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The European Union’s Landscapes for Our Future programme supports 22 integrated landscape management projects across 19 countries and 3 sub-regions across the Global South.

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Facilitating with respect: Lessons from Zimbabwe’s Lowveld

When Lemson Betha first arrived in Zimbabwe’s southeast Lowveld to work as a facilitator for SAT-WILD, he was stepping into unfamiliar territory: he hadn’t grown up in the region, and didn’t speak the local language. But he knew that building trust would be the foundation of any successful work.

Today, the Sustainable Integrated Landscape Management in the Gonarezhou National Park and surrounding communities project is regarded as one of the strongest role models amongst the 22 projects in the Landscapes For Our Future programme, not because SAT-WILD and the other project partners had all the answers from the start, but because they have remained committed to facilitation, co-creation, and adaptive learning. Lemson’s reflections below offer invaluable guidance for anyone working with communities on complex, long-term landscape challenges.

Learn directly from Lemson or read the summary below:

Begin with respect

For Lemson, the starting point is simple but powerful: treat communities as equals. “View them as people with the same potential and capability in achieving goals,” he says. Respect isn’t just an attitude – it’s also shown through action.

That means recognizing and following local structures. Traditional leaders such as chiefs and headmen hold important roles, and there are established cultural protocols for introducing yourself. “If you don’t follow their procedures, you’ll struggle to penetrate those communities.”

Respecting these systems signals humility and seriousness. It opens the door for collaboration rather than confrontation.

Work through local voices

Language can be a barrier – or a bridge. Lemson speaks Ndebele and Shona, but in Gonarezhou most people use Tsonga or Shangaan. Rather than seeing this as an obstacle, he teamed up with colleagues from the area who can translate and explain cultural nuances.

Communication, he stresses, isn’t just about words. It’s about ensuring that everyone understands, feels included, and sees themselves in the process. That often requires adapting your methods.

Make it practical and participatory

“We are not there to deliver PowerPoints,” Lemson says with a smile. In communities where abstract diagrams don’t resonate, SAT-WILD uses props and local metaphors.

  • A sponge becomes a model of resilience – it can be squeezed but always bounces back, and it holds water for future use.
  • A three-legged cooking pot illustrates sustainable development: social, environmental, and economic “legs” must all be balanced, while governance provides the base.

By drawing on everyday objects, facilitators turn complex concepts into something tangible, memorable, and actionable. Group work, illustrations, and hands-on activities ensure that knowledge is not just shared but co-created.

Value indigenous knowledge

Too often, practitioners treat communities as “empty jars” to be filled with external expertise. Lemson rejects this model. “They already have water in their jars,” he insists. Communities bring rich indigenous knowledge and lived experience that must be woven together with scientific and technical insights.

By asking “What do you know about this?” facilitators create space for dialogue. That blending of perspectives doesn’t just build better solutions – it builds ownership. And ownership is what makes projects last beyond donor cycles.

Stay flexible

Development timelines are often tight, but rigid schedules rarely work on the ground. Community events, ceremonies, or farming activities may clash with planned workshops. Lemson’s advice: don’t force it.

“Be flexible to change, tailor-make activities to fit into their plans, and work with them,” he says. “We are not at war. We are one big family wanting to achieve greater work in the landscape.”

Facilitate for co-creation

Ultimately, Lemson sees his role not as leading but as facilitating. SAT-WILD doesn’t claim the project as its own. “It’s not our project – it’s their project,” he explains, referring to the communities and other partners, including Malipati Developmentt Trust, Ngwenyeni Community Environment & Development Trust, local Authorities, Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, Manjinji Bosman’s Community Conservation and Tourism Partnership and SAT-WILD “We are just coming as facilitators, working with them.”

That mindset transforms relationships. It shifts from top-down instruction to shared problem-solving. It builds resilience not only in communities but also in the partnerships that support them.

Conclusion: A role model for ILM

For practitioners working in Integrated Landscape Management, Lemson’s advice is clear: respect local structures, adapt communication, make learning practical, value indigenous knowledge, and remain flexible.

It sounds simple – and in many ways it is. But doing these things consistently, with patience and humility, is what allows trust to grow. And trust, as SAT-WILD’s experience shows, is the foundation of lasting change.

Guardians of the green: local stewardship of a global treasure

Mauritius dazzles with emerald peaks and turquoise seas — but its “green” landscapes hide centuries of ecological loss. Nearly 90% of native forests are gone, leaving Mauritians with the urgent responsibility of stewarding biodiversity of global significance.

When you land in Mauritius, the first impression is one of dazzling beauty: emerald mountains rising above a turquoise lagoon, sugarcane swaying in the breeze, and pockets of deep green forest. As you step out of the airport, the first sign that greets you proudly proclaims: “Welcome to Mauritius – a Green Island.” Looking out towards the horizon, all you see are rolling green landscapes stretching to the sea. But it is a trick of the eye: these are not native forests, but vast expanses of sugarcane plantations. The island’s rich natural heritage has been reshaped over centuries, and beneath the surface of this apparent greenness lies a deeper story.

