Methodology & Data: Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity

The document details the methodology for mapping global forest restoration opportunities by comparing current forest coverage with potential forest coverage under current climate conditions. It defines four forest conditions—intact, fragmented/managed, degraded, and deforested—and categorizes restoration opportunities based on human pressure and population density. The analysis identifies over two billion hectares of potential restoration area, with mosaic restoration being the most significant opportunity. The methodology also supports the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 150 million hectares of land worldwide by 2020.

• The analysis identifies more than two billion hectares of land worldwide that offer opportunities for either wide-scale or mosaic-type restoration, an area described as being larger than South America.
• Mosaic restoration represents the largest category of opportunity, accounting for 1.5 billion hectares, or three quarters of the total opportunity area.
• Restoration opportunities are not exclusively linked to current deforestation; most identified landscapes were deforested or degraded in the distant past and are located away from current deforestation hotspots.
• The methodology classifies restoration opportunities into three main types based on population density: wide-scale restoration (less than 10 people per square kilometer), mosaic restoration (between 10 and 100 people per square kilometer), and remote restoration (less than one person per square kilometer within a 500-km radius).
• The Bonn Challenge, established in September 2011 by the German Government and IUCN, sets a global target to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded lands by 2020.
• The mapping process identifies significant historical deforestation in several major regions, including parts of Brazil, the United States, Europe, Russia, India, and China.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Methodology & Data: Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity. https://www.wri.org/data/methodology-data-atlas-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunity

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Methodology & Data: Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity. n.d. https://www.wri.org/data/methodology-data-atlas-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Methodology & Data: Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity |url=https://www.wri.org/data/methodology-data-atlas-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendmethodology, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Methodology \& Data: Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/data/methodology-data-atlas-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }