From nature-based solutions to landscape approaches: Key takeaways from the 8th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum

RECOFTC participated at the 8th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum (RCF) from 3 to 5 September 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. The forum is held every four years, and this year, it was organized around the theme, ‘Reimagining conservation in Asia: A nature-positive future’. The forum served as an important platform for exchanging knowledge and building partnerships in nature and biodiversity conservation across Asia. RECOFTC contributed to discussions on nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate action and forest landscape restoration.

At a parallel session on NbS for climate action, panellists shared experiences and innovations in combating climate change. David Ganz, RECOFTC’s executive director, led a discussion titled ‘Incentivizing tree planting for ecological-based adaptation, Trees4All in Nan Province, Thailand’. He shared RECOFTC’s success in implementing an alternative solution for farmers through innovative financial mobilization. 

The Trees4All project is located in Nan, historically, one of the most deforested areas in Thailand. More recently, the province is experiencing a massive maize boom. It is in this context that the Trees4All project has created an incentive for farmers to turn to tree-based crops. The project has an online crowdsourcing platform where those interested can sponsor a tree for a little over USD 3 (THB 100) per tree and track its progress over the years.

Now the project is looking to scale up its model to other districts and also look into carbon sequestration. Ganz emphasized the importance of partnerships in ensuring the success of the financial mobilization aspect of the project and its ability to connect people in urban areas with farmers in a rural district. Innovative nature-based solutions, he said, can help strike a balance between ensuring sustainable land use practices and supporting livelihoods.

Different roads to a landscape approach

We got together with IUCN and other partners to organize a forum side event, ‘Strengthening landscape approaches in Asia: Restoring and conserving ecosystems, reducing risks and empowering communities’, on 4 September. Together, we explored the concept of the landscape approach and how different modalities can be applied across Asia.
The session featured representatives from Model Forests from India (Kodagu Model Forest Trust) and the Philippines (Ulot watershed), the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). Practitioners shared their on-the-ground experiences and emphasized that while there is no single definition of a landscape approach, their work shares common elements.

Robert Nasi, director general of CIFOR, noted that while there is no single definition for the integrated landscape approach, the concept has sparked enthusiasm and presents potential for transformative change. He emphasized that landscape approaches break down silos between sectors, bringing diverse stakeholders together to address complex global challenges through collaborative, integrated thinking.

During the Q&A session, Jeff Sayer, an expert in integrated ecosystem and landscape approaches, emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to landscape management. Each landscape is unique, so integrated landscape approaches must be tailored to local contexts and conditions.

Partnership building is key to successful landscape approaches

David Ganz stressed that partnerships are crucial for successful implementation of the landscape approach. He noted that landscapes are fundamentally about people. RECOFTC has long collaborated with diverse partners – including the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, international organizations and governments – to build trust and strengthen partnerships. Good governance and strong partnerships are essential for scaling up landscape approaches

Working across sectors and with communities is essential to the landscape approaches our partners share. RECOFTC’s Marina Tornorsam, regional project manager for the Community-based Fire Management (CBFiM) project, emphasizes the importance of community collaboration. The CBFiM project focuses on the lower Mekong region and aims to reduce fire risks through community-based fire management. This involves working closely with local communities and experts to build their capacity to manage fires. With the increasing challenges posed by climate change, this approach helps ensure community participation and a broader understanding of fire management within the landscape.         

Liu Wenzhe, project manager at APFNet, highlighted that the landscape approach requires integrated thinking. APFNet’s experience shows that combining sustainable forest management with local livelihood improvement is crucial for success. This integration can motivate stakeholders, including farmers, to adopt sustainable practices. 

AFoCO’s Kikang Bae, strategic planning team leader, highlighted the importance of partnerships with the private sector for landscape restoration. It is envisioned that these collaborations will help AFoCO work towards bringing 10 million hectares of forests, agricultural drylands and drought-prone areas in Central, East, South and Southeast Asia under integrated dryland and drought management by 2032. This goal is part of the broader Landscape Partnership Asia initiative. Bae said that AFoCO’s experience suggests that public-private partnerships can be an effective mechanism for achieving landscape restoration objectives.

The Regional Model Forest Network-Asia and sustainable landscape practices

Preecha Ongprasert, director of the Forestry Foreign Affairs at Thailand's Royal Forest Department and Chair of RMFN-Asia, explained that the network focuses on bringing people together to manage their landscapes sustainably. RMFN-Aisa includes eight Model Forests in six Asian countries, helping to share knowledge across different landscapes.

At the event, we heard from two Model Forests. Cheppudira P Muthanna, chair of the Kodagu Model Forest Trust (and former President of Coorg Wildlife Society) shared Kodagu’s experiences with sustainable coffee and rice farming. Farmers grow coffee under the shade of trees, which encourages local communities in the area to preserve forests. This method is important because Kodagu is a major coffee-producing district in India, contributing up to 40 percent of the country’s total coffee output. Muthanna also highlighted the importance of paddy cultivation in the region. Kodagu’s paddy fields serve multiple purposes – they produce crops and act as water reservoirs. They capture and hold a large quantity of water that flows into the main catchment of the Kaveri River, which is a vital water source for approximately 80 million people in South India.

Eunice Babalcon, mayor of Paranas, Samar Province, Philippines, spoke about how the Ulot Watershed Model Forest successfully shifted from illegal logging to ecotourism. The local government worked closely with communities and formed partnerships with various organizations to provide resources and support for developing new job opportunities that protect the forest. Boats once used to transport illegal timber have been converted into river tour boats. Former illegal loggers now work as boat operators and tour guides. Babalcon stressed that this kind of positive change cannot happen without meaningful discussions with local communities and access to appropriate resources. This approach has helped preserve the forest while creating sustainable livelihoods for the community.

The side event showcased how landscape approaches are multi-faceted and context dependent. These approaches aim to integrate different, sometimes competing, objectives within a landscape. Success depends on understanding each area’s unique conditions and challenges. The key is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but working across sectors, listening to all stakeholders and working with communities. 

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The Regional Model Forest Network-Asia is supported by the Global Leadership Program under the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Canada.  

The Community-based fire management project is made possible through a five-year cooperative agreement between the USDA Forest Service International Programs and RECOFTC. The project receives financial support from the United States Indo-Pacific Command of the Department of Defense and funding from USAID and the USDA Forest Service International Programs.

The Trees4All project receives financial support from the Global Ecosystem-based Adaptation Fund and Wyss Academy for Nature.

RECOFTC’s work is made possible with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Government of Sweden.