ELTI’s training and leadership programs focus on a range of themes that contribute to the conservation and restoration of native biodiversity and the enhancement of local livelihoods within human-dominated landscapes in the tropics. These themes, which were identified with in-country partners, include:
- Native Species Reforestation and Tropical Forest Restoration
- Integrating Trees and Forests into Cattle Ranching Landscapes
- Rehabilitation of Mined Sites
- Monitoring Restoration Initiatives
- Mangrove Restoration
- Financing Conservation and Restoration Projects
- Watershed Restoration
1. Native Species Reforestation and Tropical Forest Restoration
Tropical forests around the world have been lost and degraded by a range of activities, including logging, agriculture and industry. Through this process, surrounding communities often lose access to critical environmental goods and services that support local livelihoods. Traditional reforestation efforts tend to pay locals on a piecemeal basis to plant fast-growing exotic species without regard to the community’s needs or input. Our experience shows that reforestation efforts are more successful over the long term when local people are engaged as partners and native species are integrated into their land-use plans.
2. Integrating Trees and Forests into Cattle Ranching Landscapes
Generations of conventional cattle ranching throughout Latin America have compromised ecosystem services, biodiversity, and local livelihoods. We provide landholders with applied experiences and the sum of decades of scientific research to help them improve the productivity and sustainability of their cattle production. Their adoption of more sustainable management practices fosters key environmental services, helps to establish wildlife corridors that connect remnants of natural ecosystems, and yields many other ecological benefits.
3. Rehabilitation of Mined Sites
Open-pit coal mining causes severe deforestation, affecting water regulation, soil stabilization, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity habitat. Fortunately, there is growing interest in restoring these degraded sites. To help address this situation, ELTI has partnered with local organizations in Indonesia to increase the capacity of government staff and practitioners responsible for overseeing the rehabilitation process. Our workshops and field- based training courses provide participants with an in-depth understanding of pertinent government regulations and a detailed, technical understanding of the steps involved to restore these areas.
4. Monitoring Restoration Initiatives
Over the past few decades, a range of stakeholder groups has implemented many ecological restoration projects throughout the tropics. Although monitoring protocols are an essential component of the design of these initiatives, many projects do not include a monitoring or evaluation component. Little is known about the impacts of these initiatives and whether they are meeting their goals. We are addressing this training gap with local partners by offering field-based courses on monitoring strategies for ecological restoration initiatives.
5. Mangrove Restoration
Though they constitute less than 1% of the world’s forests, mangroves play an essential – and undervalued – role in providing environmental services. Losing mangroves has a major impact on coastal communities. Unfortunately, most conventional forms of mangrove rehabilitation rely on the planting of a small number of tree species, often in areas that have not historically had mangroves. To overcome this issue, ELTI has been working with partners to build capacity in implementing alternative rehabilitation strategies, with a focus on the establishment of local community support and finding ways to address associated land tenure issues.
6. Financing Conservation and Restoration Projects
While there is an increasing interest to conserve and restore native trees, forests and ecosystem services in human dominated landscapes in the tropics, the means to accomplish these goals often are not available. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is one potential strategy. We have developed field-based training programs with partners to link PES strategies and opportunities to indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, with a focus on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Special attention was given to social safeguards in REDD+ during many of these events.
7. Watershed Restoration
Land use practices directly impacts the health of watersheds and their ability to generate ecosystem services. Despite the many benefits of maintaining forest cover in watersheds, these areas often are highly fragmented across a range of land use practices, including agriculture, reforestation schemes and cattle ranching. To date, ELTI has contributed to an international conference and facilitated several field-based training courses in Latin America to provide the technical basis for designing and implementing forest restoration strategies within watersheds.
Legacy Themes
Our training programs have also focused on the following three themes in the past, though these are not current priorities:
- Governance Aspects Of Conservation And Restoration Strategies
- Threats To Tropical Forests, Including Biofuel Production And Infrastructure Development (e.g., Roads)
- Sustainable Land Use Planning And Decision-Making
