FORESTS4FUTURE: GIVING FORESTS A FUTURE

AFR100 member countries:

Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Togo

Area of impact:

Until 2026: Close to 9,500 ha of direct forest landscape restoration and positive environmental effects (e.g. biomass, erosion reduction, biodiversity, water availability) across an area of nearly 62,000 ha.

Investment amount and funder(s):

44 million EUR (almost 48 million USD)

Financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Key partners:

AUDA-NEPAD, IUCN, FAO Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), JustDiggit, Deutsche Forstservice (DFS), GLF (CIFOR/ICRAF), World Vision e.V., Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V.

About This Project

Tree nursery and kitchen garden in Adamaoua, Cameroon

Around one third of the earth's surface is covered by forests. Their value is immeasurable: they are home to around 80 percent of known animal and plant species outside the oceans, they are the basis of life for one fifth of the world’s population, store carbon and enhance resilience to climate change. However, more than 7.6 million hectares of forest are lost every year. Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) thus makes an important contribution to: climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, erosion control, food and water security, combating desertification, strengthening sustainable development and improving the living conditions for local populations.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project "Forests4Future" aims at restoring the ecological and productive functions of degraded forest landscapes and enhancing good governance in the forest sector. The project combines landscape and forest approaches, highlighting the special role of forests in rural development in the context of food security. The objectives include the following thematic areas:

Fostering FLR in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Togo, Benin, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire;
Improving forest governance; and
Supporting legal timber trade and the EU's forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) process in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Laos and Vietnam.

The target groups include, in particular, forestry and environmental policy makers in international initiatives and rural population groups in poverty in selected countries. Women and young people will receive special support. On behalf of and in close coordination with the BMZ, the "Forests4Future" project pursues various fields of action. The project works closely with the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) during its second phase and participates in the steering of the initiative.

Forests4Future’s component on FLEGT support aims to improve governance in the forest sector as well as legality and transparency in timber supply chains. FLR principles are applied to identify potential for scaling to achieve the national FLR goals in selected partner countries and to contribute to their national pledges to the AFR100. The goal is to sustainably manage landscape in close collaboration with the actors involved. The project will include a component on developing tree-based and non-timber product value chains from forests to increase the income of local populations and the sustainability of the project.

The implementation combines aspects of forest governance with FLR, thus improving the sustainability. In addition to supporting countries’ pledges to the AFR100, the project directly contributes to international FLR initiatives such as the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) and thus supports the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Country Impact

Ethiopia

The Forests4Future project in Ethiopia is implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Ethiopian Forest Development (EFD), formerly the Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Commission (EFCCC). The project aims at mobilizing international, national and local actors to contribute to FLR in the regions of Lake Chamo, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State. The project pursues two main fields of action: i), implementing FLR using tried-and-tested scalable techniques; ii) enhancing the economic benefits of tree use and documenting land use rights through promoting forest-related value chains, which in turn creates economic incentives for further investment in FLR.

In addition, the project applies measures to improve local conditions and develop financing approaches. The main expected outcomes include 1,950 ha restored and soil erosion controlled on an adjacent 9,750 ha. The project supports the development of eight village-based land-use plans drawn up by local and regional actors including integrated approaches for the restoration and sustainable use of forest landscapes. In addition, 800 households (of which 50% are women and 25% young people) involved in FLR interventions shall have increased their average income, from the use of tree-rich and productive landscapes, by an average of 20%.

Forests4Future contributes to the achievement of Ethiopia’s goals in the areas of restoration and management of forest resources, in the prevention of soil erosion, employment promotion and the conservation of biodiversity. It equally supports Ethiopia’s voluntary commitment to restore 15 million hectares within the context of AFR100.

Togo

Tree nursery, Tchamba Prefecture, Togo. © Ousman Hunhyet, DFS

In partnership with the Ministry for the Environment and Forest Resources (MERF) of Togo and implemented by the Deutsche Forstservice GmbH (DFS), Forests4Future aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of governmental and non-governmental actors for the implementation of the national FLR strategy, as well as to promote the potential of rural households for increased value addition of agroforestry products. The project targets the young population and women living in the Affem-Boussou commune in the Tchamba prefecture, as well as the people from Tchamba involved in the management of its four community forests (Alibi, Goubi, Bago and Koussountou).

The main intended outcomes of the project are: i) A Communal Development Plan created to strengthen institutional capacities for FLR implementation; ii) 900 ha restored with proven and scalable FLR techniques; iii) the economic benefits of tree use increased and the land use rights documented and promoted along the forest-related value chains, thus increasing the income of 1,320 households from the use of timber and non-timber forest products. The project contributes directly to the fulfillment of the voluntary commitment of restoring 1.4 million ha made by Togo within the framework of the AFR100.

