Dear IUFRO Meliaceae E-list: Below is IUFRO Spotlight #82. Other Spotlights can be found at: http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/ Regards, Sheila Ward Deputy Coordinator IUFRO WP 1.02.04 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: IUFRO Headquarters &lt;office(a)iufro.org&gt; Date: Mon, Sep 28, 2020 at 10:54 AM Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder &lt;mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com&gt; [image: IUFRO Spotlight] IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success *IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion, significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member organizations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and researchers. IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language, brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with information on where/how to access the full documents.* *Occasionally, IUFRO Spotlight also presents special activities such as sessions at major IUFRO congresses or the work of the IUFRO Task Forces. These focus on emerging key issues that contribute to international processes and activities and are of great interest to policy makers and to groups inside and outside the forest sector. With those criteria in mind, the Spotlights for the next several months will highlight the undertakings and goals of the IUFRO Task Forces. The IUFRO Spotlights will be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.* Developing evidence-based cases for planted forests PDF for download <https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/spotlights/spotlight82-flr-local-involvement.pdf> [image: Photo showing Involvement of local people is key to successful forest landscape restoration (example from India). Photo credit: Michael Kleine, IUFRO.] Involvement of local people is key to successful forest landscape restoration (example from India). Photo credit: Michael Kleine, IUFRO. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." That classic line from the Paul Newman movie, *Cool Hand Luke*, has since become a catch phrase to describe situations – some comical, others quite serious – that go awry when people aren't on the same page. Used in its more serious sense, that phrase can explain the failure of many Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) projects. A recent survey paper: *Forest Landscape Restoration – What Generates Failure and Success*, shows that failing to involve local stakeholders and-or a mismatch between goals of local communities and restoration managers, as well as environmental, anthropogenic and technical barriers to tree regeneration can be major obstacles to success. Several members of an IUFRO Task Force (TF) entitled *Transforming Forest Landscapes for Future Climates and Human Well-being* developed the paper. It summarizes the information provided in a global online survey on experiences with forest restoration and adaptation. There are nine TFs currently operating under the IUFRO umbrella and exploring a number of forest-related challenges across the globe. This particular TF is dedicated to providing the scientific basis for transforming forest landscapes to climate-resilient land-use systems that fulfil the complete spectrum of ecosystem service requirements of current and future societies. The survey paper highlights various problems and success factors with FLR projects on a global scale and notes that "there are high hopes for Forest and Landscape Restoration to regain ecosystem integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested and degraded areas." But, as Markus Hoehl, of Germany's Thuenen Institute, and the main author of the paper, points out, "when local communities, their goals and needs, are disregarded in project planning and implementation, as reported from various cases in our survey, there is a risk of project failure." The paper warns that "failed projects and disappointed stakeholders, as well as discouraged funders and policy-makers, could lessen the momentum of global forest restoration ambitions." FLR has been described as "more than just planting trees – it is restoring a whole landscape to meet present and future needs and to offer multiple benefits and land uses over time." The paper describes the general results obtained in the survey and highlights particular problems and possible solutions described by the respondents. The identified issues are then discussed with respect to the related literature to provide a current overview of the global challenges and facilitating factors experienced during the practical implementations of forest restoration. Published tools to overcome common restoration obstacles are presented to provide a solution-oriented reference for forestry experts. All problems included in the paper were described by more than one respondent. There was no single cause but several factors that contributed to project failure for many unsuccessful projects. Moreover, the problems were interrelated, and the participation of the local community, or the lack thereof, was an overarching topic found in the survey responses that connects to all other topics presented. In identifying common obstacles and success factors for the implementation of forest restoration, the paper notes that the majority of respondents reported successful projects though some others reported drastic problems and failed projects. "While (many) promising FLR success stories are being prominently showcased, many restoration projects fail to meet their expectations. Success stories can provide lessons for future restoration projects and can undoubtedly be necessary to convince potential FLR investors or policy-makers," the paper notes. However, it goes on to say, restoration failures are much more rarely communicated and so the helpful lessons that could be learned from them, such as avoidance of common mistakes, are not readily available. The paper aims to share practical experiences – good and bad – in forest restoration among the FLR community and beyond. Among its conclusions, the paper notes: "Research is needed to gain a better understanding of the perception of local communities towards restoration activities. Further studies on the implementation of forest restoration at the intersection of environmental factors, socioeconomic conditions, forest regeneration/silviculture, and nursery production are needed." *The full paper can be found at: *https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/9/938 *About the IUFRO Task Force: * https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/transforming-forest-landscapes/ *________________________________* The findings reported in *IUFRO Spotlight* are submitted by IUFRO officeholders and member organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility of the member organization and the authors. Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you would like to have a publication highlighted by Spotlight, contact: Gerda Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org &lt;wolfrum(a)iufro.org&gt;rg>. The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees. Visit: https://www.iufro.org/ *________________________________* *IUFRO Spotlight #82, published in September 2020* *by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Available for download at: **https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/ <https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>* *Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org &lt;office(a)iufro.org&gt; or visit https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> You are receiving this message, because you are an IUFRO member or officeholder or have registered for one of our web-based email distribution lists. If you wish to unsubscribe from IUFRO Spotlight publications, please send us a short note by e-mail (burger(at)iufro.org &lt;burger(a)iufro.org&gt;).* *Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944 <https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*