Noticias 18 Oct, 2024

New PANORAMA Solutions In Focus publication presents TRI Policy Impacts

The policy impacts of the ten country projects of The Restoration Initiative (TRI) are the theme of the new PANORAMA Solutions In Focus publication, highlighting the diverse strategies adopted by country teams to overcome the challenges they faced and to build an enabling policy environment for forest and landscape restoration (FLR). The publication covers the common challenges encountered by TRI countries, the policy-influencing strategies they employed to tackle these hurdles, the success factors, and the long-term impact achieved. The policy-influencing strategies include assisting in formulating and negotiating policy, conducting policy reviews, creating knowledge, and establishing stakeholder platforms to facilitate inclusive engagement in these strategies.

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Common challenges at the outset of TRI

TRI is implemented in countries with diverse ecosystems – from arid lands, tropical forests to mangroves – and with particular realities regarding restoration policy, legal and governance structures, information availability, financial and technical resources, and restoration knowledge or awareness. However, there were some notable similarities in the challenges TRI countries experienced at the outset.

The first of these challenges was the need for more political will among government officials to prioritise FLR initiatives. Another common issue was the need for more public awareness about the severity of forest degradation and deforestation and the principles that guide high-quality ecosystem restoration. In Cameroon, for instance, some officials viewed restoration as a measurement of forest surface area, while others viewed it as an ecosystem function.

Lastly, insufficient technical, financial, and administrative resources posed a significant barrier to policy development. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), local coordinators and provincial bodies initially lacked the financial, political, and administrative capacity to push policies through the approval process.

Common policy influencing strategies

TRI country teams employed diverse policy-influencing strategies to overcome the above-mentioned barriers and achieve their policy objectives, contributing to a policy environment conducive to FLR.