A story of centuries of ecological transformation. Since human arrival, Mauritius has lost almost 90% of its native forests, much of it cleared for sugarcane and settlements. Invasive plants and animals now dominate many landscapes, and the once-thriving populations of endemic species have been reduced to fragile fragments. It is this history that gives urgency to today’s efforts to restore and steward the island’s unique, globally relevant biodiversity.

The Mauritius from Ridge to Reef (R2R) project has taken up this challenge with a holistic vision: linking mountains, rivers, forests, and reefs into one continuous fabric of restoration. From weeding invasive plants on steep slopes, to encouraging community apiculture, to protecting coastal wetlands and coral reefs, the project is premised on the idea that resilience is only possible when land and sea are managed together.

Restoration, however, is not only about plants and trees – it is about people. The conservation space in Mauritius has many actors: NGOs, government departments, and ministries whose mandates sometimes overlap. Collaboration among them must be strengthened. Restoration itself is a natural integrator: degraded land is found on coastal shores, within forests, and across agricultural landscapes. But for these efforts to truly benefit biodiversity, connectivity, and resilience, ecosystems – and the ministries responsible for them – need better integration. 

Recognizing this, CIFOR-ICRAF this past month worked alongside partners to support a consultation workshop for the new Biodiversity Stewardship Platform (BSP). 

Over three dozen participants gathered, representing a rich cross-section of Mauritian society: government ministries, NGOs, research institutions, youth representatives, private sector leaders, and local community organizations. Together, they grappled with a simple but profound question: how can Mauritius move from fragmented projects toward an integrated, long-term platform for stewardship?

The conversations were lively and candid. Stakeholders spoke of the need for a common vision, one that balances conservation with development, and puts equity at the heart of decision-making. Breakout groups wrestled with the design of the BSP — its governance structure, its functions, and how it could build credibility through transparency and inclusive participation. Ideas flowed: a communications hub to tell Mauritius’s biodiversity story; a knowledge-sharing system to capture lessons; and mechanisms for monitoring progress, so that commitments translate into results.

Workshop outcomes

By the close of the workshop, three major outcomes had emerged:

  1. A shared vision for the BSP as a national hub for coordination, learning, and action on biodiversity stewardship.
  2. Agreement on a draft structure, including a steering group and multi-stakeholder working groups to carry forward priority themes.
  3. Commitment to collaboration, with participants voicing readiness to contribute data, align projects, and champion the BSP across their networks.

There was a sense of possibility in the room — that Mauritius, despite its small size, can pioneer innovative governance for restoration and biodiversity.

We cannot afford to work in silos any longer. The Platform is where our efforts will finally meet.

BSP workshop participant

Looking ahead, the BSP will aim to knit together the many threads of biodiversity work across the island. Its ambition is to become a space where government, civil society, communities, and businesses co-create solutions, exchange lessons, and hold each other accountable. If successful, the Platform will not only accelerate restoration outcomes but also embed stewardship into the social fabric of Mauritius – ensuring that the island’s globally important natural heritage is cherished and safeguarded for the world. 

Mauritius’s story, then, is one of both loss and renewal: centuries of degradation now giving rise to bold new approaches. The Ridge to Reef project shows what’s possible in practice; the BSP offers a governance model to sustain it. Together, they chart a hopeful course for an island that has long been defined by its nature, and whose future depends on it.

Newsletter #11 | July 2025

Integrated Landscape Management in the real world: We’ve been visiting; you’ve been talking; we’ve all been learning.
Behind the scenes: Khalil Walji and Kim Geheb flaunt Papua New Guinean headgear as they meet with Sam Moko on their recent learning visit to Enga Province, PNG.

We’ve been travelling. And learning. A lot! Since our Southeast Asian regional summit late last year, we’ve visited the bulk of Landscapes For Our Future’s 22 projects in an effort to glean those insights that are not evident when analyzing single projects. As most of you’re aware, since you’re such key parts of it, we’re documenting your hard-earned experience for the benefit of future practitioners and policymakers who want to design and implement Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) interventions.

The final results are not yet in, but we’re happy to share some initial feedback. In this newsletter: 

👉    Divine Foundjem reflects on some innovative strategies in Francophone Africa

👉   Peter Cronkleton and Natalia Cisneros provide insights on their learnings from Latin America

👉    Kim Geheb contemplates whether ILM can be a vehicle for peace in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere

👉    Our SE Asian colleagues reveal their top ILM success factors

👉    Our Latin American and Caribbean project teams illustrate the role of iterative learning and adaptation in politically sensitive, ecologically important, and operationally challenging settings.

These visits showed us that there’s still so much to uncover. With the right approaches, the right questions, and the right space for reflection, people begin to see things differently.” 
– Divine Foundjem, LFF focal point for Francophone Africa

UPDATES

Insights from our lesson learning process

First: thank you to each of the country teams for being such wonderful hosts and collaborators! You already know that our visits were not business as usual. They were structured moments for real reflection, where we sat down together over long and intense days to look back at what had been done in the landscapes and ask key questions:

  • What have we learned?
  • What worked well?
  • What didn’t work as expected?
  • And what does that tell us about how to improve integrated landscape management?

In his blog post, Divine Foundjem shares how teams used LFF’s framework of six ILM dimensions to uncover valuable insights — from the role of decentralised planning in Senegal to the unexpected impact of football matches as a conflict resolution tool in Burkina Faso.

