It is pertinent for financial institutions to implement new inclusive, sustainable, transparent, and appropriate financial models that are contextualized to social, economic, and ecological realities at local, regional, and global levels.
- We call for scaled up public financing in the form of grants for sustainable endeavors: climate action, sustainable land use, and restoration of ecosystems.
- We call on public and private financiers to implement new efficient blended financing models that integrate verified sustainability data into risk assessment and investment decisions, redirecting capital toward proven sustainable endeavors, nature-based solutions, sustainable land use, ecosystems restoration, and mitigation and adaptation initiatives and mechanisms.
- We call on the financial institutions to financial services to all, including Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and smallholders.
- Funding must be long-term, flexible, gender-inclusive and grounded in mutual accountability.
Build a Well-being Economy Within Planetary Boundaries
Planetary boundaries refer to the limits of nine key global systems that keep the Earth livable for humans, of which seven have now been crossed. At the same time, our current economic model, energy system and indicators solely focus on economic growth without taking these planetary boundaries into account.
- We must phase out fossil fuels and related subsidies and rethink the energy system.
- We advocate a well-being economy, characterized by a people and community-centric, ecologically balanced, and culturally sensitive way of living, and request policymakers to use and develop alternative indicators in addition to the GDP with sustainability at the forefront to measure human and planetary health.
- We encourage governments, all policymakers, and the private sector to ensure that all decisions and sectors operate within planetary boundaries.
A More Just and Accountable Digital Era
The world is connected, and we live in an age of digital opportunities. While the internet provides a world of possibilities, we must navigate its environmental costs and social risks – from higher resource demands to the spread of disinformation and fundamental violations of privacy. Regulation and corporate accountability are crucial to ensure this era benefits all.
- We call for a digital space that ensures free, equitable and open access to science and knowledge for everyone.
- Decision-making must be evidence-based, integrating diverse knowledge systems. We encourage a collaborative approach to data and research that enables and guarantees that a wide spectrum of stakeholders participate, co-create and co-benefit from the knowledge underlying these innovations.
- We call governments to enact regulations that ensure the internet and the broader digital space are safe, democratic, and equitable with clear safeguards for privacy, data sovereignty, and collective rights.
- We encourage the private sector to create accessible and affordable technologies, AI and innovations that are co-created and built with the stakeholders they impact, respecting laws and safeguards for privacy and collective rights and be available in local languages.
- We ask the international community and private sector to recognize and value the lived experience, traditional knowledge systems, and innovations of Indigenous Peoples and those of local communities. We ask that they be acknowledged, consulted, respected and rewarded for their expertise and vital contributions to society and the health of ecosystems.
Advocate for Rights in All Decision Making
Indigenous Peoples and local communities have sustainably managed their lands and natural resources for millennia. But despite their immense contribution to safeguarding the planet’s biodiversity, they are too often excluded from land use decision-making. Within these communities, women face even greater barriers to participation and recognition of their rights.
- We must ensure fair access to land and natural resources and respect the legitimate rights of people who live on and from the land.
- We call on policymakers to uphold and promote the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to their lands, territories, and resources.
- We must guarantee the full, effective and equal participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in climate and biodiversity decision-making, treaties and agreements.
- We must ensure women have equal rights to own and manage land, protected by fair laws and access to justice.
- We must invest in women’s leadership and participation, so their knowledge and voices shape a more just and sustainable future.
- Ensuring secure land tenure and inclusive governance is essential to honor the wisdom of elders and ancestors and sustain life on Earth.
Adaptation Beyond Resilience
With global temperatures already rising, we can no longer simply aim to resist shocks and return to a pre-existing norm. We must adapt forward, transforming our systems to create new ways of thriving in a climate-altered and biodiversity-threatened world. This requires going beyond resilience to proactive transformation.
All stakeholders must take bolder action.
- We call on governments and the private sector to be held accountable for delivering on the energy transition, reshaping productive chains, and guaranteeing sustainable consumption.
- We encourage civil society, communities, and individuals to lead a cultural shift in habits and expectations, building collective capacity for a different future. Youth have the right to participate in and co-design their own future by taking an active and equal part in today’s decision-making.
A New Vision Centered in Care
Our prevailing economic model, based on accumulation and treating nature as a limitless resource, fuels high-carbon, consumption-intensive lifestyles. We champion a new vision rooted in care: a shift towards deliberate social practices for our planet, our communities, and all forms of life. This requires breaking the ‘extract-work-and-spend’ cycle and reprioritizing our daily lives to free up time and space for lower-impact living and strengthening the social capital for effective collective action.
- We call for policies and corporate cultures that enable time sovereignty to disrupt the high-impact ‘extract-work-and-spend’ cycle and support sustainable lifestyles.
- We call for active investment in building communities based on trust, care and shared values as the foundational driver of collective action for local environmental stewardship.
MORE
- Learn more about the #MajorityForAction campaign.
- Join us at COP30. Attend our hybrid events online or in person: GLF Climate 2025 and the 8th Investment Case.
- Stay informed. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get the latest event announcements, environmental news, and more.
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Six pillars to build Africa’s nature economy: What works, who’s leading, what’s next Africa’s vast natural capital holds the potential to power a thriving ‘nature economy’, as the basis for a development model that is economically competitive, ecologically regenerative and socially equitable. Turning this promise into everyday reality demands bold leadership; inclusive governance; and innovative, value-based partnerships built on Africa’s priorities, shared interests and mutual respect.
