The Decade on Restoration
“There has never been a more urgent need to restore damaged ecosystems than now.”
2021-2030 is the decade for restoration. The United Nations has declared that the next 10 years should be dedicated to restoring the world’s ecosystems. Without this global action, the planet faces catastrophic climate change and mass extinctions. The UN has outlined a ten-point strategic plan for achieving global restoration goals. LEAF is dedicated to fulfilling this strategy and to contributing to the #GenerationRestoration.
1. Empower a global movement
As a recently founded charity, LEAF is embarking on a new adventure. Our mission is to restore some of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet using indigenous tree species. Our aim is to empower local people across the globe to start ecosystem restoration projects. By 2030, we aim to have planted 1 million trees across 10 different countries, helping to save some of the planet’s most endangered species.
2. Finance restoration on the ground
In our first year, LEAF has already begun funding important projects on the ground in Kenya. In collaboration with Pwani University, we are helping to restore several hundred acres of the university grounds with native tree species. Situated within one of the most endangered biodiversity hotspots globally, Pwani University provides a critical location for protecting some of the East African Coastal Forest’s most endangered species. Meanwhile, near Nairobi, we are supporting the Kijabe Forest Trust to help harvest seeds, germinate and look after seedlings, and eventually fuel local tree planting events. Without these funds, the local nursery would close down and forest restoration in the area would cease.
“Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction. It will only succeed if everyone plays a part. Find out more about ecosystems and the UN Decade, and join the global movement to restore our world.”
Planting of our first trees in the grounds of Pwani University
LEAF supports local people to protect their forests and to help them receive the benefits forests provide.
3. Set the right incentives
Our Pwani project has already employed three Botany graduates from the University. These ex-students are entwined in University life, they get involvement from fellow Pwani staff and students and most importantly ensure our restoration work continues. By planting out a huge diversity of native species we will be able to monitor those that survive or thrive. Those that thrive will be taken forwards as timber species, allowing us to initiate the replacement of eucalyptus and other foreign monocultures with native timber forests that support local fauna. We will get an insight into fruiting native species which could be profitably farmed and provide more sustainable sources of income to local communities who currently rely predominantly on charcoal production and small-scale agricultural activities for income. By providing native timber and fruit species for people to farm we hope to incentivise a shift towards more sustainable practices, which promote a healthy environment and enhance local ecosystem services. We will purchase seeds from communities with mature native individuals, incentivising the protection of native trees and most importantly show the huge benefits forests can bring if given a chance. There is no greater incentive than inspiring a love of nature.
4. Celebrate leadership
The LEAF is proud to have a junior committee made up of young, enthusiastic environmentalists. We celebrate their dedication and hard work with our annual Junior Trustee of the Year award. Added to this, our first project, the Pwani Restoration Project, is led by our young Botanist Oscar Mwaura, who is our first Kenyan champion and has been given full reign over our work at Pwani. We hope to carry such young champions of restoration deep into their conservation career, doing everything we can to empower their development.
5. Shift behaviours
LEAF understands that restoring forests is not just about planting trees but also about changing global behaviours. Through our new schools outreach project we aim to increase awareness of environmental issues and damaging consumptive behaviours which have an impact across the globe.
On the ground we aim to engage with communities to provide culturally sensitive sustainable solutions to local environmental issues, that can provide sustainable livelihood and ecosystem benefits to empower the communities. Our partnership with Pwani provides us with a great opportunity to research and refine our reforestation practices and to engage with local people to map out the future of the project.
6. Invest in research
Planting trees with short life spans is futile. That’s why LEAF is specialising in research-driven restoration to increase our restoration effectiveness. LEAF only uses native species that have evolved and are adapted to the local environment, now and in the future. Through collaborations with scientists from Pwani University and the University of Exeter, we support student projects that help identify the best planting time, optimal propagation techniques and the most resilient species for restoration. This research helps improve the long-term success of our projects, maximising benefits and reducing mortality rates of outplanted seedlings.
Understanding long-term forest dynamics in our restoration projects is critical to ensure carbon capture and biodiversity is sustainable.
The old tree nursery in Pwani University was in desperate need of regeneration
7. Build up capacity
Building capacity is crucial for successful large-scale restoration projects. That’s why LEAF is helping to expand the Pwani University nursery. A critical seedling nursery that grows local endangered tree species and has been in desperate need of regeneration for years. By funding a new nursery, we plan to make capacity for over 10,000 seedlings, of which we hope up to 2,000 will be planted within the Pwani grounds annually.
If you would like to support this project, please donate to our campaign.
8. Celebrate a culture of restoration
LEAF is supporting the #GenerationRestoration through its LEAF champions program. We set up #theleaf to enable us to monitor our interactions with individuals, inspire conversations and allow those who agree with our mission, have been beneficiaries of our projects or donate to our cause to be acknowledged publicly. Our champions support native tree restoration, helping both the biodiversity and climate crises of our generation. If you’d like to become a LEAF champion, send us your #theleaf selfie to @wearetheleaf on any major social media platform.
9. Build up the next generation
Youth is the future. The next generation will be the future ambassadors of natural ecosystem restoration. That’s why the LEAF has set up its new junior trustee programme. We provide the opportunity for undergraduate students to shadow our trustees, join our sub-committees and be actively involved in key decisions. We hope this opportunity will inspire them to become future leaders and advocates of nature-based solutions.
10. Listen and learn
LEAF is here to listen and learn from everyone’s experiences. If you have any questions or advice, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at hello@theleafcharity.com.
