Brittany Wienke

Reforestation and restoring degraded land have been identified as major opportunities for carbon sequestration, restoration of ecosystem services, and the potential to enhance and intensify agricultural yields. Panama has committed 1 million hectares to be restored as a part of the global Bonn Challenge. While there is often sufficient technical reforestation and ecological restoration know-how, there is a need to understand social and governance processes that aid or undo such efforts and to marry ecological restoration with methods that enhance local livelihoods. Community associations may be an important link to bridge the gap between international directives to reforest the landscape, maintain and enhance local livelihoods, and help climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts–and they may be key to scaling up restoration initiatives.