Learn from Francophone Africa

In Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay, our team found projects making real strides in bringing diverse stakeholders together and grounding Integrated Landscape Management in concrete local actions. Yet challenges remain around scaling up and sustaining this momentum over time. These reflections offer practical lessons for landscape practitioners and donors everywhere – insights that are vital as we shape the next generation of landscape programmes.

Learn from Latin America

REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD

How has iterative learning and adaptation manifested across LFF landscapes?

Iterative learning is emerging as a powerful driver of action across LFF landscapes by enabling projects to remain responsive, adaptive, and grounded in local realities. Rather than relying on rigid plans, project teams embrace flexible, feedback-driven approaches that allow them to learn alongside communities, adjust strategies based on real-time insights, and co-create solutions that are both effective and locally legitimate. Whether through peer exchanges in Ecuador, participatory experiments in Colombia, or adaptive planning in Paraguay, this continuous learning process is helping overcome political, ecological, and social challenges, translating reflection into tangible progress on the ground.

Read more

Can ILM be a vehicle for peace?

In the YouTube video above, Jacky Yalanda tells his story.  A former hireman reputed to have killed dozens of people, he now works for the PNG Forestry Department, which is planting 100,000 trees in the Kenda Valley, where fighting has depopulated the land.

In Papua New Guinea’s remote and rugged landscapes, local conflicts can threaten both people’s safety and the natural resources they depend on. Yet ILM approaches can help build the trust and collaboration needed to reduce tensions and unlock progress for people and nature alike.

These clans are tight. The social capital of Enga province is immense. But this can also lead to problems. As one of my colleagues here put it, ‘When you attack one [clan member], you attack us all. Even if I do not agree with your perspective, I will come to fight alongside you.’ And that’s the thing. The Engans fight a lot.”

– Kim Geheb

Kim Geheb’s latest blog explore how our project in PNG is navigating these challenges – and what lessons this holds for landscape practitioners and donors working in fragile contexts.

Read the blog

PUBLICATIONS

What does it take to make ILM work in practice? Lessons from SE Asia

Practitioners and donors working across Southeast Asia gathered in Bangkok late last year with a shared purpose: to learn, unlearn, and exchange honest reflections. Together, we unpacked what drives success, what holds progress back, and what lessons can guide us into the future.

These insights are highly relevant for implementors worldwide, whether those in our Landscapes For Our Future programme or those shaping new initiatives. Download the illustrated report for key takeaways that can inform your own landscape efforts.

Download the report

Observing how iterative learning and adaptation contribute to Integrated Landscape Management

Progress might require a meandering route in politically sensitive, ecologically important, and operationally challenging settings. Recent experiences from our landscapes in Latin America and the Caribbean illustrate how adaptive learning offers a way forward.

Over recent months, the LFF Central Component in Latin America has been collaborating with EU-funded Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) initiatives to gain a deeper understanding of how different dimensions of ILM function in practice, particularly iterative and adaptive learning.

Iterative and adaptive learning are key characteristics of effective ILM initiatives. This is because landscapes are highly complex and dynamic socio-ecological systems with multiple and dynamic interacting elements and a high degree of uncertainty about how they will evolve.

“A socio-ecological system is an integrated system of people and nature, where ecological and social components are interdependent and co-evolve through feedbacks.”

— Elinor Ostrom, 2009

As we described in our Landscapes in Practice guideline, iterative learning is a continuous, cyclical process of learning through action, reflection, and adjustment. It involves testing ideas or strategies, observing the results, gathering feedback, and then refining approaches based on what was learned. Rather than following a fixed plan, iterative learning enables adaptation over time, particularly in complex or dynamic environments. Without iterative learning processes, initiatives can fall into a trap of static planning and top-down technocratic fixes. This process of identifying best practices and improving over time is often described as a ‘learning by doing’ approach.

To encourage ILM proponents to reflect on the role of iterative and adaptive learning in their work, the LFF team has been facilitating reflective activities with these ILM practitioners, supporting them as they learn from their own experiences.

Facilitation has included group exchanges, workshops, bilateral discussions, and peer exchanges across regions.

In November 2024, the Central Component organized an Iterative Learning Webinar, which brought together colleagues from multiple ILM projects, including Paisajes Andinos (Ecuador), Mi Biósfera (Honduras), the OECS-ILM Project (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States), and Paisajes Sostenibles (Colombia).

This gathering focused on knowledge sharing and dialogue among ILM practitioners in the region to highlight practical solutions and approaches for iterative learning and encouraging reflection on governance, institutionalization, and stakeholder engagement for adaptive management.

LFF partners emphasized the critical role of cross-sector partnerships in advancing sustainable landscape outcomes. Speakers stressed that building and maintaining these partnerships – especially across governments, communities, and NGOs – is not always easy, especially amid changing political and financial contexts. Yet, it is precisely this collaborative spirit that enables long-term impact, and landscape approaches are, by nature, long-term investments.

Khalil Walji, representing the LFF Central Component, noted: “Through our Joint Reflection and Learning Missions, we’ve seen firsthand how collaborative learning can lead to significant improvements in land restoration efforts.”

