Strong interdependencies exist between forests and freshwater. As a healthy water cycle is essential for landscape resilience, connections between water and forests must be considered to ensure restoration initiatives are successful, particularly in the face of climate change. SIWI and GIZ have therefore developed the Water-Smart Forest and Landscape Restoration Tool (W-FLR-tool), to help relevant actors involved in landscape restoration to assess water risks and opportunities. Throughout 2023, the tool methodology was developed, with initial stakeholder trainings held in Benin, before it was presented at World Water Week and COP28 – where it garnered huge interest.

Another essential part of SIWI’s long-standing capacity building work around resilient landscapes is the Locally Controlled Forest Restoration (LoCoFoRest) project, which is a one-year training programme that builds capacity in forest landscape restorations, targeted at young professionals from various sectors and institutions. As one of the implementing partners, SIWI was involved in workshops in Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Laos, Senegal, and Togo. In 2023, workshops were offered in French for the first time.

“What participants have taken away from the workshops and succeeded in doing is huge,” said Lotta Samuelson, Senior Manager at SIWI. “Many mentioned that this is the first time anyone has ever talked to them about the key role of water in forest-landscape restoration.” The LoCoFoRest project is financed by SIDA and led by the Swedish Forest Agency.