The Forest Landscape Restoration Implementation Workshop (the Petrópolis Workshop) convened in Petrópolis, Brazil from 4-8 April 2005. The Workshop was a country- and organization-led initiative in support of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) hosted by Brazil and organized by the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration. The latter was created in March 2003 to identify and reinforce a network of diverse forest landscape restoration (FLR) examples that deliver benefits to local communities, fulfill international commitments on forests, and help manage forests for the ecological health of landscapes.
Bringing together over 100 participants representing local, provincial and national governments, international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector, the Petrópolis Workshop sought to find ways to increase understanding of good practices and opportunities in FLR activities, stimulate their political support, and catalyze and demonstrate their implementation around the world.
The report of the Workshop will be forwarded to the fifth session of UNFF (UNFF-5), which will convene from 16-27 May 2005, in New York, US. The workshop also sought to contribute to implementation of the work programmes of other international and regional policy processes, including the conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Tehran Process on Countries with Low Forest Cover, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
Participants at the Petrópolis Workshop convened in plenary sessions, group discussions and field trips focusing on five themes: understanding FLR; benefits of FLR to people, livelihoods, environmental services and sustainable economies; tools for decision makers; governance and partnerships; and investment opportunities, innovative financing and policy incentives. The Workshop outputs were: the Workshop report to UNFF-5, the Petrópolis Challenge, a declaration describing the goals and current status of FLR, as well as future steps to be taken by the Partnership and the international community, and a summary of proceedings on CD-ROM. More.