Participants exchanged fresh ideas on innovative strategies to bolster these alliances, such as participatory governance models and capacity-building initiatives, ultimately highlighting the essential role of cooperation in driving sustainable outcomes in landscape management.

The webinar highlighted LFF’s strategy of fostering collaboration among projects to improve practices and outcomes by learning from one another.

A common thread among the experiences was the value of integrating local knowledge into landscape management strategies and giving voice and ownership of the process to local resource managers.  We believe the integration of local knowledge into our practices is essential for achieving sustainability in landscape management.

Lessons from the field: How has adaptation manifested across LFF landscapes?

Ecuador – Paisajes Andinos

During our March (2025) visit to Ecuador, the Paisajes Andinos team recounted the approach they had used to support community conservation of a threatened páramo landscape in the Simiátug parish. Rather than imposing a predefined conservation model, the project supported local stakeholders in exploring governance mechanisms through exchange visits and dialogues. They had initiated a process where communities visited others to learn from their experiences, which helped target communities surrounding the paramo learn from their experiences. This, in turn, enabled the communities surrounding the targeted páramos to identify potential governance mechanisms that conserved resources and secured rights. The project had also invested time in building trust between the communities and Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment. As a result, the communities had decided that a mechanism known as a Hydrological Protection Area was best suited to their needs and had joined local and national government, NGOs and FAO in a collaborative effort to demarcate and develop it.

Colombia – Paisajes Sostenibles

During an April 2025 learning mission to Santa Marta, Colombia, staff from the Paisajes Sostenibles partner INVEMAR recounted their experience working with fisherfolk in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM). In response to observed declines in the blue crab stock due to overfishing, technicians introduced innovative traps that included openings allowing juvenile crabs to escape. During monitoring visits, the technicians noticed that many fishers had blocked the openings and continued harvesting crabs regardless of the stage of growth. As a result, the INVEMAR technicians changed their strategy and implemented a participatory experiment with fishers to monitor harvests using these innovative traps. Through this process, fishers realized that concentrating only on larger crabs would not diminish their harvest but would ensure more crabs for the future.  Acceptance of the modified traps expanded because fishers not only now saw how they worked but also felt ownership, as this was a solution they had validated.

Brazil-Paraguay – Cerrado Resiliente

During our May 2025 visit to Paraguay, technicians for the CERES (Cerrado Resiliente) project used a flexible planning approach that allowed them to facilitate iterative learning cycles with stakeholders in the Agua Dulce zone around the Monumento Natural Cerro Chovoreca. The project’s initial proposals (e.g., formal biological corridors) had proven unviable due to conflicting interests among stakeholders. Rather than insisting on these original ideas, the project shifted focus to socializing the idea of connectivity through maps and dialogue, gaining legitimacy without resistance. Through this process, they were able to aggregate local interest around a strategy to demarcate the Cerro Chovoreca conservation area, which would allow local landowners to also clarify their property boundaries. This reframing helped shift attention from a potentially divisive intervention to a collaborative vision of landscape governance. Collaboration among government agencies, local communities, the private sector and NGOs resulted in the institutionalization of landscape governance in the frontier area. In short, adaptive learning ensured progress in a politically sensitive, ecologically important, and operationally challenging setting.

Iterative learning is emerging as a powerful driver of action across LFF landscapes by enabling projects to remain responsive, adaptive, and grounded in local realities. Rather than relying on rigid plans, project teams embrace flexible, feedback-driven approaches that allow them to learn alongside communities, adjust strategies based on real-time insights, and co-create solutions that are both effective and locally legitimate. Whether through peer exchanges in Ecuador, participatory experiments in Colombia, or adaptive planning in Paraguay, this continuous learning process is helping overcome political, ecological, and social challenges, translating reflection into tangible progress on the ground.

Learn more

Landscapes in Practice: Iterative learning and adaptation

Landscapes in Practice: Stakeholder Identification and Analysis

Landscape condition and sustainability depends on what its stakeholders are doing. ILM practitioners cannot, therefore, avoid considering stakeholder activities. This Landscapes in Practice paper provides an overview of the key concepts and the tools and resources available for learning more.
LIP Stakeholder identification 241114 interactiveDownload

Landscape condition and sustainability depends on what its stakeholders are doing. ILM practitioners cannot, therefore, avoid considering stakeholder activities. The problems exhibited in landscapes emerge out of these activities, so implementing processes that change stakeholder behaviours and practices is central to ILM considerations. It is generally accepted that the higher the level of stakeholder engagement, the more likely an intervention is to succeed, and the more likely its effects will be sustainable.

Landscapes, it should be noted, are complex –and stakeholders are a source of much of this complexity because of their multiple, and often divergent, needs and interests (i.e., to exploit or conserve resources), rights (formal and customary) and levels of legitimacy, dependence on resources, power and influence (economic and political), knowledge, preferences and values. Stakeholders often have competing goals that require mediation to balance trade-offs (if an initiative is promoting changed behaviour) and are embedded within social networks, interactions and responses. If landscapes are to be managed in integrated ways, stakeholders and their various interests must be a major consideration in the design of ILM interventions.

