Scattered pines in the Malagasy landscape
GIZ/Ragna John
Development of national forest landscape restoration strategy
The national strategy for forest landscape restoration and green infrastructure was developed in a participatory manner during 8 months at various stages:
1) scope definition at committee level & drafting of terms of references, selection of advisors
2) validation of methodology,
3) consultation of government, civil society and private sector at regional level (10 of 22 regions),
4) 2 validation workshops at national level for committee & platform,
5) communication of the strategy at the level of the Council of Ministers (meeting of all Ministers and Prime Ministers)
6) dissemination on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The strategy takes stock of the current situation and framework conditions in Madagascar, analyses the main challenges to reach the 4 M ha goal by 2030 and gives strategic advice on how to overcome them and mobilize key actors.
The strategy recommends priorities covering good governance, coherent spatial planning, technical restoration measures and resource mobilization. Priorities are broken down into 12 objectives and concrete activities.
- A study on FLR opportunities – following the IUCN Restoration Opportunity Mapping methodology - from 2015 served as a technical basis
- Strategy development coincided with the revision of the "new Forestry Policy" of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. FLR is a key priority for this new forest policy
- A new national energy policy supports the implementation of FLR strategy by a restoration of 40,000 ha forests and forest plantations per year for domestic rural energy supply
- It was crucial that the strategy openly names challenges and potential for improvement, also including the issues of land (tenure) rights the current lack of cross-sectorial cooperation and weak governance, reflecting the awareness of existing problems
- For its acceptance and legitimacy, it was crucial to develop the key elements of the strategy in a participative process together with the FLR committee
- It was ideal that strategy was validated officially by an inter-ministerial decree involving key sectors; but this was not sufficient and additionally a long process of lobbying inside the powerful key ministries concerned was required. Integrating the secretaries general of the Ministries of Agriculture and Regional Planning into the RPF Committee was the solution for mainstreaming the strategy