5 principles for partnering with communities on forest restoration

The guide argues that the leadership and traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities are essential for successful forest conservation. It proposes five principles—understanding local context, obtaining free prior and informed consent (FPIC), co-designing initiatives, collaborative implementation, and recognizing land rights—to ensure social justice and long-term environmental outcomes. The text highlights that land traditionally held by communities in tropical forests stores approximately 55 million tons of carbon, representing 24% of all above-ground carbon in those regions.

• Indigenous and local community leadership is critical for forest restoration because their traditional ecological knowledge provides unique solutions for sustainable stewardship. Prioritizing these groups leads to better environmental and socioeconomic results, as evidenced by the Women's Earth Alliance preventing the destruction of 10,000 acres of forest in Sumatra and the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative protecting 86 million acres of rainforest.
• Community-held lands in tropical forests are vital for carbon storage, containing nearly 55 million tons of carbon, which is 24% of the total above-ground carbon in these forests. This importance was recognized at COP26, where five countries pledged $1.7 billion for Indigenous peoples and local communities.
• The document proposes five principles for inclusive forest restoration: 1) Understanding local context to identify partners and address historic injustices; 2) Obtaining free prior and informed consent (FPIC) through culturally appropriate, non-coercive processes; 3) Co-designing initiatives to increase local ownership and remunerate Indigenous knowledge; 4) Implementing collaboratively through compensation and sustainable livelihood investments; and 5) Recognizing land rights to reduce deforestation.
• Securing land rights for Indigenous peoples is highly effective at reducing forest loss; in the Amazon, deforestation rates on securely held Indigenous lands are 50% lower than on similar lands without security, while the cost of securing these lands is only 1% of the total benefits derived from them. Currently, these communities legally own only 10% of the lands they customarily claim.

APA

Forum, K. P. G. E. I. G. W. E. (2022). 5 principles for partnering with communities on forest restoration. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/5-principles-for-partnering-communities-forest-restoration/

Chicago

Forum, Kahea Pacheco, Gill Einhorn, Ian Gunderson, World Economic. 5 principles for partnering with communities on forest restoration. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/5-principles-for-partnering-communities-forest-restoration/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Forum |first1=Kahea Pacheco, Gill Einhorn, Ian Gunderson, World Economic |title=5 principles for partnering with communities on forest restoration |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=14 February 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/5-principles-for-partnering-communities-forest-restoration/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forum2022principles, author = {Forum, Kahea Pacheco, Gill Einhorn, Ian Gunderson, World Economic}, title = {{5 principles for partnering with communities on forest restoration}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/5-principles-for-partnering-communities-forest-restoration/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }