ID: 1701

Forest and Landscape Restoration in Southeast Asia (Restoration of high-biodiversity fire-prone forest landscapes in Southeast Asia)

● Restoration of approximately 1.2 million hectares across five Southeast Asian countries, prioritising degraded high-biodiversity fire-prone forest landscapes and watersheds. ● Mitigation of transboundary environmental issues, including air quality improvement by reducing haze from forest fires. ● Economic and social empowerment of local communities through agroforestry and sustainable forest resource management. ● Strengthening of biodiversity corridors to connect isolated ecosystems and improve resilience of species and support regional climate adaptation. ● Development of regional partnerships and adoption of new technologies (e.g., LiDAR, GIS) for more effective forest monitoring, management, and adaptive strategies. Southeast Asia’s forests are considered the most biodiverse on the planet, supporting critical habitat and ecosystem services. The region has experienced unprecedented deforestation due to unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable land-use practices. These activities threaten biodiversity while disrupting local and regional climate regulation. The region faces serious problems in terms of the presence of fire-prone landscapes whose degradation contributes to serious transboundary haze and associated health and economic risks across ASEAN countries. This indicates the need for collaborative multi-country approaches and actions in restoring degraded forests and landscapes and managing them in a sustainable manner. Problem Statement: Inefficient enforcement of land-use regulations, lack of land tenure rights, forest fragmentation, conversion pressures to alternative, more profitable land use and effects of climate change, such as increased frequency and intensity of drought events and wildfires are some of the main elements driving landscape degradation. Local communities in these areas depend on forest ecosystems for livelihood means; hence, the need for sustainable land and forest management. Problem Solution: This project will contribute to overcoming such challenges through the restoration of the high-biodiversity fire-prone forest landscapes through participatory approaches that integrate ecological, social, and economic objectives. It will aim at strengthening legal frameworks and fostering sustainable as well as community-oriented forest management. It shall further promote environmental restoration and economic resilience through the establishment of agroforestry systems, forest certification initiatives, and integration of technological innovation. Since the drivers of degradation vary among landscapes, analysis of the local context and stakeholder engagement in collaboratively identifying the underlying causes of degradation will be emphasized in this project. Main objective: To restore 1.2 million hectares of degraded high-biodiversity fire-prone forest landscapes across five Southeast Asian countries, in a manner that improves biodiversity, regional air quality, and supports resilient ecosystems, while economically empowering local communities via sustainable land management. 6. Outcomes 1. 1.2 million hectares of degraded high-biodiversity fire-prone forest landscapes restored, improving biodiversity corridors, and ecosystem connectivity to support species migration and resilience. 2. Forest fires haze significantly reduced; regional air quality improved, enhancing public health and economic activity across the transboundary areas. 3. Regulatory frameworks and mechanisms for addressing land tenure issues, lack of enforcement of land use regulations, illegal logging, land conversion pressures to profitable commercial oil palm and other such crops, and other unsustainable activities strengthened. 4. Agroforestry systems developed and sources of income among local peoples diversified, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and reducing dependency on unsustainable practices. 5. Technology with a high seedling survival rate and a remote sensing adopted for the purpose of monitoring the health of forests and ensuring high survival rates of seedlings. 6. Local communities are empowered through participatory restoration planning, fostering ownership, social cohesion, and long-term sustainability of restoration efforts.

Planned actions

Management of land/water

Protection of land/water