The Role of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Accelerating Forest and Landscape Restoration: Practical Experiences from the Field

This study examines 24 case studies of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) projects to identify success factors for accelerating global ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, climate action, and rural economic development.

• Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) is defined as a set of ecosystem restoration techniques that occupy a middle ground between traditional tree-planting and spontaneous natural regeneration. It involves local people using ancestral or local traditions and land knowledge to help native vegetation and trees recover by removing threats to their survival and growth.
• The study analyzed 24 ANR project case studies, with 15 located in Brazil and 9 in other locations, to determine the factors that trigger success.
• ANR is characterized as a flexible approach that can be adapted to various objectives and contexts, often featuring lower implementation costs than tree-planting campaigns. It is scalable, ranging from large-scale payment for environmental services programs to local projects managed by small landowners.
• Because the potential for natural regeneration depends on specific social, economic, and environmental factors within a landscape, the study emphasizes the need for the research community to create simple tools to help communities and planning agencies identify priority areas for ANR.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The Role of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Accelerating Forest and Landscape Restoration: Practical Experiences from the Field. https://www.wri.org/research/assisted-natural-regeneration-case-studies

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Role of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Accelerating Forest and Landscape Restoration: Practical Experiences from the Field. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/assisted-natural-regeneration-case-studies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Role of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Accelerating Forest and Landscape Restoration: Practical Experiences from the Field |url=https://www.wri.org/research/assisted-natural-regeneration-case-studies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendrole, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Role of Assisted Natural Regeneration in Accelerating Forest and Landscape Restoration: Practical Experiences from the Field}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/assisted-natural-regeneration-case-studies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }