Forest restoration is widely recognized as a global priority to sequester carbon, conserve biodiversity, and support the livelihoods of rural and indigenous people. Contemporary interventions often target landscapes with a substantial human presence, and they regularly call for stakeholder participation during project implementation. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence linking local involvement with multiple forest benefits over long time horizons. Using a unique dataset of four decades of government-sponsored tree planting in North India, we find that both substantive local influence over planning projects and sustained control over management into the present—a favorable combination of long-term, empowered local governance—is associated with greater livelihood benefits and improvements in forest canopy cover over time. Our work points toward complex socio-ecological relationships, which may be explained by a positive interaction between empowered local governance, interventions that align with local needs, and long-term local care for planted forests. This implies that current financial commitments may need to be accompanied by institutional reforms that give communities meaningful control over planning and build capacities for self-governance that can endure into the future. In light of this work, we suggest that a paradigm of ‘people-centered restoration’ may offer the best opportunity to support long-term environmental goals in densely settled landscapes in the Global South.

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