How can you plan a landscape stretching across administrative boundaries? How can you guarantee the rights of certain user groups - like indigenous minorities - to access and control resources in places where these rights have not yet been formalized by law? Members of the learning network on forest landscape restoration (FLR) are currently discussing ten major principles underlying an adaptive landscape approach.
These principles range from finding a common concern amongst stakeholders in the landscape, to building a system of continual learning and adaptive management at landscape level. They were defined by a group of international experts led by CIFOR who do not only want to disseminate these principles, but also have them discussed and commented upon by FLR practitioners across the globe. Moreover, they wish to see the principles being tested, piloted and adopted by the learning sites attached to the network.
Debate and discussion
Discussing the principles has generated a lot of debate. For example, people share their experiences regarding the principle of ‘finding a common concern’ in forested areas which are threatened by illegal mining and other forms of destructive resources extraction. They also question themselves (and each other) which are the specific leadership characteristics needed to really work with the principles at ground level. These issues were also discussed during an international course in Thailand on landscape approaches and their application, organised by the Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation and RECOFTC.
Learning network
The discussions have brought the network into a new phase of collective learning, further shaping the idea of forest landscape restoration, and the process of collaborative learning. As the numbers of members is growing (currently around 250) some pilot activities and comparative research may be set up. Find the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration and its learning network on www.ideastransformlandscapes.org. The Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation has helped to develop the learning network website and discussion forum, and facilitates discussion and learning events.
