Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How to Learn Lessons from Field Experience in Forest Landscape Restoration: A Tentative Framework

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 13 July 2020

This article has been updated

Abstract

Lesson learning from field implementation generates new knowledge that is particularly important in the context of recently developed approaches, processes and complex systems with limited history and much uncertainty. One such approach is forest landscape restoration (FLR). Although grounded in a number of disciplines (e.g., conservation biology, landscape ecology, restoration ecology), FLR has remained very fluid and molded to suit different stakeholders, from local to global. Today, many countries or organizations pledge to implement FLR. Global commitments, especially following the Bonn Challenge on FLR (established in 2011), aim to upscale FLR to achieve social, biodiversity, and carbon benefits. However, the FLR approach is relatively new (<20 years), complex due to its multifaceted nature, and long-term field experience and results are still limited. That makes lesson learning from past, ongoing and related approaches particularly urgent. We propose here a first attempt at a framework for lesson learning in FLR that can serve to ground both practice and policy in field experiences to date.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 13 July 2020

    An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

References

  • Amsler S (2019) Gesturing towards radical futurity in education for alternative futures. Sustain Sci 14:925–930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antuma J, Esch B, Hall B, Munn E, Sturges F (2014) Restoring forests and communities: lessons from the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. School of Natural Resource and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • Armitage D, Marschke M, Plummer R (2008) Adaptive co-management and the paradox of learning. Glob Environ change 18(1):86–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aronson J, Alexander S (2013) Ecosystem restoration is now a global priority: time to roll up our sleeves. Restor Ecol 21(3):293–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barr CM, Sayer JA (2012) The political economy of reforestation and forest restoration in Asia–Pacific: critical issues for REDD+. Biol Conserv 154:9–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartsch V, Ebers M, Maurer I (2013) Learning in project-based organizations: the role of project teams’ social capital for overcoming barriers to learning. Int J Proj Manag 31(2):239–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F (2009) Evolution of co-management: role of knowledge generation, bridging organizations and social learning. J Environ Manag 90(5):1692–1702

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Besseau P, Graham S, Christophersen T (eds) (2018) Restoring forests and landscapes: the key to a sustainable future. Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Borrás S (2011) Policy learning and organizational capacities in innovation policies. Sci Public Policy 38(9):725–734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brancalion PH, Niamir A, Broadbent E, Crouzeilles R, Barros FS, Zambrano AMA, Baccini A, Aronson J, Goetz S, Reid JL, Strassburg BB (2019) Global restoration opportunities in tropical rainforest landscapes. Sci Adv 5(7):eaav3223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano AS, Lyons-White J, Mills MM, Knight AT (2019) Learning from published project failures in conservation. Biol Conserv 238:108223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins AM, Coughlin D, Randall N (2019) Engaging environmental policy-makers with systematic reviews: challenges, solutions and lessons learned. Environ Evid 8(1):2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke SJ, Rous AM, Donaldson LA, Taylor JJ, Rytwinski T, Prior KA, Smokorowski KE, Bennett JR (2018) Evidence‐based restoration in the Anthropocene—from acting with purpose to acting for impact. Restor Ecol 26(2):201–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dudley N, Bhagwat SA, Harris J, Maginnis S, Moreno JG, Mueller GM, Oldfield S, Walters G (2018) Measuring progress in status of land under forest landscape restoration using abiotic and biotic indicators. Restor Ecol 26(1):5–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffield S, Whitty SJ (2015) Developing a systemic lessons learned knowledge model for organisational learning through projects. Int J Proj Manag 33(2):311–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grantham HS, Bode M, McDonald-Madden E, Game ET, Knight AT, Possingham HP (2010) Effective conservation planning requires learning and adaptation. Front Ecol Environ 8(8):431–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge I, Adams W (2016) Short-term projects versus adaptive governance: conflicting demands in the management of ecological restoration. Land 5(4):39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Illeris K (2007) How we learn: learning and non-learning in school and beyond. Routledge, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lake FK, Parrotta J, Giardina CP, Davidson-Hunt I, Uprety Y (2018) Integration of Traditional and Western knowledge in forest landscape restoration. In: Mansourian S, Parrotta J (eds) Forest landscape restoration: integrated approaches to support effective implementation. Routledge, London, p 198–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb D, Stanturf J, Madsen P (2012) What is forest landscape restoration? In: Stanturf J, Lamb D, Madsen P (eds) Forest landscape restoration. Springer, Dordrecht, p 3–23

