The Bonn Challenge
The Bonn Challenge is a global goal to bring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.
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Green Pastures for Green Transition
The project focuses on restoring grassland habitats in the Special Nature Reserve (SNR) Kraljevac by providing the local community with thirty sheep, a solar powered shepherd’s hut and an electrical fence which shall all be used for controlled grazing over 16.5 hectares to prevent habitat succession and support species like the endangered European ground squirrel. Two hectares along Lake Kraljevac have been afforested with native trees such as pedunculate oak, white willow, and poplar. A monitoring system for the European ground squirrel population has been established in order to define the ecological corridors for the species.
Apart from creating favorable conditions for a stable European ground squirrel population, the provision of 30 autochthonous sheep benefits the local community, the local shepherds in particular, and ensures the involvement of the local community in the sustainable management of the critical grassland habitat, whilst enhancing public awareness of the importance of grassland ecosystem conservatio
Diverse Culture Based on the Satoyama Initiative of Shuanglianpi Pond (Yilan, Taiwan)
The Shuanglianpi Settlement, located in the mountains of Yilan, is named after Shuanglianpi Pond. Known for once hosting a third of Taiwan’s native aquatic plant species, the area was designated as the “Yilan County Shuanglianpi WildlifeRefuge” in 2003 to protect its freshwater plants.
This designation and land expropriation led to longstanding conflicts among residents, public
sectors, and externalgroups. In 2018, the Yilan Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency began interviewing local elders and residents, uncovering a shared memory: the damaged century- old irrigation canal. Most residents expressed support for restoring the canal torebuild relationships, foster communication, and establish a partnership basedon mutual support. To advance sustainable development, the Branch invited local partners to join resilience
assessment workshops (RAWs) in 2022 to identify priorities and formedan interdepartmental platform for ongoing adaptive co-management of Shuanglianpi.
Building community-led restoration capacity through an operational indigenous plant nursery
This Solution centres on establishing an operational indigenous plant nursery as part of an active restoration programme in the Grootvadersbosch landscape, South Africa. The nursery is used not only to propagate locally appropriate indigenous plants, but also as a practical training hub for community members involved in restoration.
The approach addresses key challenges including invasive alien plants, degraded riparian and forest-edge habitats, limited local restoration skills, and shortages of suitable planting material. By integrating training with hands-on nursery work and field implementation, the project has produced thousands of indigenous plants, restored degraded sites, and built lasting restoration capacity within the local community.
Integrated river restoration and community stewardship to protect the Critically Endangered Tradouw Redfin
This Solution applies integrated river restoration and community stewardship to reduce key threats to the Critically Endangered Tradouw Redfin in the Huis River, South Africa. It combines invasive alien plant clearing, targeted riparian restoration, water-saving measures and community awareness to improve habitat quality and river resilience.
The approach addresses habitat degradation, invasive vegetation, water pressure and limited local awareness. By restoring riparian structure and coordinating action through a multi-agency Tradouw Redfin Working Group, the project improved river health indicators, restored critical habitat and strengthened long-term protection for the species through a formal Species Action Plan.
The new guardians of the páramo: Voluntary Agreements that transform the practices of farming families.
Chingaza National Park, with more than 77,000 hectares, is one of the most strategic protected areas of the Colombian National Natural Park System, as it is the main source of drinking water for 10 million people in the Bogotá DC and surrounding municipalities. It also protects moorland and Andean forest ecosystems that are key to regulating water resources in the Orinoco macro-basin, conserves endemic and/or nationally and globally threatened species of fauna and flora, and safeguards important sites for the indigenous communities that inhabited the territory. To guarantee its protection, the park has established conservation agreements with peasant families as part of a conservation pact. This participatory strategy allows communities to improve their productive practices while guaranteeing the protection of key ecosystems for the provision of ecosystem services, achieving a local collective effort that guarantees water security for future generations.
Cross-Sectoral Exchange For Improved Management Of Natural Resources In Rwanda
The Cross-Sector Taskforce (CSTF) was established in 2015 to coordinate Rwanda’s response to the Bonn Challenge and enhance Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) efforts. Comprising 35 member organizations, including government bodies, NGOs, private sector actors, and research institutions, the CSTF fosters collaboration, shares technical knowledge, and harmonizes FLR monitoring systems. It provides a platform for addressing deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss while aligning restoration efforts with national and international strategies like the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS), AFR100, and the Paris Agreement. Recent meetings have focused on integrating FLR with sustainable food systems, improving monitoring tools, and incentivizing local farmers. By facilitating knowledge exchange and improving governance, the CSTF enhances restoration efforts and strengthens Rwanda’s ability to meet its target of restoring 2 million hectares of land by 2030.
