Rooted in restoration

The report “Rooted in restoration: Youth-led transformative change for regreening Africa” addresses how young Africans can be supported as leaders of restoration and holistic sustainable development practices rooted in their own needs and vision for Africa. Published by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in December 2024, it explores opportunities for transformative change that can shape restoration work as a viable option for prosperous livelihoods and a green future for Africa’s landscapes and seascapes. 

African landscapes are rapidly degrading, driven by expanding agriculture, market pressure, deforestation and the climate crisis. These landscapes must be urgently restored to safeguard the continent’s well-being, resilience and economy.

The report highlights how a sustainable greener future requires restoration frameworks designed and led by Africans, integrating the knowledge of local communities, including youth, Indigenous Peoples and other minorities. Takeaways stem from a consultation series led by the GLF Youth Team and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) in collaboration with Regreening Africa. 

These efforts should aim to achieve long-lasting land restoration – not attention-grabbing numbers that undermine progress in the long run. 

Key report takeaways: opportunities for transformative change

1. Funders, policy-makers and organisations must actively collaborate with youth leaders and local communities to co-create flexible financing models and accessible resources that enable independent, community-led restoration efforts to support livelihoods and landscapes. 
    
2. Policy-makers must commit to a paradigm shift for meaningful representation and participation of youth and other systematically excluded groups in decision and policymaking, ensuring that their needs, aspirations and expertise guide the design and implementation of restoration strategies.  
    
3. Governments must create policy mechanisms and financial incentives to link ecosystem restoration with livelihood opportunities for youth, especially for young women and those in rural and degraded landscapes and biodiversity hotspots. 
    
4. Environmental organisations and institutions must allocate resources to provide training for youth and restoration practitioners across Africa to implement or contribute to restoration projects. 
    
5. International environmental organisations and actors must use clear, culturally appropriate methods, language and platforms to co-create, strengthen and communicate the narrative of bottom-up and landscape-rooted ecosystem restoration for Africa. 

(CIFOR-ICRAF/ile)

Read the report on the GLF website