We promote effective, long-lasting restoration that supports biodiversity and is desired by local peoples. Our research and tools draw from the latest data and published research with in-depth conversations with people doing restoration on the ground.  

Restoration Case Studies

We selected 20 of the best examples of restoration in the world and researched what made them work. We researched published work and interviewed project practitioners to document the restoration process, how they engaged local people, the outcomes for people and nature, and the challenges they faced. From each, we also draw lessons to support future work. Designed to be accessible, thorough, and inspiring, these cases show how policy can support good work, what donors need to fund to get good outcomes, and how restoration can be designed to garner the support and leadership of local people.  https://crowtherlab.com/flagship-cases/

Restoration Guides

Three guides help practitioners, donors and policy makers choose a location and approach for restoration, and provide guidance on using lesser known, cost effective alternatives to tree plantations. The spatial planning guide provides a method for identifying restoration opportunities for governments and NGOs alike. The applied nucleation guide presents a way to make tree planting dollars go farther to promote forest recovery. The assisted natural regeneration guide covers how and where to harness the power of nature to allow forests to recover with minimal intervention.

Where to Restore? was commissioned by Conservation International with lead research and authorship by Dr. Sarah Wilson 

The guide explains how to use a range of spatial data - including ecological, political and socioeconomic - to identify opportunities for restoration. It also presents a wide range of alternative restoration strategies suited to different ecological and socioeconomic contexts. Aimed at practitioners and restoration managers, this guide helps countries, projects and organisations identify where and how to restore forests using readily available data and mapping. 

Access the Where to Restore? guide.

GUIDE: ASSISTED NATURAL REGENERATION: A guide for restoring tropical forests

https://www.conservation.org/research/report-assisted-natural-regeneration

APPLIED NUCLEATION REPORT: A Restoration Guide for Tropical Forests

https://www.conservation.org/research/applied-nucleation-guide

London, UK: Woodland Restoration in the Green Belt

On March 14th, 2020, sixty volunteers joined together to restore two hectares of native woodland in London's Green Belt by planting 2,000 trees. Through Cities4Forests we also supported a matching reforestation project in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The Art of Ecology: Turning Interlochen's Pine Plantation Back into a Native Forest