Guidelines for rewilding
These guidelines offer both a call for change and general guidance for users. The following five guidelines, adapted from the ten guiding principles for rewilding (Carver et al., 2021), provide a foundation for understanding and taking action to prevent further losses in nature, promote the recovery of biodiversity, and support the restoration of ecological integrity.
Embedding Integrated Water Resources Management in Rwanda’s Sebeya Catchment
The Sebeya catchment in Western Rwanda, once prone to recurrent flooding, erosion, and landslides, was transformed through the “Embedding Integrated Water Resources Management in Rwanda (EWMR)” project. Led by Rwanda Water Resources Board and partners, the project applied Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to restore 7,700 hectares using terraces, trenches, riverbank protections, and afforestation. The approach combined land rehabilitation with innovative financing, value chains, and inclusive planning. Over 35,000 green jobs were created, alongside improved soil health, aquifer recharge, agricultural productivity, and livelihoods. By integrating community-driven land use planning into district-level governance, the project laid the foundation for long-term resilience and scalability.
Jabal Shada Protected Area – Where Nature and Communities Thrive Together
Jabal Shada is an isolated twin-mountain granite massif with spectacular scenery characterized by jagged spires, pinnacles, and traditional agricultural terraces. Located in the Al-Baha region in southwestern Saudi Arabia, it supports exceptionally rich floral diversity (nearly 493 recorded plant species) and traditionally important highland crops notably Shadawi coffee. The mountain is both an ecologically isolated element and a cultural landscape. It was declared as a protected area in year 2002 to secure unique biodiversity while supporting local livelihoods and providing nature-based tourism opportunities. Recent management planning emphasizes biodiversity monitoring, community partnerships (including agricultural support and farm-experience tourism), and identification of hiking/ecotourism trails to deliver conservation and socio-economic benefits.
The Green Project Model: Regreening Rwanda Bugesera for People and Nature
The Green Project in Gashora Sector, Bugesera District, Eastern Rwanda, transformed the country’s driest agro-ecological zone through regenerative, farmer-led land restoration. Facing severe land degradation, poor soil fertility, and widespread poverty, the project implemented agroforestry-based conservation agriculture using shrub-tree hedgerows, rotation cropping, and organic mulching. Designed as a low-cost, inclusive and replicable model, the project improved soil health, enhanced biodiversity, increased yields, and diversified household incomes. Starting with just six farmers, it now engages over 1,000. The intervention shows how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tailored to local conditions can reverse degradation, boost resilience, and uplift rural livelihoods.
Community-Based Bat Conservation and Ecotourism Development at the Three Sisters Giant Caves, Fikirini Village (Kwale, Kenya)
The Three Sisters Giant Caves are located in Fikirini Village, near Shimoni in Kenya’s coastal Kwale County, within a 10-hectare Kaya Forest of both ecological and cultural importance. Three caves serve as vital roosting sites for several bat species, including the Endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae), while a fourth cave is reserved for community spiritual practices. Degradation from deforestation, fires, and unsustainable guano harvesting has threatened the site’s integrity. In response, the Tswaka Three Sisters Giant Caves Community-Based Organization (CBO), supported by Bat Conservation International (BCI) and local partners, initiated a community-led effort to restore habitats, enhance protection, and develop eco-tourism as an alternative livelihood pathway that links biodiversity conservation with local economic and cultural resilience. This activity was financed under the GIZ-led IKI Kwale – Tanga Transboundary protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal regions project.
Community of women committed to preserving the Nosy Hara marine protected area
Nosy Hara National Park is part of Madagascar’s network of protected areas. A genetic reservoir of marine biodiversity, it is a sustainable fishing site par excellence, for the fishing community living around the park. Mangrove crabs, octopus and reef fish are the most commonly caught species. The Park is renowned for the production of octopus, fish for local, regional and even national consumption.
Overfishing in accessible areas by small-scale fishermen, the failure of nomadic fishermen to comply with fishing closures, and the lack of park staff for surveillance are among the daily challenges faced by park managers.
Co-management through the effective involvement of the local community in the preservation of the park is an approach adopted, particularly by the women’s community of the village of Ankingameloka, who actively participate in the co-monitoring of mangroves, the restoration of the ecosystem and the monitoring of fishermen’s daily catches.