Key messages

  • Stakeholder engagement is a precondition to Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) success. The higher the level of engagement, the greater the likelihood of success and sustainability.
  • Stakeholder identification and analysis is complicated by diversity amongst stakeholders, which emerges from variable interests, different types of knowledge, and contexts. Most stakeholder engagement, identification and analysis approaches try to reveal and understand this complexity.
  • Stakeholder analysis is strategic. It allows interventions to determine who they should engage with to succeed and which inter-stakeholder relations should be targeted for attention.
  • The ‘strategic relevance’ of stakeholders is determined by the degree to which they are judged to influence a project’s success.
  • There are usually competing or contradictory interests among stakeholders, often expressed as conflict. The presence of conflict amongst stakeholders should be assumed from the outset and can represent a significant risk to intervention success.
  • The strategies used to engage with (and between) stakeholders will reflect their strategic relevance and can be brainstormed and deliberated through the development of a Theory of Change.
  • Engaging with stakeholders calls for the deployment of ‘soft-skills’ such as mediation, facilitation, convening and negotiation.
  • Stakeholder relevance and relations will change over the course of a project intervention. As such, stakeholder analysis is not restricted to the beginning of an initiative, but is necessary throughout its duration.
View more titles in this series

Landscapes in Practice: Iterative learning and adaptation

Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) entails dealing with complexity and uncertainty, of which the interests of diverse stakeholders are an important part. Management strategies such as Adaptive Management and Collaborative Management have emerged to address these challenges and have been operationalized as an approach called Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM).
LIP Iterative Learning & Adaptation 240905Download

This Landscapes in Practice edition aims to offer an overview of the common themes and concepts across these approaches, identifying lessons and proposing ways in which they can contribute to an ILM process. It will also synthesize steps to incorporate iterative learning processes and adaptation into ILM-focused programmes and projects. Ultimately, our goal is to explain key concepts and identify essential steps for practitioners who employ an ILM approach to develop the critical pillars of iterative learning and adaptation within their project cycle.

Key messages

  • Iterative and adaptive learning are seen as key characteristics of effective Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) initiatives, yet ILM implementers may need support to operationalize iterative learning and adaptation in their programmes.
  • Given that landscapes are highly complex and dynamic socio-ecological systems fraught with uncertainty over how they function, interact and react, stakeholders involved in management should adopt a ‘learning by doing’ approach to identify best practices and improve over time.
  • Adaptive management is an approach that treats management as an experiment that tests interventions based on available information, and evaluates outcomes to adjust future management decisions and actions.
  • By convening stakeholders to work together towards a common goal (to collaborate), and by promoting social learning (developing a shared understanding within groups), ILM facilitators can encourage an iterative approach to planning and decision-making to better manage complexity in a changing world with many unknowns.
  • There are four steps that can assist in operationalizing this concept in ILM: stakeholder engagement, problem/objective definition, action planning, and monitoring/reflection (then back to action).
View more titles in this series

The Centrality of Power

An at-a-glance summary of a session at the global summit that explored the issue of power within Integrated Landscape Management.

One of the sessions at our recent global summit looked at the the issue of power within Integrated Landscape Management. As we know, power dynamics between different groups, including genders, ethnicities, education levels, and professions, significantly impact land use. Here, I summarize the main points from this excellent session.

↔️ These interactions are instrumental in shaping the landscape we see.

⭕️ 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲⭕️ As landscape actors, we must recognize our own agency and decide whether to address inequality or remain passive observers.

The session explored three key strategies for empowerment.

1️⃣ Identify stakeholders and understand their sources of power, using tools like a power/influence matrix and net-mapping.

⚒ A power/influence matrix is a classic method to sort out actors in a system and associate them to dimensions of both power, interest, and attitude, helping to navigate the complexities of a social system. (Read the paper, Making Sense of Stakeholder Mapping here)

🛠 A method we have been using in across the Landscapes For Our Future program is Net-Mapping. A highly participatory exercise to understand levels of influence and visualize power between actors, helping to diagnose the political landscape. (Read more about Net-Mapping here)

2️⃣ Recognize power disparities and voicelessness.

3️⃣ Enable empowerment through tailored approaches and strategies, including training, safe spaces, alliances, resource access, and rights, such as legal or cultural rights, that have been historically denied (e.g., women’s land rights).

Empowering others means giving them a voice, enhancing visibility, and fostering innovation and diversity. It’s about intentionally creating safe spaces and using spatial leadership to amplify the voices of the marginalized.

❓ A critical question persists: How do we engage powerful actors in discussions about changing the status quo, especially those who may resist such change and stand to lose power?

📓 Read the article, “Power, politics and participation: Naming the non-technical in multi-stakeholder processes” here.

📝 Read the article, “Navigating power imbalances in landscape governance: a network and influence analysis in southern Zambia” here.

Net-maps and vision in PNG

Stakeholder identification and development of a common vision: on a learning mission to Papua New Guinea, our Central Component Coordinator highlights two of the six critical dimensions of Integrated Landscape Management.

The Strengthening Integrated Sustainable Landscape Management (SISLaM) project in Papua New Guinea, lead by the UNDP’s Sam Moko, recently hosted our programme’s Central Component Coordinator, Kim Geheb, on a learning visit to see how the six critical dimensions of ILM could be further implemented.

