Monitoring Locally Led Land Restoration at Scale

The document examines the results of a TerraFund-financed project by Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN) to restore 200 hectares of forest and farmland in Southwestern Uganda. While SWAGEN reported planting 199,649 trees with a 98% survival rate, WRI's AI-powered satellite analysis detected a net increase of 71,122 trees, representing 36% of the projected target. The study identifies challenges in restoration monitoring, including overestimated survival rates, the slow growth of native species, and inaccuracies in geospatial boundary reporting, while concluding that the project successfully increased tree counts across all monitored areas.

• SWAGEN aimed to restore 200 hectares of forest and farmland by planting 222,200 trees to repair the ecosystem and create income sources such as honey.
• The project reported significant community employment, claiming 22,224 total jobs, with youth making up 80% of that figure and women accounting for 10,182 positions.
• There is a significant discrepancy between self-reported data and satellite verification: while SWAGEN reported a 98% survival rate and 199,649 trees planted, WRI's AI analysis found a net increase of 71,122 trees, achieving only 36% of the projected target of 195,656 surviving trees.
• WRI identified three primary reasons for the gap between reported and verified results: overestimated survival rates and planting density, the fact that native saplings grow slower and may be hidden under canopies from satellites, and the planting of trees outside submitted geospatial boundaries.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Monitoring Locally Led Land Restoration at Scale. https://www.wri.org/monitoring-locally-led-land-restoration-scale/swagen

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Monitoring Locally Led Land Restoration at Scale. n.d. https://www.wri.org/monitoring-locally-led-land-restoration-scale/swagen.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Monitoring Locally Led Land Restoration at Scale |url=https://www.wri.org/monitoring-locally-led-land-restoration-scale/swagen |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendmonitoring, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Monitoring Locally Led Land Restoration at Scale}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/monitoring-locally-led-land-restoration-scale/swagen}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }