The last decade has seen a surge in tree-planting and restoration pledges. The Bonn Challenge and New York Declaration on Forests aim to restore 350 million hectares of degraded forests and landscapes this decade. More than 130 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030. Odds are you’ve seen companies and nonprofits promising to plant a tree for every purchase or every dollar donated.The appeal of these commitments makes sense. Trees are a tangible, measurable solution to combat climate change and land degradation. Tree-based restoration can also bring incredible benefits for people and economies — from healthier soils and improved biodiversity to cleaner air, better livelihoods and more stable water supplies.Yet tree-planting initiatives have also faced some skepticism, and rightfully so.Studies show that there is a right way and a wrong way to plant trees. Without careful consideration of the species, where they’re planted or the needs of nearby communities, trees may not survive long-term — making the effort to plant them moot. These initiatives can even be detrimental. For example, planting trees on agricultural land can sometimes lead to more forests being cleared for farmland elsewhere.That doesn’t mean we should stop. The world needs new trees more than ever as we grapple with climate change and nature loss. What’s important is making sure they are planted the right way. Practical guidance on effective restoration can help translate tree-planting commitments into real outcomes for people and the planet. Goshen Global Vision works closely with local community members to plant trees on cocoa farms and in the Subri Forest Reserve in western Ghana. Photo by Sena Affadu/WRI The Promise and Challenge of Tree PlantingDeforestation and land degradation are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. When land is degraded, it puts plant and animal species at risk. Soil doesn’t retain water and nutrients as well, making it harder to grow food. Trees and vegetation that once helped prevent erosion and runoff are no longer there to buffer communities against flooding and landslides. All of this comes with knock-on economic effects.Nearly 40% of the world’s land is degraded today, with the harshest impacts felt in developing countries already struggling with poverty and food insecurity. And we continue to lose forests at a staggering rate. In 2024, the world lost 18 football (soccer) fields worth of tropical primary forest per minute.The recent upswell in restoration commitments has brought hope for the world’s dwindling forests and degraded landscapes. While financing still needs to quadruple to meet global restoration demand, these commitments show a recognition of the problem and ambition to solve it.Yet this momentum has also brought awareness to the potential risks and pitfalls of tree-based restoration. Tree saplings ready for planting. Photo by Photo by Prowl Ltd/WRI A 2020 World Agroforestry (ICRAF) paper highlights some of the places where tree-planting efforts can go wrong. Many projects have inadequate planning. Or, they or don’t focus enough on sourcing quality seeds and matching them to appropriate planting sites. This often leads to poor survival rates — meaning tree cover ultimately doesn’t increase.Initiatives can also overlook the needs of local communities, who are commonly asked to implement or maintain these projects. The ICRAF paper highlighted an example from Malawi, where the government encouraged farmers to plant trees for wood — both as a source of fuel and a means to restore the land. However, fuelwood was not a top priority for farmers, who were more focused on generating food and income. This made many reluctant to take part, hampering the project’s impact.Restoration projects also need to balance social and financial benefits with long-term ecosystem health. For example, planting avocado trees among other crops can bring climate benefits and boost farmers’ incomes. But a large-scale avocado plantation in a dry region could deplete scarce water resources in the long term, doing more harm than good.What It Means to Restore Land the Right WaySuccessful restoration is about more than simply planting trees. In restoration, trees are a means to an end — like a stable climate, improved biodiversity, healthier soils or better water quality — rather than an end in themselves. Achieving this potential requires thoughtful planning and clear guidance.About Restore LocalRestore Local builds on the AFR100 initiative, a county-led effort to restore 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded land in Africa by 2030. Learn more about Restore Local and AFR100.Restore Local, an initiative convened by World Resources Institute, supports restoration efforts across key African landscapes. We work with nearly 200 local organizations and enterprises to rehabilitate degraded forests and farmlands while providing employment, enhancing biodiversity and improving climate resilience.Based on this deep experience, we’ve pinpointed three key criteria for tree-based restoration initiatives to ensure they drive positive, lasting impact. Restoration needs to be high-quality, locally led and targeted.High-qualityHigh-quality restoration is technically sound, avoids harm, and maximizes benefits for people, nature and climate. But what does this look like in practice?For one, restoration should enhance natural ecosystems; not replace them. This means selecting the appropriate tree species and planting locations and choosing the right restoration tactics for the area. In Rwanda, for example, Biodiversity Conservation Organization (BIOCOOR) is removing invasive plants in Nyungwe National Park to help native species rebound, supporting biodiversity, soil health and carbon sequestration. Members of BIOCOOR, a youth led organization in Rwanda, preparing for a tree planting session. Photo by Serrah Galos/WRI Projects should also promote social equity, such as by involving marginalized groups and respecting local land rights. In western Ghana’s Daboase District, Goshen Global Vision is restoring land within cocoa farms and the Subri Forest Reserve, using a combination of native and fruit tree species to reforest. The organization respects traditional land rights and cultural norms by securing free, prior and informed consent from traditional leaders and landowners, and by integrating local leadership in project planning and monitoring.For long-term success, projects need to secure ongoing financial support — and account for the underlying drivers of degradation. In Sierra Leone, where unsustainable charcoal production is a common driver of land degradation, the youth-action agency YARDO is training community members in forest management and conservation. It is also providing sustainable livelihoods, including short-term jobs in tree-care and maintenance. These efforts help to prevent tree loss in the first place.Finally, projects must ensure tangible benefits for people, nature and the climate. In Nakuru County, Kenya, the women-led group Wezecha works with smallholder farmers to plant fruit and other trees alongside crops. This enriches the soil, improves farmers’ yields and provides fodder for livestock. From the outset, Wezecha engaged local communities by conducting surveys and rapid assessments to understand their priorities, farm productivity, and interest in agroforestry. The group’s work around Dundori Forest now supports biodiversity, livelihoods and resilience, all rooted in the priorities of local residents.Restore Local’s Checklist for High-quality Restoration[Read more]• Planned and managed to provide multiple benefits, including improvements to social equity, economic prosperity and ecosystem services. Restoration initiatives are designed, planned and managed to contribute to longer-term outcomes for people and nature, such as delivering ecosystem services, socio-economic benefits, and climate adaptation and mitigation. Tree species, locations and techniques should be selected to serve these environmental and social objectives.• Avoids ecosystem conversion, such as conversion of native grasslands to commercial forest or agricultural land.• Considers drivers of degradation, such as other land use pressures, within the scope of the project.• Enhances recolonization and performance of native species. Choosing the right species for site conditions and restoration objectives is fundamental to high-quality restoration.• Respects land tenure and other rights and provides safeguards for people experiencing vulnerabilities or marginalization.• Resilient to climate risk and other hazards that can threaten the longevity of restoration initiatives. Understanding and accounting for these risks from the onset increases the sustainability of restoration.• Includes a system for monitoring and adapting to ensure restoration projects are on track to deliver intended benefits and improve in response to environmental changes, climate impacts and other unexpected events.• Resourced for long-term sustainability through direct financing; through incentives for communities or farmers to maintain restoration efforts; through the market for ecosystem goods and services; or through leveraging complementary initiatives.Locally ledDespite the critical role of local communities in restoration, many projects are top-down affairs led by large international organizations, funders and national governments. But initiatives are often more effective when local organizations and communities take the lead.Local actors can shape restoration approaches based on their knowledge of the ecosystem and culture. By designing interventions to address local priorities, such as food security or income generation, they can help ensure long-term success. Studies have shown that natural resource management approaches which are community-based or co-developed with local communities are more likely to lead to social, economic and environmental benefits compared with conventional top-down approaches. Effective restoration can bring a multitude of benefits, including healthier soils, increased crop yields, higher incomes and more. Photo by Sena Affadu/WRI In projects that are truly locally led, local actors aren’t just informed or given an opportunity to provide feedback. They have agency over technical and programmatic decisions and are equipped with the resources they need — financial, capacity or otherwise — to meaningfully deliver or guide restoration.Take the Gomeza Community in Malawi. Faced with severe deforestation and depleted agricultural lands, the seven villages that comprise the community took restoration into their own hands. Focusing on a section of the Mvai Forest Reserve, they developed new governance measures, including holding elections for local leaders and giving all community members a chance to suggest restoration activities. They’ve taken steps like \“enrichment planting\” to bolster the forest’s natural recovery and planting vetiver grass to help control erosion. They also established a volunteer firefighting force and a patrol to watch for unsanctioned deforestation.These efforts have led to a resurgence of biodiversity, with animals that were once considered extinct in the area returning. They have also reduced erosion and soil runoff, increased groundwater recharge and boosted fruit production, providing a source of food and income for locals. The community decides its own work schedule and fully manages implementation, with funds flowing from its own resources as well as government agencies and partners. TargetedEfforts to restore degraded land are often spread too thin to achieve broad outcomes, like improving water supply or safeguarding biodiversity. This can stem from inadequate coordination between projects as well as a lack of data and shared planning. What’s needed is a more targeted restoration approach that concentrates efforts in areas with the biggest potential for impact.The first step is to identify priority outcomes for a particular landscape or area. This could include improving water quality in a lake or river, enhancing soils to support agricultural productivity, or bringing back biodiversity. The next is to pinpoint where restoration could best contribute to these outcomes, considering factors like water body locations, protected areas, population density, food security status, and climate and environmental hazards. These locations also need to make sense given practical or political constraints and local partner priorities. Targeted landscape restoration seeks to maximize the positive impacts of tree-planting and other restoration efforts. Photo by Prowl Ltd/WRI The Restore Local team has worked with stakeholders in western Rwanda to identify key restoration objectives in the region, including enhancing biodiversity and water quality, boosting food security, and building climate resilience and community well-being. To help achieve these objectives, the team identified two priority areas for intervention. One involves increasing connectivity between the Gishwati and Mukura national parks to increase habitats for wildlife. The other involves planting trees to reduce erosion and sedimentation in the Rusizi river sub-catchment. This will help improve water quality and maintain water supplies that are important for hydropower generation.More than Trees: Maximizing Restoration’s ImpactGlobal restoration commitments are brimming with potential. But getting trees in the ground is only part of the equation. The return on these investments can be multifold if stakeholders ensure they are high-quality, locally led and targeted. This is how we tap restoration’s true potential — bringing back healthy ecosystems, supporting economic opportunities, and bolstering communities in the face of a changing climate.

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