LoCoFoRest - Locally Controlled Forest Restoration

Deadline 1 March: The first call for LoCoForest – A governance and market oriented approach for for resilient landscapes. 

Forest landscapes are set to play an increasingly important role as we transition from a world reliant on fossil-fuel to a circular bioeconomy. Well-managed, natural forests are key for climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as meeting the growing global demand for wood-based products.

Objective

LoCoFoRest will build capacity in national, regional and local institutions and organisations. The programme will give participants the skills and knowledge to enrich their organisations’ capacity to support local communities and entrepreneurs to make forest and landscape restoration scalable and to take advantage of new value chains and the growing demands of a biobased economy.

Target group

We are looking for participants from:

• National, regional and local government; civil society; private sector and academic organisations working with forest restoration, processing of forest products, management of forest ecosystem services and natural resources management such as water and biodiversity.
• Applicants are individuals working in these organisations and institutions, and require the approval of their employer.
• Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.

Training programme components

The programme has five components:

• Web-based preparatory course
• Three weeks training in Sweden
• Mentoring support for a “change-project” project in the participant’s home countries.
• Annual restoration conference
• Follow up alumni and networking programmes in participating countries

Programme period

LoCoFoRest ITP runs from 2021–2025. The call for applications for the first course round is due to be posted in January 2021.

Partners and Donor

The Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) is lead organiser in partnership with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF). The programme is financed by the Swedish International Agency for Development Cooperation (Sida).