GLF Africa 2025: Innovate, Restore, Prosper convened over 2000 participants and proposed six strategic pillars—rooted in the African continent’s natural capital, lived experiences, science, cultural heritage and valuest—for a new nature-driven development model. Rather than a panacea, these pillars form a practical framework that can make the difference between success and failure in building the continent’s nature economy and defining its leadership in contributing to the New Vision for Earth.
- Pillar 1: Recognize, value and integrate Africa’s natural capital into all development plans
- Pillar 2: Build effective and responsive governance and policies for natural resource stewardship
- Pillar 3: Secure the rights, and support the agency, of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, and women
- Pillar 4: Deliver sustainable finance to the last mile
- Pillar 5: Optimize AI and emerging technologies for Africa
- Pillar 6: Harness and integrate Africa’s plural knowledge systems
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]]>6 steps to build Africa’s nature economy
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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.
EXPLORE RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
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Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact was a hybrid event organized by the Global Landscapes Forum and hosted in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, and online. The event focused on how local communities can drive forest restoration and sustainable land use, ultimately creating a global impact. It aimed to explore the roles of stewardship, agroforestry, and finance in building a restoration economy. The event also highlighted the importance of including local communities, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups in decision-making processes.
This is a visual harvest mural synthesizing key insights from the event and inputs from both the online and in-person audience made by Anna Denardin.
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Forests, People, Planet, as it happened
Local communities are vital to the future of forests. How can we support them in taking their work to the next level?
At Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact, we gathered over 3,000 participants from 129 countries to find answers to this crucial question.
Held online and in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, alongside the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum 2025, this global event featured 60 speakers and over 50 global and local partner organizations, reaching almost 6 million people on social and traditional media channels, with almost 1 million engagements.
Building on GLF Forests 2025, we organized 8 plenaries, expert-led sessions and panel discussions to explore the key roles of stewardship, agroforestry and finance in building the restoration economy we need.
About this session
From the grassroots to the global stage, Landscape Talks will spotlight bold ideas and breakthrough solutions in forest stewardship. These dynamic talks feature fresh perspectives, showcasing how communities around the world are leading the way. Designed to inspire action and connection, each talk will bridge local circumstances with global ambitions for a more just, resilient and sustainable future.
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]]>The post New Vision for Earth Film Festival — FORESTS POP-UP! appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
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Forests, People, Planet, as it happened
Local communities are vital to the future of forests. How can we support them in taking their work to the next level?
At Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact, we gathered over 3,000 participants from 129 countries to find answers to this crucial question.
Held online and in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, alongside the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum 2025, this global event featured 60 speakers and over 50 global and local partner organizations, reaching almost 6 million people on social and traditional media channels, with almost 1 million engagements.
Building on GLF Forests 2025, we organized 8 plenaries, expert-led sessions and panel discussions to explore the key roles of stewardship, agroforestry and finance in building the restoration economy we need.
About this session
The New Vision for Earth Film Festival returns for its fifth edition – and this year, it starts in the forests. From the heart of the IMFN Global Forum and Forests, People, Planet, this special lineup brings powerful stories from the ground. Meet forest keepers and people sharing knowledge across generations.
Real forests. Real people. Real stories. Join the 90-minute screening, followed by a live conversation about community mobilization through cinema and explore how these stories connect us all – beyond the screen.
All films are available in English, French and Spanish.
The post New Vision for Earth Film Festival — FORESTS POP-UP! appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
]]>The post Closing plenary: Landscape approaches as the ‘new norm’ appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
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Forests, People, Planet, as it happened
Local communities are vital to the future of forests. How can we support them in taking their work to the next level?
At Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact, we gathered over 3,000 participants from 129 countries to find answers to this crucial question.
Held online and in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, alongside the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum 2025, this global event featured 60 speakers and over 50 global and local partner organizations, reaching almost 6 million people on social and traditional media channels, with almost 1 million engagements.
Building on GLF Forests 2025, we organized 8 plenaries, expert-led sessions and panel discussions to explore the key roles of stewardship, agroforestry and finance in building the restoration economy we need.
About this session
This closing plenary will wrap up a full day of insightful discussions by addressing a key question: how can landscape approaches become the norm rather than the exception? This is the time to connect vision with action.
Discover practical ways to establish inclusive, participatory landscape governance through policy alignment, integrated financing and stronger local leadership. Explore major avenues for change and what’s needed to embed stewardship into our political, social and economic systems.
The post Closing plenary: Landscape approaches as the ‘new norm’ appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
]]>The post The Canopy Sessions appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
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Forests, People, Planet, as it happened
Local communities are vital to the future of forests. How can we support them in taking their work to the next level?
At Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact, we gathered over 3,000 participants from 129 countries to find answers to this crucial question.
Held online and in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, alongside the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum 2025, this global event featured 60 speakers and over 50 global and local partner organizations, reaching almost 6 million people on social and traditional media channels, with almost 1 million engagements.
Building on GLF Forests 2025, we organized 8 plenaries, expert-led sessions and panel discussions to explore the key roles of stewardship, agroforestry and finance in building the restoration economy we need.
About this session
Join forest and landscape actors in discovering insights and lessons learned from the ground up. These three 30-minute moderated conversations will explore pressing issues like climate-related forest risks, intergenerational leadership and policymaking. Each dialogue will bring together practitioners and researchers working collaboratively or on similar themes, offering real-world perspectives on forest resilience. You’ll have the opportunity to take part in interactive polls to pitch your own bold ideas and emerging solutions. Together, let’s harness the collective intelligence of the Model Forest community and inspire action across landscapes and generations.
The post The Canopy Sessions appeared first on Global Landscapes Forum.
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