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lauber TB, Stedman RC, Decker DJ, Knuth BA (2011) Linking knowledge to action in collaborative conservation. Conserv Biol 25(6):1186–1194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansourian S (2018) In the eye of the beholder: reconciling interpretations of forest landscape restoration. Land Degrad Dev 29(9):2888–2898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansourian S, Sgard A (2019) Diverse interpretations of governance and their relevance to forest landscape restoration. Land Use Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.05.030

  • Mansourian S, Sumbi P, Bonifasi E, Meshack C, Malugu I, Vallauri D (2019) Lessons learnt from 10 years of restoration of coastal and sub-montane tropical forests: the east Usambara landscape (Tanzania). Field series, experiences in forest landscape restoration, WWF France, Paris

  • Mansourian S, Géraux H, do Khac E, Vallauri D (2018) Lessons learnt from seventeen years of restoration in new Caledonia’s dry tropical forest. Field series, experiences in forest landscape restoration, WWF France, Paris

  • Mansourian S, Vallauri D, Dudley N (eds) (2005) Forest restoration in landscapes: beyond planting trees. Springer Science & Business Media, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Ockendon N, Thomas DH, Cortina J, Adams WM, Aykroyd T, Barov B, Boitani L, Bonn A, Branquinho C, Brombacher M, Burrell C (2018) One hundred priority questions for landscape restoration in Europe. Biol Conserv 221:198–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PMI (2013) A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide), 5th edn. PMI, Pennsylvania

    Google Scholar 

  • Pistorius T, Freiberg H (2014) From target to implementation: perspectives for the international governance of forest landscape restoration. Forests 5(3):482–497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao M, Ginsberg J (2010) From conservation theory to practice: crossing the divide. Conserv Biol All 11:1000–1002

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed M, Evely AC, Cundill G, Fazey IR, Glass J, Laing A, Newig J, Parrish B, Prell C, Raymond C, Stringer L (2010) What is social learning? Ecol Soc 15(4):r1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rissman AR, Smail R (2015) Accounting for results: how conservation organizations report performance information. Environ Manag 55(4):916–929

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe SF, Sikes S (2006) Lessons learned: taking it to the next level. Paper presented at the PMI® Global Congress—North America, Seattle, WA, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, PA. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/lessons-learned-next-level-communicating-7991. Accessed 25 Feb 2019

  • Sabogal C, Besacier C, McGuire D (2015) Forest and landscape restoration: concepts, approaches and challenges for implementation. Unasylva 66(245):3

    Google Scholar 

  • Salafsky N, Margoluis R (2003) What conservation can learn from other fields about monitoring and evaluation. BioScience 53(2):120–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler M, Eppler MJ (2003) Harvesting project knowledge: a review of project learning methods and success factors. Int J Proj Manag 21(3):219–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson PJ (2019) The Holy Grail of biodiversity conservation management: monitoring impact in projects and project portfolios. Perspect Ecol Conserv 17(4):182–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Steyaert P, Jiggins J (2007) Governance of complex environmental situations through social learning: a synthesis of SLIM’s lessons for research, policy and practice. Environ Sci Policy 10(6):575–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vallauri DR, Aronson J, Barbero M (2002) An analysis of forest restoration 120 years after reforestation on badlands in the southwestern Alps. Restor Ecol 10(1):16–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Oosten C (2013) Restoring landscapes—governing place: a learning approach to forest landscape restoration. J Sustain For 32(7):659–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veldman JW, Overbeck GE, Negreiros D et al. (2015) Tyranny of trees in grassy biomes. Science 347(6221):484–485

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White M, Cohan A (2016) A guide to capturing lessons learned. The Nature Conservancy, Washington, DC

  • Williams T (2008) How do organisations learn lessons from projects—and do they? IEEE Trans Eng Manag 55(2):248–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolosin M (2017) Large-scale forestation for climate mitigation: lessons from South Korea, China, and India. San Climate and Land Use Alliance, Francisco, CA, p 60

Download references

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank PJ Stephenson and Gretchen Walters for their feedback and suggestions on an earlier draft of this article as well as two anonymous reviewers whose feedback helped us improve the article. We also acknowledge Bertrand Dubois’ support in refining the graphics.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mansourian.org, Mont d′eau, 1276, Gingins, Switzerland

    Stephanie Mansourian

  2. University of Geneva, 24 rue du Général-Dufour, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland

    Stephanie Mansourian

  3. WWF France, Paris, France

    Daniel Vallauri

Authors
  1. Stephanie Mansourian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Vallauri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephanie Mansourian.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mansourian, S., Vallauri, D. How to Learn Lessons from Field Experience in Forest Landscape Restoration: A Tentative Framework. Environmental Management 66, 941–951 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01295-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01295-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation