Restoring Forests and Trees for Sustainable Development: Policies, Practices, Impacts, and Ways Forward

A new book by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations Special Project World Forests, Society and Environment (IUFRO WFSE) is now available as open access at Oxford Academic. 

This book takes a multidisciplinary perspective to analyse and discuss the various opportunities and challenges of restoring tree and forest cover to address regional and global environmental challenges that threaten human well-being and compromise sustainable development. It examines forest restoration commitments, policies and programs, and their planning and implementation at different scales and contexts, and how forest restoration helps to mitigate environmental, societal, and cultural challenges.

The chapters explore the concept of forest restoration, how it can restitute forest ecosystem services, contribute to biodiversity conservation, and generate benefits and synergies, while recognizing the considerable costs, trade-offs, and variable feasibility of its implementation.

It also reviews historic and contemporary forest restoration practice and governance, variations in approaches and implementation across the globe, and relevant technological advances.

Using the insights from the ten topic-focused chapters, the book reflects on the possibility of sustainable and just approaches to meet the challenges that lie ahead to achieve ambitious international forest restoration targets and commitments. It was developed by 68 authors from research and development organizations and universities from different parts of world.

A related policy brief is also available and presents some of the main messages and conclusions from the book. It also provides an overview of the current global situation regarding forest restoration and related challenges and suggests ways for moving forward towards sustainable and just restoration with durable outcomes. Read the policy brief here.

And watch an interview with the book editors Pablo Pacheco (WWF) and Pia Katila (LUKE) at the IUFRO World Congress: 

You can also download the full document here.