As part of this process, the SISLaM team organised a workshop, inviting more than 30 stakeholders to participate. Kim introduced ‘Net-Mapping’, which was employed to identify the stakeholders’ relevance to the project, the relationships between them, and the influence they can marshal to enable the project to achieve its vision.

Net-Mapping in action at the workshop.

This process drew upon the SISLaM project’s goals to establish a defined project vision:

Because of the project, Enga Province’s sustainable and inclusive economic development was increased when the impacts of climate change were mitigated, and its people adapted; the food and nutrition security of its people was strengthened; and its biodiversity, land and forests were conserved, sustainably used and restored.

SISLaM Project vision.

Because of the large number of stakeholders at the workshop, participants were divided into two groups. They started by identifying who they thought was the most influential stakeholder at present and awarded that stakeholder 10 points. Other stakeholders were then identified and scored relative to the first stakeholder group. When they had completed this exercise, they then assessed scores for stakeholders in the future, thinking about whether they believed scores should increase or decrease in order for the project to achieve its vision. The result from one of the teams is shown below.

Kim explained that “there are many institutions with relatively high contemporary scores. In other words, SISLaM sees multiple actors as currently very important to fulfilling the project’s vision at present. This speaks to the importance of creating a platform where these actors can be convened, where dialogue can happen, and integration occur. There are some actors that have lower contemporary scores than future desired scores. This suggests that the project needs these agencies to increase their influence if its vision is to be achieved. It also suggests that the project needs to work out strategies for how the influence of these agencies can be increased.”

The Net-Map also displayed ‘risk communities’ which are those communities, such as landowners, who have been in conflict with each other. Enga Province is among several Papua New Guinean provinces which have suffered from communal violence since the national elections in 2022. While the project regarded their present influence to be medium (receiving a score of five), it would prefer this influence to be reduced to zero.

“It seems that traditional institutions remain very powerful – and therefore it makes sense to explore how the project can capitalise on these,” was Kim’s observation.

SISLaM also took Kim to visit three recipients of the project’s low-value grants. The first of these was a reforestation initiative being implemented by the Yakam Resort Cooperative Society. Emmanual Kilanda, the chairman of the cooperative, showed the team the work that is being done to reforest unstable slopes. As these slopes are extremely steep, planting trees on them has been a significant challenge, yet the cooperative has managed to plant 12,572 pine and kamare trees over 45 hectares since receiving the grant.

The SISLaM project includes components to help Engan farmers improve their value chain access and develop sustainable revenue streams. To illustrate this, the team visited the Wabag Coffee Growers Cooperative, where the initiative works to provide farmers with coffee seedlings. Kandes Nyia, the chairman of the cooperative, took the group to see the cooperative’s coffee nurseries and two farms. The grant has resulted in significant production increases, but the farmers struggle with an overabundance of coffee for their relatively localised markets. This situation highlights the need for Engan communities to extend and strengthen their value chains as they have a high-quality product and are located close to transport links.


Kandes Nyia, the chairman of the Wabag Coffee Growers’ Cooperative, explains his work from inside a coffee store.

Finally, the team journeyed to Laiagam District, where they were given an exuberant welcome by the Kinapulam Farmers’ Cooperative Society, which is working on producing sweet and English potato seed for local farmers. They visited several farms to understand the work of the cooperative and the results being achieved with the help of the grant. As in Wabag district, the low-value grant has resulted in significant production increases, however, ensuring the produce gets to market remains a challenge for these communities.

At the end of the visit, Kim reflected he was “particularly impressed by the implementation team.”

“Sam Moko provides very impressive leadership in a very challenging operating context, and I can see the strength of the team from its dynamic. The team is well selected and has a deep knowledge of Enga Province and its people. From what I have seen of the low-value grants, these have created real opportunities to communities. Of course, attention will need to be given to how recipient communities can market their outputs – and SISLaM can play a key role in convening this discussion so that communities can identify their own solutions and ensure this project’s long-term sustainability”.


The welcome from the Kinapulam community. Here, the leader of Ward 2 delivers his welcome speech.

This post is based on an article that was first published in UNDP’s July 2023 newsletter.

Participant Information

Landscapes For Our Future - Global Summit & Knowledge Exchange event, Nairobi, Kenya 16th to 20th October 2023

The one-week Global Summit & Knowledge Exchange event, hosted by the Central Component (CC) of the Landscapes For Our Future (LFF) programme aims to foster engagement between the 22 LFF project teams, global experts and members of the LFF programme. This event will share lessons learned, focus on key capacity gaps and explore the rich solutions and innovations on offer across the LFF programme in addressing the global climate and sustainability crises through landscape approaches.

Objectives:

  1. To facilitate cross-learning and knowledge exchange between implementing partners within the LFF program.
  2. To further knowledge and share experiences on implementing ILM across various contexts.
  3. To provide capacity development and technical support to project teams.
  4. To further strengthen the LFF community and make further plans for CC support to project teams.

To find out more or view the agenda, please bookmark our Global Summit event page:

GLOBAL SUMMIT EVENT

VENUE

The Summit will be held on the campus of the World Agroforestry Centre, United Nations Avenue, Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya. Please use the gate indicated below.