Madagascar

Forests Landscape, Watershed Irodo, Region DIANA, Madagascar. © F4F GIZ

In Madagascar, the Forests4Future is partnering with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD). The project’s objective is to mobilize the international, national and local actors to contribute to the rehabilitation of forests and tree-rich productive landscapes in Diana and Boeny regions of Madagascar,. The project aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of governmental and non-governmental actors for the implementation of the national FLR strategy, as well as to promote the potentials of rural households and nurseries for increased value addition of agroforestry products.

The landscape selected for the FLR interventions is located in the watershed of the Irodo River, with an area of about 137,000 ha, distributed over six municipalities (Sadjoavato, Ankarongana, Anivorano, Antsalaka, Antsoa, Antsakoabe) with a total of 59,000 inhabitants. Expected outcomes of the project include five planning documents to improve governance in forestry and sustainable forest use; restore 1,600 ha; and improve the incomes of 1,700 local households. The project contributes directly to the fulfillment of Madagascar's voluntary commitment of restoring 4 million ha under AFR100.

Benin

Tree seedlings for reforestation near the village of Fetekou. © GIZ

In Benin, Forests4Future started in January 2022 and partners with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MCVDD). The project aims to mobilize the international, national and local actors to effectively implement FLR in the catchment of Pendjari and Mékrou rivers in northern Benin. The project combines an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach with FLR. The project supports partners in the implementation of the integrated land use planning for the restoration of forests and tree-rich, productive landscapes in selected areas.

The focus is on strengthening the capacity of key actors for the development of FLR guidelines and strategies that lead to the concrete implementation of FLR techniques at local level within the framework of development and water management plans (SAGE), and the valorisation and development of value chains for non-timber products in selected intervention areas. The expected outputs of the project in Benin include the initiation of a cross-sectoral dialogue platform for the coordination of FLR; 500 ha restored and a value chain for non-timber products developed, e.g. shea or neem. The project will contribute to the national FLR goal of restoring 500,000 hectares of degraded forest lands by 2030 as pledged in the AFR100 framework.

Cameroon

Forest landscape in Mankim, Centre Region, Cameroon. © Malin Elsen, GIZ

Forests4Future in Cameroon has been working on forest governance and law enforcement in the forest sector, especially on FLEGT, and is being expanded with an FLR component since January 2022. The project’s political partners are the Ministry of Forestry (MINFOF) and the Ministry of Environment (MINEPDED). The Ministry of Planning (MINEPAT) is another essential implementation partner. Forest4Future aims to mobilize local, national and international stakeholders to contribute to the restoration of the peripheral landscape surrounding the community forests of Yoko and Nanga Eboko through FLR and forest management measures, in accordance with AFR100, in order to improve the living standards of the population in adjacent villages.

The FLR measures and the suitable sites for implementation are selected on the basis of a participatory land use planning. The measures to protect and rehabilitate the peripheric zone of Yoko and Nanga-Eboko community forests are planned to complement community forest management. Measures can range from plantations for energy wood, to the promotion of agroforestry systems and other tree-based value chains, to the creation of grazing areas, firebreak protection and fodder production. The aim is to achieve indirect positive scale effects (of around 40,000 hectares) through, among others, the reduction of the pressure on the forest's natural resources. The project directly contributes to the pledge of 12 million ha Cameroon has made to AFR100 and aligns to the National Development Strategy (SND 30) and the national FLR Strategic Framework.

Côte d’Ivoire

Forests4Future has been working closely with the government of Côte d’Ivoire to advance the FLEGT process. From January 2022, the project embarked on implementing FLR. In partnership with the Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF), the project aims at promoting good governance in the forestry sector, contributing to the implementation of national restoration targets formulated by Côte d’Ivoire in the context of AFR100, and developing innovative approaches to increase the number of trees in agroforestry systems, notably cocoa. In collaboration with timber companies engaged in sustainable forest management in Côte d’Ivoire, the project links the FLEGT process to FLR activities to maximize benefits for rural communities.

The project activities are implemented in seven villages in the eastern central region of the country. Private sector actors are also involved in the restoration activities through the adoption of sustainable practices and directly through reforestation activities. One of the project’s priorities is to support land use planning that takes into account land rights, in particular strengthening the involvement of multiple actors in decision-making and implementation of the various activities. Expected outcomes include i) the realisation of a forest inventory, ii) the creation of improved framework conditions for the economic use of private reforestation, iii) the increase of biodiversity (flora) on 1,200 ha of cocoa plantations and on 300 ha of fallow land and iv) the increase of the income potential from cocoa and timber plantation management of 1,200 households (30% women-headed households and 25% youth-headed households) by 60%.