Skip to main content

Forest Landscape Restoration and the Bonn Challenge in Eastern and South-East Europe

Forest Landscape Restoration and the Bonn Challenge in Eastern and South-East Europe

16 - 17 December 2019
Belgrade Serbia
 
picture of participants at Belgrade meeting on FLR

Workshop Rationale

This workshop had two main objectives:

(i) to provide background information about the Bonn Challenge, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and ECCA30, and

(ii) to gather input for a study on forest landscape restoration in East and South-Eastern Europe.

These objectives were reached through:

  • Exchange of experiences on forest landscape restoration and degradation in participating countries;
  • Discuss strategies and approaches for unlocking financial resources required for restoration;
  • Inform national experts responsible for forest landscape restoration about regional and international opportunities, with a special focus on a high-level meeting planned for 2020;
  • Brief participants about the process of country commitments under the Bonn Challenge and the support UNECE/FAO can provide.

During the meeting, the potential for forest landscape restoration at a national level and the commitment process were discussed along with needs and priorities of participating countries. Countries had the opportunity to get clarifications from forest landscape restoration experts, researchers and the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section.

Agenda

The preliminary agenda is available in English, Serbian and Russian.

Meeting venue

Hotel M, Bul. Oslobođenja 56a, 11000 Belgrade.

Meeting hours

Monday 16 Dec 2019 9:00-17:30

Tuesday 17 Dec 2019 9:00-17:30

Field trip

The field trip took place on the second day of the workshop. A bus took the participants to nearby Kovilje, where state-owned enterprise "Vojvodinašume" provided a tour showcasing an example of previously degraded land that has since been afforested. Refreshments were provided.

What is the Bonn Challenge?

The Bonn Challenge, launched in 2011 and extended by the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests, is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020 and 350 million ha by 2030. The Bonn Challenge serves as an open, voluntary and flexible discussion and exchange platform for concrete action and cooperation to facilitate the implementation of forest landscape restoration. To date 62 contributors have pledged more than 170 Mha to the Bonn Challenge. It is an implementation vehicle for national priorities such as water and food security and rural development while contributing to the achievement of international climate change, biodiversity and land degradation commitments. Underlying the Bonn Challenge is the forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach, which aims to restore ecological integrity while improving human well-being through multifunctional landscapes.

UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN declared 2021-2030 the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration this bears an unparalleled opportunity to scale up forest restoration efforts while creating jobs and combating climate change.

Presentations

Presentation title Presenter Download
Project Overview Theresa Loeffler PDF
Introduction to Forest Landscape Restoration Jelena Markovic (on behalf of Jürgen Blaser) PDF
Pan-European reporting on land degradation and restoration Matej Schwarz PDF
Forest landscape restoration study in Eastern and South-East Europe Jelena Markovic PDF
FLR-challenges and opportunities (Ukrainian perception) Liubov Poliakova PDF
Forest Landscape Restoration from a "water perspective" in North Macedonia and Albania Anela Stavrevska-Panajotova PDF
Serbian perspective Dusan Jovic PDF
FAO activities in forest landscape restoration in Serbia Predrag Jovic PDF
Getting started with the Bonn Challenge and ECCA30 Roksolana Shelest PDF
Bonn Challenge and Forest Landscape Restoration: understanding synergies and identifying opportunities across Rio Conventions Salome Begeladze PDF
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 Radmila Arandjelovic PDF
Financing FLR Benjamin Singer PDF
World Bank support to Forest Landscape Restoration - Experience in Eastern and South East Europe Drita Dade PDF
Bonn Challenge Barometer of Progress: an overview of the tool, 2nd Progress Report and Potential for ECCA Boris Erg PDF

Meeting report

Meeting report is here.

Background documents

Contact

For any information, please contact Ms Theresa Loeffler, Associate Economic Affairs Officer.