TRAVEL

All participants are required to facilitate their individual travel arrangements (flights, airport transfers, accommodation and per diem) to and from Kenya, and secure travel insurance during this period in case of any emergency medical attention and any other travel related risks through their respective project budgets.

All international participants are encouraged to purchase their tickets early enough to ensure all other logistics are sorted out in good time. Note that many other events are being held in Nairobi in October.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

PASSPORT: Kindly ensure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months prior to travel.

HEALTH: A valid yellow fever certificate. Ensure possession of Valid Covid-19 certificate prior to your travel.

VISA: Ensure that you have valid Visa entry requirements for both any transit and destination country. We suggest that you print off a copy of your Kenyan visa for flight boarding and immigration.

ACCOMMODATION: Note that some airlines will require evidence of hotel accommodation before allowing participants to board. We advise that you print off confirmation of your hotel accommodation.

FLIGHTS: Note that some airlines will require evidence of participants’ flights out of Kenya before allowing participants to board.

INVITATION LETTER

Download an invitation letter in English:

Invitation Letter (Eng)Download

Descargar una carta de invitación en español:

Invitation Letter (Spanish)Download

Téléchargez une lettre d’invitation en français:

Invitation Letter (French)Download

Faça o download de uma carta-convite em português:

Invitation Letter PortugueseDownload

For a personalised version with your name, please email F.Wanda@cifor-icraf.org.

KENYA VISA

Note that it is NOT possible to obtain visa on arrival. Please apply for a TOURIST visa.

Nationals of the following countries do not require visas to enter Kenya: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cyprus, Dominica, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

All other countries require a visa to enter the Republic of Kenya. Please apply for a tourist visa at the link below:

Visa application

A credit or debit card will be needed to make visa payment, which is approximately US$52. When you apply, you will be asked to upload:
1. passport photo of the applicant
2. bio page of your passport
3. proof of accommodation
4. proof of a departure flight out of Kenya.

Tip: Upload JPEG files only (not PDF).

KENYA COVID-19 TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

COVID-19 entry regulations were lifted on 9 May 2023.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation reservations for participants shall be made upon request on the standard bed and breakfast rate unless otherwise requested by participants and based on room availability. If you do not ask us for assistance with hotel bookings, we shall assume that you are making your own arrangements. We are pleased to offer Summit participants pre-negotiated rates at the following hotels, all of which are close to The World Agroforestry Center. All quoted rates include VAT and are for bed and breakfast. All rates are quoted in Kenya shillings (Kes) and United States dollars (US$) (approx. Kes 141.7 = US$ 1 as of August 10, 2023).

Room Type: Standard Single Room
Kes 8,700 (US$ 65)
Address; N0 34 UN CRESCENT ROAD, P.O Box 1813 -00621, Nairobi, Kenya.
Email: info@comfortgardens.com Mobile: +254723610280
Room Type: Standard Single Room
Kes 16,800 (US$ 120)
Address; Limuru Road Village Market, Gigiri
Email: reservations@trademark-hotel.com Mobile: +254 730 886 000
Room Type: Standard Single Room
Kes 29,250 (US$ 210)
Address; Limuru Road The Village Market, Gigiri P.O. Box 1333- 00621 Nairobi, KENYA
Email: reservations@trademark-hotel.com Mobile: +254 730 886 000
Room Type: Standard Single Room
Kes 16, 790 (US$ 115)
Address; Off Limuru Rd At Runda Two Rivers Mall, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: reservations@holidayinnnairobi.com Mobile: + 254-709-264000

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

Airport transfers will be arranged by respective hotels (Airport-Hotel-Airport). The main airport serving international flights in Nairobi is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and is approximately 10.2 Km to Gigiri.

GETTING TO AND FROM THE MEETING VENUE

Shuttle transport has been arranged by the organizers from hotel to the Campus in the morning and return in the evening during the summit period.

MEALS

Lunch, morning and evening tea breaks shall be provided throughout the Summit period. We shall also have a cocktail evening incorporated into the agenda on one of the evenings and these expenses shall be covered by the organizers.

PER DIEM ALLOWANCE

Kindly plan to bring your daily subsistence allowance to cater for your dinner and incidental expenses during your stay in Kenya. The Summit organizers will not be paying per diem or any other allowances.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Zone

Kenya is in the East Africa Time (EAT) zone (GMT+3).

Currency and Payment Methods

The official currency of the Republic of Kenya is the Kenya shilling (KES).

Visa cards are widely accepted, with Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus also accepted although less commonly, and Amex also often used in international chains and tourist areas.

Language

The official languages in Kenya are English and Swahili and both are widely spoken.

Internet and Mobile Communications

Kenya is generally well connected. If participants wish to purchase a SIM for mobile data and calls, these are available at Safaricom, Airtel or Telecom Kenya outlets after immigration and baggage claim at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Hotels will offer free Wi-Fi internet. and the same shall also be available at the Summit venue.

Power supply

Power supplied at socket in Kenya is 240V. Kenya uses a Type G socket (three rectangular pins).

Weather

Notwithstanding climate change, average Nairobi temperatures in October range from a high of 28°C to a low of 14°C. Please be aware that there may be monsoon rains during the summit. You may want to consider bringing an umbrella, a raincoat and other suitable wet weather clothing.

Security

The World Agroforestry Center’s campus is located in Gigiri, alongside the United Nations and a large number of embassies. The area is well policed by Kenya’s Diplomatic Police, military and private security firms.

The political situation in Kenya is currently calm, although participants may wish to refer to their respective embassies’ travel advisories.

It is important to always take responsibility for your personal safety and exercise necessary precautions.

Participants are encouraged to always carry a photocopy of their passport.

On arrival at the World Agroforestry Center’s gates, participants will be cleared by security and issued with an adhesive pass or a name Tag, and this must always be worn within campus.

Hospitals

The Nairobi Hospital

Located in: Warwick Centre, UN Avenue, Gigiri

Tel: +254 703 072000 / 729 110202/ +254 729 110 203

Email: warwicknursing@nbihosp.org

M.P. Shah Hospital, Village Medical Centre Located in: The Village Market

Address: Limuru Road Gigiri Nairobi KE Tel: +254 204 291 500: +254 111 159 000

Email: info@mpshahhospital.org

The Aga Khan University Hospital

Location: 3rd Parklands Avenue, Limuru Road, Nairobi, Kenya Phone: +254 (0) 111 011 888 or +254 (0) 730 011 888

Email: akuh.nairobi@aku.edu

Emergency Phone Numbers

999 / 112 / 911 – National Police Service

999 – Emergency services (ambulance, fire and EMS)

Useful contacts:

Kim Geheb

k.geheb@cifor-icraf.org

Tel.: +254-758-606-525

WhatsApp: +254758606525

Khalil Walji

k.walji@cifor-icraf.org

Tel.: +254-701-501-509

WhatsApp: +254701501509

Dominique Le Roux

d.leroux@cifor-icraf.org

WhatsApp: +27717232790

Logistics

Freidah Wanda

f.wanda@cifor-icraf.org

Tel.: +254-704-272-349

WhatsApp: +254704272349

We hope this helps you to prepare optimally for your stay in Kenya and we look forward to welcoming you.

Safe Travels!!

Newsletter #5 | August 2023

Welcome to our Latin American and Caribbean special edition newsletter, where we delve into the transformative power of Integrated Landscape Management

Clockwise from top right: Les Pitons and town of Soufriere in Saint Lucia, OECS. Aerial view of Bahía Negra town, on the banks of the Paraguay River. Organic panela production and donkeys in Ecuador. Cattle rancher in San Ignacio de Velasco in Bolivia. Cattle ranch  in Honduras. Signage in Ecuador. Photos by Peter Cronkleton and Natalia Cisneros/CIFOR-ICRAF. 

View or download more photos and videos from our image archive here.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD

ILM in LAC

The Central Component’s Natalia Cisneros meets with Mi Biósfera team members during our learning visit to Honduras. Photo by Peter Cronkleton/CIFOR-ICRAF 

We, the Central Component, see six critical elements in the ILM process. To see them in action, you need look no further than our programme’s remarkable Latin American and Caribbean projects, which have embraced integrated landscape approaches to revolutionize land use practices, conserve biodiversity and foster sustainable development.

Read more

KNOWLEDGE

Can ILM contribute to sustainable cattle ranching?  And vice versa?

Chiquitanía landscape of Bolivia. Image by GIZ/Paisajes Resilientes 

In recent years, strategies to promote sustainable alternatives to conventional ranching have emerged, aiming to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, reduce deforestation, conserve vulnerable ecosystems, and mitigate impacts from cattle production. Achieving these objectives often involves endorsing enhanced practices, implementing robust monitoring systems, and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders. ILM could enable pathways to achieving impact at scale.

Read more

Landscape Learning Session #2: Criteria, Indicators & Tools of ILM

Watch the webinar

Despite its application over the past few decades in various contexts to harmonize conflicting land management goals such as development and conservation, there remains no systematic framework to guide the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of ILM projects. 

We set out to fix that, conducting a global review to propose such a framework. This learning event presented the results of this review and delved into two examples of monitoring tools applied in ILM projects. 

Watch the webinar

RESOURCES

MSF fatigue? How to design for context, inclusion and effectiveness

A tale of two Brazilian states leads us to really useful tips to design meaningful, inclusive platforms for transformation. In the 1990s and early 2000s – in response to calls for participatory land-use planning and concerns about deforestation – Brazil’s state governments began to carry out Ecological-Economic Zoning processes to  collectively lay out land-use plans that were inclusive and sustainable. These processes were mandated to be developed and implemented using multi-stakeholder participatory mechanisms. 

Two states ended up with very different results. Explore the lessons to be learned through this curation of research and interviews, and download at-a-glance factsheets with tips on how to how to manage power, politics and participation in your own multi-stakeholder processes. 

Get the resources

We often take too much for granted in MSPs. Some considerations are simple – like changing where the platform is held, or adjusting seating arrangements – and some require deeper strategic thinking. Our research has unearthed a host of practical steps that convenors can take to help empower marginalised stakeholders and create lasting impact. 

 Anne Larson on CIFOR-ICRAF’s info sheets and how-to guides

Forward to colleagues